Master Fitness Program
Nutrition
Nutrition is probably the most misunderstood and incorrectly used facet of health, weight loss, and physical fitness. There are so many "professionals" out there with opinions about how best to use nutrition in order to attain your goals, that it is very easy to get confused.
Don't despair! On this page I am going to give you the facts about nutrition, and how you can apply it to your weight loss or health improvement program. I will start with a basic overview, and then I will get into some details about the individual macronutrients; Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat.
There are a few basic rules about nutrition that everyone needs to follow. As with "all things fitness", there are exceptions once in awhile, but for the purposes of a basic weight loss/fitness program, just stick with these guidelines and email me if you are considering making an exception:
1. Eat 5 or 6 small meals each day - This concept has been proven so many times over that it's a miracle it even still needs to be said. However, so many people still think that "eating less" equals weight loss that I want to make sure that you understand this concept.
The reason for eating 5 or 6 times per day is so that you can keep your metabolism burning at its highest possible level. Your metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories. So, the higher your metabolism, the more calories you will burn through each day!
By eating several small meals each day instead of 2 or 3 big meals, you will keep your metabolism cranked up to its highest possible level. Think of your body like an old-fashioned steam engine. If you put in too much coal, the engine chokes and stalls. If you don't put in enough coal, the engine (your metabolism) burns weakly (not burning very many calories). However, if you add in just enough coal at frequent intervals, the fire burns hot and fast, and the steam engine screams along at break-neck speed. THAT is what you want your metabolism to do.
2. Energy in vs. Energy out - This concept is very simple, and is in fact the very cornerstone of any weight loss effort. Simply put, you have to use more calories each day than you take in. Consider this example:
If you ingest 1,500 calories each day and your body uses 1,500 calories each day, then you will neither lose nor gain weight. However, if you ingest 1,000 calories per day and your body uses 1,500 calories in that same day (which is about the average for an adult), then you will "lose" 500 calories that day.
500 calories per day multiplied times 7 days per week is 3,500 calories, which, incidentally, is the number of calories in one pound of bodyfat. Now, burn through another 500 calories each day by exercising intensely for an hour or more, and you will lose two pounds of bodyfat in that same week!
By following this simple formula, you will lose 2 pounds of bodyfat - but NO muscle tissue - each and every week. Add in things like cranking up your metabolism (as indicated above), and timing your caloric intake properly (covered below), and you will ensure incredible results!
3. A balanced diet includes ALL 3 Macronutrients - The macronutrients are Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat. You must ingest all 3 of them every single day, preferably at almost every meal. I don't care what diet book you have been reading, or what "advice" you have gotten from others, the simple fact of the matter is that your body needs all 3 nutrients every day if you want to lose weight. Period. See the breakdown below for more details.
Protein is a group of amino acids that your body uses for tissue repair. Without protein, you would literally waste away to nothing. Your bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and your internal organs would simply stop repairing themselves, and you would fade away.
The common belief about protein is that it only comes from meat, and nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, nature's most perfect protein actually comes from eggs, and other sources include dairy products, soy, and most types of beans. In addition, you can also utilize protein supplements, and you can read more about that in the "Water, Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements" section below.
As far as how much protein you should take in, that varies a great deal based on your lifestyle and your exercise program. However, as a general rule, protein intake should be between 30% and 40% of your daily calories.
With regard to the timing of protein intake, you should take in protein at every single meal, and your last meal on any given day should be ONLY protein as your body will use the amino acids contained in the protein to repair itself while you are sleeping.
First of all, forget anything that you have ever heard about carbohydrates! The entire "carbohydrate issue" has gotten so far out of control that people don't know which end is up anymore. Here are the facts, and they apply to everyone, regardless of your health or weight loss goals:
Carbohydrates are your body's preferred source of energy. What that means is that if you do not have an adequate intake of carbohydrates, your body will start to "eat itself" in order to survive. Unfortunately, your body will not "eat" bodyfat until it has already chewed through most of your muscle tissue.
Going back to what we said about resistance training - muscle tissue is what makes your body burn calories! If you have no muscle tissue, you have no calorie burning, and your weight loss goals are not going to happen. Also, you are going to become what we call a "skinny fat person". In other words, you will only weigh 100 lbs, but you will look like a bag of skin draped over a skeleton. Not a pretty picture, and definitely not a healthy one!
The 2 basic types of carbohydrates are "low glycemic" and "high glycemic". Low glycemic carbs are GOOD and are your friend in your weight loss efforts! Low glycemic carbohydrates give you a good boost of energy, but they do not spike your insulin levels. Spiking insulin levels - as will happen with high glycemic carbs - will cause your body to store - NOT BURN - bodyfat.
As a general rule, low glycemic carbs come in the form of non-processed breads, cereals, and pastas. Compare that to the high glycemic equivalent of those same foods, as can be found in things like white (processed) bread, sugary cereals, and white pastas. For an up to date list of glycemic index foods, please visit diabetes.net, and don't forget - the lower the number, the better.
You should eat carbohydrates with every meal, EXCEPT your final meal of the day, which should only have protein in it.
The total percentage of your diet that should come from carbohydrates will vary, but will normally run between 50% and 60%.
Fat contains 9 calories per gram, as opposed to protein and carbs, which both contain 4 calories per gram. At more than twice the caloric punch of the other macronutrients, it is easy to see why eating too much fat will cause you to start storing extra bodyfat. However, there is a common misconception that fat is bad, and that you should avoid it at all costs. That is simply not true, and in fact, your body NEEDS fat in order to survive.
The misconception about fat being bad is because if you eat too much of it - at the aforementioned caloric density of 9 calories per gram - YOU will get fat! So, the secret to using fat intake as a necessary part of your weight loss program is to simply know which types of fat to take in, and in what amounts.
Fats come in 3 main varieties, and in order from good to bad, they are: 1) Polyunsaturated Fat, Saturated Fat, and Trans Fat.
Trans fat is the worst for you because, well, it's man-made! It is basically a chemically modified version of saturated fat that has been altered in order to allow it to have a longer "shelf life". In other words, anything that you eat that has trans fat in it is the same thing as eating a bunch of laboratory chemicals. Incidentally, most meats at your grocer's deli have trans fat in them. Trans fat should be avoided at all costs!
Saturated fats, although not quite as evil as trans fat, are still something that should be avoided whenever possible. Without busting out the chemical diagram, suffice it to say that it is VERY difficult for your body to break down a saturated fat and use it for energy.
Also, as your body always knows the shortest distance from point A to point B, your body will decide that breaking down that saturated fat is really not worth the energy, and it will simply put it in the bank for you. By the way, the bank lives on your thighs, your hips, your stomach, and has many other branches all over your body!
And then we finally come to polyunsaturated fat which your body loves. The 9 calorie per gram energy density of polyunsaturated fat CAN easily be broken down into energy, and polyunsaturated fat will only end up being stored as bodyfat if you ingest too much of it. However, remember that at 9 calories per gram "too much" is not very much!
Depending on your activity and your fitness goal, fat intake should make up around 10% of your diet, but never more than 20%. Most food sources of fat have some combination of both saturated and unsaturated fats, so read labels to make sure you understand what you are eating. Sources of these fats including most kinds of nuts - including the products that are made from them, like peanut butter - sunflower seeds, and various types of cooking oils.
I encourage you to do more research on your own if you want to learn more about how best to get fat into your diet. However, no matter what you find out, keep your fat intake around 10%, especially during weight loss efforts.
As detailed above, all 3 Macronutrients should be part of your daily eating patterns. However, you also need to make sure to get plenty of water, and as many vitamins and minerals as are needed in order to support your lifestyle.
I used the term "support your lifestyle" for a very specific reason. As most people are aware, there is a "Recommended Daily Allowance" for vitamins and minerals, and there are also plenty of opinions about how much water someone should ingest everyday. However, the real question is not what the average needed amount is, but rather what YOUR needed amount is.
There are many factors that go into how quickly or efficiently your body uses the water, vitamins, and minerals that you take in, and one of the largest factors is whether or not you exercise on a regular basis. If your body needs "x" amount of water, vitamins, and minerals every day, then if you start pushing your body harder than it is used to, it is simple logic that you then have to crank up the intake of all 3 of those "micronutrients".
You will be getting a large portion of these micronutrients from the foods that you eat, as long as you are eating plenty of raw, natural foods such as fruits and vegetables. Another little known fact is that by preparing food by cooking it or microwaving it, you destroy a large part of the nutritional value of the food. As a general rule, eating raw, natural foods that have been properly washed will give you a much better nutrient punch than eating those same foods after they have been cooked.
That is not to say that you should never cook your food. However, just make a mental note that whenever possible, eat raw fruits and veggies to get the most out of them. Incidentally, this same concept applies to bread. If you toast bread, you alter the carbohydrates in that bread, making them more of a high glycemic (bad) carbohydrate than they were before you toasted the bread.
Whether or not to take supplements is again going to be dependent on the factors of YOUR individual situation. Ideally, no one would ever have to take supplements in order to get both the Macronutrients and the Micronutrients that their bodies need. However, since most people live a life that is "on the go", it is very difficult to eat healthy foods 5 or 6 times every day simply because people don't have access to their kitchens all day every day!
Also, when it comes to vitamins and minerals, consider the following: Between pesticides, the soil depletion of the ground where fruits and vegetables have been grown, the transit time it takes to get them from where they were grown to your local grocery store, and then the actual preparation of the food itself, you are going to lose some nutrients no matter what you do.
A good general rule of thumb is to take a high quality multi-vitamin just as a "catch all" to make sure that there aren't any micronutrient gaps. There are also carbohydrate and protein supplements that are much better choices than anything that you are going to find at your local coffee shop, fast food restaurant, or at your office cafeteria.
Although the first and best choice is to get all of your calories and your micronutrients from all-natural foods, when that is not possible, THAT is when you want to look into a high quality supplement. Personally, I have seen success using the Tahitian Noni International products, so I represent that company and recommend their products to others as well. However, that is just a recommendation, and you are encouraged to do your own research about Tahitian Noni or about any other company whose products you are considering using.
Incidentally, if you are a female who is 40 years old or older, check out Tahitian Noni's Tahiti Trim Plan 40 - very interesting stuff about balancing hormones in order to maintain body weight over the age of 40.
Okay, that about wraps it up for Nutrition! As always, email me directly with your questions. Be sure to check out the rest of the Master Fitness Program sections: State of Mind, Exercise, and Rest
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