Episode Summary
Meet today’s guest, Sean Genovese, a bodybuilder, and fitness coach who is passionate about nutrition, as well as working with people to achieve their fitness goals in a healthy way.
In this episode, Dr. Scott Jablonka, the Carolina Movement Doc, sits with Sean. They highlight common issues with the erroneous approach of people in regards to weight loss or weight gain and the practical steps needed to attain and sustain weight goals.
Top Takeaways
- “Dropping in weight has an amazing impact on all your joints.”
– [Dr. Scott Jablonka] - “Once you’re an athlete, you’re always an athlete.”
– [Dr. Scott Jablonka] - “A lot of people undereat when they’re trying to lose weight, and a lot of people overeat when they’re trying to gain weight; it’s just trying to find that balance in between.”
– [Sean Genovese] - “Anything that you do with intelligence is done well.”
– [Dr. Scott Jablonka] - “A goal without a plan is just a wish and it’s probably going to fail.”
– [Dr. Scott Jablonka]
Episode Highlights
- [00:35] Intro
- [01:53] The typical New Year Resolutions for Weight Loss.
- [03:22] Meet today’s guest, Sean Genovese.
- [04:10] About Sean’s background.
- [06:08] Where is your career path headed currently?
- [07:44] When helping people with nutrition, what is the most harmful thing you see with their plan?
- [13:22] What are some simple concepts you give to combat under-eating?
- [14:33] What advice would you give to someone who wants to gain mass to be a bodybuilder?
- [17:18] Connect with Sean
Episode Notes
New year, new you
With every January comes New Year’s resolutions of losing weight. Weight Loss has an immense impact on all joints. You lose 4 pounds of pressure on the spine for every pound lost. As such, it is highly commendable to even have the drive to lose weight. However, a lot of people jump headfirst into weight loss without any guidance whatsoever and often go about it the wrong way.
Sean Genovese
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Today’s guest Sean Genovese shares his background and describes his fair share of mistakes. Growing up in Long Island, New York, Sean was very active as a kid, engaging in different sports. He was a skinny kid who struggled all through high school to gain weight; not lose it. He did some dirty bulking in college, through poor diet choices which got his weight to 178 pounds. This left him feeling extremely unhealthy. It had started to affect his performance in sports. It did grow a strong interest in nutrition and fitness that grew into a newfound passion for Sean. He was struck by the fact that very often people make these big diet decisions but feel unhealthy afterward.
Describing the current trajectory of his career, Sean shares that he is focused on building himself through fitness, nutrition, and social media. He intentionally works on his personal growth and improvement in every facet. He also enjoys helping other athletes.
Are you undereating? Probably.
One of the most harmful things people do in creating their nutrition plan is underestimating or overestimating how much they need to eat. Usually, folks are under-eating. The biggest impact of this is the very low energy levels. Other effects include changes in mental state, mood, and even morale due to the deficiency of several nutrients from the low quantity of food intake.
Dr. Jablonka had a similar experience when trying to lose weight. He had learned that it is necessary to operate within a caloric deficit. A caloric deficit means the number of calories you take in must be less than the calories you lose. This is how we lose weight. This worked for him but he started to overdo it. At some point during which he lost more weight and had very low energy. In hindsight, having a nutritionist or dietitian to talk to would have been very useful.
Don’t obsess over the scale
Many people fall victim to the numbers on the scale. Seeing a weight they don’t like on the scale strongly pushes them to put in excessive amounts of effort in hopes of a better outcome. They forget that weight loss or gain won’t happen overnight. These methods are not sustainable and the heavy toll starts to show in their health.
Work with a professional
When it comes to nutrition, like many other things, it is important to talk to a professional who knows what they’re doing and can help you create a plan. Then it is recommended you keep in contact with them until your goals are reached and can be maintained.
Conclusion
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Addressing under-eating: You need to understand that the body needs fuel from food to get optimal performance in any activity. It is even helpful to get a pre-activity snack to help fuel you before serious physical activity. You should also talk to someone to help you achieve your goals.
Sean’s advice for gaining mass as a bodybuilder: You have to eat a lot, especially proteins. Get enough sleep and drink enough water. You can’t starve yourself; you need to eat every 2 hours. Sean prefers ground beef, eggs, and turkey breasts. Hardboiled eggs are also a great source of protein and an easy snack to have anywhere.
Resources
Find | Dr. Scott Jablonka (the Carolina Movement Doc)
- Carolina Movement Doc in Charlotte, North Carolina
Find | Sean Genovese
- Loray Athletic Club in Charlotte, North Carolina
- TikTok
