63. Metabolic Health and Fueling for High Intensity Sports - Tito Garza’s Story

In this episode of the OFM Podcast, Host, Peter Defty, sits down with Tito Garza to share Tito’s journey of implementing OFM for high-intensity cyclocross racing.    From his humble roots in Texas, battling through personal challenges and, through overcoming these challenges, becoming a restaurant entrepreneur Garza's story is a testament to resilience, innovation, and the transformative power of metabolic health.   **Key Points Discussed:**   Introduction to Tito Garza: Tito bares it all, from his roots growing up in Texas, how his parents struggled with alcohol, to his own struggles and how he overcame them. Working a low paying job as a trainer in a gym and borrowing $70 from his girlfriend (who eventually became his wife) to start selling Mexican Food and on to his successful ventures in the restaurant industry.  The importance of core relationships and having people who believe in you even when you have doubts about yourself.   The OFM Journey: Garza details his journey into cycling and how he started off following the conventional high carb advice and noting the ‘unintended consequences’ of bonking, fatigue and inflammation. Upon getting a concussion during a race Tito dove into how to reduce inflammation and fully recover, went Keto, learning, firsthand, the performance limitations of keto. This presented a conundrum; enjoy the health and lifestyle benefits of low carb but lose being competitive in cycling. Reading about Vespa and OFM from “The Art & Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance” purchasing Vespa and signing up for the OFM Metabolic Reset. The learning curve to dialing OFM in for Tito’s individual needs and the importance of experimentation in training. Tito’s progression from the back of the pack on keto to winning! The mental focus and retention of fine motor skills benefits of Vespa and OFM Tito’s experience underscores the OFM’s adaptability across various sports, including cycling and CrossFit. Business and Balance: Tito opens up about the challenges of juggling a thriving business and a bustling family life with his athletic pursuits and how OFM has made achieving the balance possible. Finding the Balance over the bifurcation to the extreme which is all to common in today’s world. Through focusing on metabolic health Tito feels better which enables him to perform better and be better in all areas of his life, due to his stable energy levels, mood and positive outlook on life.   Metabolic Health Insights:   Peter and Tito delve into the science and philosophy behind OFM, discussing the impact of metabolic health on overall well-being, athletic performance, and life balance.  How the OFM conceptual model allows the athlete to individualize the program to their needs, sport and lifestyle for optimal results and sustainability. How Tito adapted OFM  to work for his personal needs. Perfection being the enemy of the good. The impacts of chronic mental and emotional stress. How OFM mitigates this. How OFM helps development of aerobic fast and slow twitch muscle fibers instead of anaerobic fast twitch fibers for both health and body composition. This, in essence, is building metabolic capacity at the cellular/mitochondrial level. OFM allows plenty of sugar to work with ‘strategically’ for the performance and adaptive stress.   Community and Support: The conversation highlights the importance of support systems, both in personal life and within the OFM community.  Tito's story is a compelling example of how belief, encouragement, and shared knowledge can drive transformation. Tito Garza's OFM/Vespa journey is a real world example of how each of us can  overcome adversity, embrace change, and discover the profound impact metabolic health has on all areas of life. Whether you're an athlete, entrepreneur, or someone curious about enhancing your well-being, this episode offers tangible insights into harnessing your body's potential to achieve “Higher Health & Peak Performance”.