And, by and large, this means eating more protein. These individuals get to a point in their
career where they know they need to advance but aren’t entirely sure how go about it. So
they start eating more protein. Everyone else seems to be doing it and they’re constantly
bombarded with information about protein supplements and how it’s so important for
recovery that they take their consumption to sky-high levels.
I was one of those individuals. In 2003, after coming off my
first Mr. Universe, my intake was up to 250 grams of whey
protein every single day. 250 grams of whey protein! This
wasn’t even accounting for the whole food sources of
protein I was eating each day from the fresh fruits,
vegetables, beans, and grains I was eating. This was an
astronomical level by anyone’s standards, but I felt it was
going to get the job done and help me come in looking my
best.
And I did look good. I walked on stage and felt I had
achieved success. It was only after the show that I realized
the consequences of my decisions. Over the next 11 weeks,
I proceeded to gain 42 pounds of fat and water in just 11
weeks, not to mention I felt absolutely terrible. I was
riddled with fatigue and felt like all the energy I once had
was now gone.
The reason?
My body had become so acidic thanks to the dietary practices I was using that I had actually
reduced my protein digestion efficiency. In addition to this, in my acidic state, my energy
was depleted, and I was at risk for increased acid load on my kidneys, increased risk for
kidney stone formation, as well as increased bone loss (Brinkley L, et al., 2002).
Despite the fact I was doing everything that some of the top coaches in the industry told
me to do, it wasn’t until I learned from a doctor who gave a presentation about enzymes
that I learned what was really going on inside my body.
This doctor helped me learn that thanks to my high protein intake, my body was so
incapable of digesting protein efficiently that no matter how much protein I consumed, I
was only actually obtaining just a fraction of it because all of my enzyme reserves had been
exhausted.
Let me back up a little and explain how this works.
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