Food For Thought
HOW MANY TIMES have you played a terrific 12 or 14 holes, only to peter out at the end, lose focus and shots? Chances are it wasn’t your Handicap Index that did you in but your glycemic index—the effect of carbs on your blood sugar levels.
With his “Thin for Life” program, Larry Jacobs has been helping people eat right since 1983 after being plagued for years by severe stomach pains, which a nutritionist finally traced to intolerance for albumin, or the whites of eggs. Seven years ago he combined his lifelong passion for golf (he’s a four handicap) with his career as a food and weight loss coach (thingolfer.com).
Here he offers LINKS readers five tips to drop strokes—and pounds—with the right food choices on game day as well as the rest of the week. “If you do it right,” says Jacobs, “you’re going to have as much energy coming up the 18th as you do going down the 1st.” —T.C.
- Want to start your day off with a birdie before even getting to the course? After waking up, skip the coffee and drink two glasses of water. Next, get in a 15-minute workout with something as simple as a vigorous walk or lightly bouncing on a $39 mini-trampoline. For breakfast, eat a whole-grain cereal with fruit. If you’re on the move and like to stop at Starbucks, skip the muffin and get the oatmeal with fruit—hold the brown sugar.
- Hydration is key toward stabilizing your hunger and energy levels. Many times when we think we are hungry, we are actually thirsty, but we eat instead of drink. After your warm-up on the range, drink two glasses of water. Skip the sugary sports drink because it destabilizes your blood sugar and can actually make you more tired in the long run. Continue to sip water throughout the round. Also, don’t ride every step of the way; alternate walking holes with your cart partner.
- Beware the cart girl and halfway house. Both are full of hazards that can lead to food bogeys or worse, like cheese crackers, energy bars, burgers, and hot dogs. Look for fruit and nuts or better yet carry your own baggy full of “Larry’s Trail Mix”—a combination of unsalted almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and a light sprinkling of raisins. Not only will you save money, you’ll be storing energy for the back nine.
If you follow these tips, chances are you’ll not only have maintained your energy to the final putt, but you won’t be famished at lunch and overeat. Since you’re not dying of hunger, a simple turkey sandwich on wholegrain bread with mustard rather than mayo should do (hold the bacon and cheese) with a side of fruit or veggies. White flour is like white sand on a golf course—stay away. It has no fiber and all the vitamins and minerals are stripped away. These are simple carbs that quickly release sugars into the bloodstream and can add inches to your waistline.- While the above tips can definitely improve your golf stats, this one can improve your life stats: anytime you’re facing a menu and about to order chicken, beef, or pork, don’t. Choose fish or seafood. Here’s why: meat, even chicken, has omega 6 fats and oils that create inflammation, a cause of any number of maladies, while fish and seafood have omega 3 fats and oils that are anti-inflammatory. They’re great for your brain and memory, which may just help you think your way around the course better, too.
This article originally appeared in LINKS Magazine. Want more food and weight loss advice especially for golfers?
Check out thin247.com and learn how you can go from a fat storer to a fat burner in two weeks or less, without starving, counting calories, diet shakes, or pills.
