Nutrition is important regardless of a person's goal. How important it depends on the specific goals. Now that might seem odd to you, but understand different goals require a lesser or greater focus on specific areas of health and fitness. For example, if you are going to be a runner, you don't necessarily need to engage in resistance training, but resistance training can help your running progress.
A few general ideas
As applied to nutrition and exercise in relative terms, you might be well-served to think like this:
For general weight loss: nutrition, specifically calorie control, is more important than activity, but activity helps
For fat loss: nutrition and resistance exercise are equally important, cardio is not necessary (though it can be helpful)
For muscle gain: nutrition and resistance exercise are equally important
For general health: nutrition and activity, though not necessarily exercise, are equally important
For general performance improvement: proper training slightly edges out nutrition
For strength-based performance: proper training edges out nutrition
For general cardio performance: nutrition and exercise are equal
For high-level cardio performance: nutrition and exercise are equal
So why are you still eating poorly? Do you think you're not? Maybe you're right. However, if you are not at the body weight you want to be, body fat you want to be, or are otherwise not at your physical goal, whether visual or performance based, then there is a good possibility you are eating poorly or at least not eating well enough.
So why are you still eating poorly? If you are working on it, then good, keep going—you'll get there if you keep trying. However, if you are not working at it, are working on it but not reaching your goal, or think you have it "figured out" but are not achieving your goal, then why are you still eating poorly? This question can be hard to answer, and some people do not realize they are eating poorly, or at least not how poorly they are eating.
Determining Calorie and Macronutrient Need
The following is a quick overview and does not include everything you need to know. However, it offers a starting point for you to become more informed and control your calories and macronutrients.
Some months ago, across a series of emails, we covered the importance of determining and meeting individual calorie and macronutrient needs. We want to revisit that again. Everyone knows what a calorie is, but not everyone understands what a macronutrient is.
Macronutrients are the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in food. The body needs each of these elements to operate properly. For example, proteins are the building blocks of soft tissue, carbohydrates are the preferred fuel source for the body, and fats insulate cells. Each macronutrient performs more than these single functions in the body, but to detail each area would go beyond the scope of what you need to understand at this time—just know that you need all the macronutrients daily.
Determining Caloric Need
Determining caloric need is an important part of any nutritional strategy. Eating healthy foods is not enough, though it is certainly a good start. Calories in versus calories out is a theory that has come under fire in recent years but still holds weight. This theory states, quite simply:
More calories consumed than burned equals weight gain
Fewer calories consumed than burned equals weight loss
Equal calories consumed and burned equals weight maintenance
This idea is simplified, of course, as the type of calories consumed and burned is important as well. However, the calories in versus calories out theory is a starting point. Now there are different ways to determine daily caloric need. Different organizations and individuals have their methods. This idea applies to how I, Nathan DeMetz, view nutrition.
We start with a base caloric intake of 10 calories per pound of body weight. We then adjust for a person's body fat percentage. Finally, we adjust for an individual's activity level. For example, if a man or woman weighs 150 pounds, we assign him or her a base caloric intake of 1500 calories. If this person has a body fat percentage over 15 but less than 30, we reduce the number of calories by 10 percent. Also, if this person is marginally active through most of his or her day but works out a few times a week for an hour per session with moderate intensity, we would increase the number by up to 25 percent. This process leaves the 150-pound person with a calorie intake of up to 1688 per day. This figure is a starting point, and we would adjust as needed since the process, and any assessment process, is imperfect at best.
Understand that this is just an example. A person's individual weight, body fat percentage, and activity level must be accounted for individually when assessing caloric need. There is no one size fits all approach. However, if you would like to try to apply this to yourself, simply start with 10 calories per pound of weight. For example, if you are 200 pounds then begin with 2,000 calories; if you are 150 pounds start with 1,500 calories. Try this for 2-4 weeks to see how you feel then assess if you need to make changes.
Determining Macronutrient Need
Determining macronutrient intake depends largely on a person's goals and overall caloric intake. However, we must still consider other variables, such as medical conditions. This process can only be completed by looking at a person's unique situation (you see how that keeps coming back). However, there are a few key points to bear in mind in most situations:
Fat intake should be lower than carbohydrate or protein intake
Carbohydrate intake should be higher than protein or fat intake
Protein intake should equal at least 1 gram per pound of lean body mass
The macronutrient splits might look like this:
Fat/Carbohydrate/Protein (percent from each)
10/60/30
20/50/30
25/50/25
15/55/30
In some cases, such as weight loss or bodybuilding, carbohydrate consumption may be lower and protein intake higher. For example:
Fat/Carbohydrate/Protein (percent from each)
10/50/40
20/40/40
15/45/40
15/40/45
The preceding are splits we used at Nathan DeMetz Personal Training, both for clients and ourselves. Since you likely do not know how to determine macronutrient need, you probably need a suggestion on what split to start with. Try the fat/carbohydrate/protein split of 25/50/25 for 4-8 weeks and then change to one of the other provided splits if needed.
Foods to Eat
It is necessary not to lose sight of the importance of food choices. While a person can, arguably, make positive changes to his or her body by eating any foods if the person meets his or her macros and calories, a person will have better results when he or she eats quality foods.
What foods should you eat? That's a broad question with no specific answer, aside from stating you should consume lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains when possible. If you are a vegan, substitute the meats for plant-based proteins, making sure not to consume excessive amounts of fat or carbs in the process. If you have food allergies, you will have to adjust based on the allergy.
Quality foods are micronutrient dense substances that come from natural sources and are unprocessed or minimally processed. Fresh lean meats, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains are good examples. These foods generally have higher amounts of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients) and fewer additives, than their less healthy, highly processed counterparts.
We do not subscribe to the idea that you can never have fatty foods or eat out. It is okay to have a fat burger, French fries, ice cream, or other mouthwatering delicacies (okay, maybe they're not delicacies, but they sure do taste good). Instead, we are noting that most of the time you should eat quality food sources and keep the lower quality options to a few meals per week.
Meal Prep Can be an Intimidating Task for Many People
Meal time can be a source of annoyance and/or intimidation for many people, especially those folks who are trying to eat a proper diet. Some people feel they do not have the time to cook a nutritious meal, that cooking a nutritious meal is hard, or both. These folks are wrong.
A nutritious meal is not hard to make. Lean protein foods, quality carbohydrate sources, items rich in healthy fats, and nutrient rich vegetables/fruits are the edible items a person needs. You can find all these food sources at Meijer, Martin's, Kroger's, Walmart, Sav-a-Lot, and other grocery stores.
Beans, lean meat, and low-fat dairy products can all be good sources of protein. Brown rice, whole grain or multi-grain breads, and beans can be good carbohydrate sources. Nuts, beans, and lean meats can be good sources of healthy fats. Corn, broccoli, and bananas can be good fruit and vegetable sources. You can go out today and pick these items up.
While cooking can pose a time problem for some people, a quick and easy way to fix it and forget when it comes to meals is to use a pressure cooker or slow cooker. For example, if you throw four servings of beans, four servings of rice, four servings of ground beef, a large tomato, an onion, a large bell pepper, and some salt and pepper into a pressure cooker with 3-4 cups of water, you can hit the beans option, set the pressure cooker for 45 minutes, and forget it. Prep should take you 15 minutes or less if you do it alone. You can then hit the showers, put clothes away, workout, or do any other task you need to do. Forty-five minutes later you have a pot of chili that serves four people. It is nutritious, rich in protein and carbs with moderate amounts of fat, and flavorful.
This process can be repeated for creating stews, steamed vegetables with meat, chicken and mashed potatoes, and a number of other dishes. A slow cooker can be used in much the same manner, although the cook time will be longer. The type of slow cooker or pressure cooker does not matter, the result is the same, although some variances in time and capacity will occur. You simply need to familiarize yourself with the specifications for the given device. And do not think that a pressure cooker or slow cooker is expensive. You can buy a good one for under $100.00, but they will last for years. Clearly, you can cook items on the stove or in the oven as well and still make meals in a time-friendly manner.
How the Body Works
The body uses macronutrients—the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats you consume—to run the processes in the body. Micronutrients—the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients you consume—play roles as well. Everything the body does, from creating energy through the various energy processes to repairing tissues to formation of genetic material, requires the consumption of macros and micros.
Each of the macronutrients, as well as various micronutrients, are essential to recovery from tissue damage that occurs on any level. This includes damage from exercise.
The Importance of Protein
Protein plays multiple roles in the body. In relation to exercise recovery, protein provides the building blocks from which muscles will be repaired and/or will grow. To that end, consuming sufficient protein is critical to your recovery and your success.
If you are not recovering properly, if your muscles are not repaired properly, you will be subject to performance declines, have a higher chance of injury, and have slower progress in achieving your goals.
The amount of protein a person should consume varies based on the need of the individual. However, a good starting point is to consume 0.75 grams of protein for every pound of lean body mass. Lean body mass is your total weight minus your body fat weight. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and have a body fat percentage of 10 percent, your lean body mass would be 180 pounds. At one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, you would need to consume a minimum of 135 grams of protein daily, though this number could easily be more based on your individual need.
The take away? If you are not consuming at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight daily, you are affecting your recovery and your progress. You will not be as successful, and it will take longer to achieve your goals. You will be subject to performance declines and a higher chance of injury as well.
The Importance of Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the preferred energy source of the body. The macronutrient is used in short term energy production during activity, regardless of activity type, and helps fuel various processes in the body, such as recovery. While protein is used to repair the tissue, the energy processes involved in this repair rely on carbohydrates.At the same time, your muscles are fueled by carbohydrates via glycogen stores in the body. During exercise, these glycogen stores can become depleted. Even if they are not depleted, the stores are reduced.
As a result, it is important to refuel between sessions of activity, such as workouts, to aid in recovery and to recharge the muscles to perform the next time you engage in activity.
The number of carbs a person needs to consume varies based on the physical demands of the individual and must be assessed on a case-to-case basis. That said, a good starting point will be to consume twice as many carbs as you do protein. For the mentioned 200-pound person, this equals 270 carbs.
The Importance of Fats
Fats, though demonized in certain circles, play essential roles in the body. Perhaps the most widely known role is that of insulator. Fat is used as an insulator on a cellular level and on a broader visible scale, as seen when fat forms on the exterior of the body, such as around the midsection.Regarding recovery, healthy fats can fight inflammation in the body (though unhealthy fats can cause it). As a result, healthy fats can aid in recovery. Some research also suggests other ways that fat may aid in the recovery process, such as the healing of wounds, but additional research is needed.
Fat serves a number of other purposes in the body as well, but that is beyond the scope of what I am covering here.The amount of fat a person needs to consume varies based on the physical demands of the individual and must be assessed on a case-to-case basis. That said, a good starting point will be to consume half as many grams of fat as you do protein. Again, referencing the 200-pound person example, the amount of fat this person should consume would be about 70 grams, though this could be more or less.
The Role of Micronutrients
To be honest, at this point you do not need to worry about micronutrients specifically. If you eat a diverse diet comprised of healthy food items, you should be able to consume all of the micronutrients you need, barring the presence of a specific condition, such as digestive problems.However, do understand that various micronutrients, such as vitamin e, c, and zinc, play roles in the recovery process, aiding the body and immune system in healing the body from all types of damage, including damage from exercise.
The take away? Eat a diverse food set that comes from healthy choices to maximize your recovery, performance, and results.
Nutrition plays a vital role in health, fitness, and performance on both a physical and mental level. I will not bore you with excessive text on energy pathways, metabolic issues, cellular importance of amino acids, and the hormonal functions affected by poor macronutrient balancing. However, I will outline key concepts that need addressed when approaching nutrition.
Understanding Nutrition Broadly
Nutrition is the cumulative elements that a person ingests daily, including food, water, supplements, and any other consumable. Poor nutrition is the result when someone ingests low quality foods and other unhealthy substances on a regular basis. Proper nutrition requires a person to balance the bad with the good to achieve a body that is healthy without completely sacrificing fatty foods or that alcoholic drink on the weekend.
To be fit, one does not have to live by the idea that all “bad things” must be omitted from the diet. If a person chooses to do so and can deal with it comfortably, then this form of abstinence may be ideal for him or her. However, most people desire to have at least some of the bad things in their diet at some time, and that is where the need for balance comes in.
Balance in a nutritional strategy simply means eating nutritious foods most of the time but leaving room at select periods for consuming sweets, a fat burger, or other “bad things” like alcohol. To be clear, drinking alcohol or eating out will not keep you from reaching success. These things likely will hinder forward progress to some degree, but when balanced with proper nutrition most of the time, the negative effects will be minimal.
There are exceptions to everything. The balanced idea applies to people who do not have extreme goals or extenuating circumstances. For example, an athlete preparing for competition may need to abstain almost entirely from the “bad things” leading up to said competition. A morbidly obese person may need to do so as well until he or she gets the weight down. In addition, the level at which a person can “cheat” with the “bad things” will vary. A 260-pound linebacker who consumes 5000 calories daily to keep his weight up can get away with a larger portion of calories from lower quality foods than the 190-pound quarterback. The same is true for a 260-pound linebacker versus a 260-pound bodybuilder. That is where the specific needs of the person come into play.
Specific Needs Are Key
Understand that specific needs refer to the different nutritional elements that each person needs for his or her body to meet the given physical demands of daily life. A sprinter such as Usain Bolt generally needs different nutrition than a baseball player such as Derek Jeter or a basketball player such as Lebron James. The differences do not stop there either, as the bodybuilder will need different nutrition than the powerlifter and so on.
Some people may believe that these nutritional differences only apply to hardcore exercisers or competitive athletes. This is simply not true. Imagine a male and female sign up for personal training. Both have the same goals: build muscle and lose fat. The male weighs 175 pounds while the female weighs 125. Do you think she will eat as much as he will? Do you think he will gain quality muscle if eats the same as her? The answer is no in both cases. Each person needs different calorie, macronutrient, and micronutrient levels to be successful.
The areas of nutritional concern can be broken down into three basic categories: calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients. Understanding what each category is and why it is important will be key to your success.
Calories are the daily amount of energy that a person needs to stay alive or achieve a certain goal, such as weight maintenance, gain, or loss. While you will focus primarily on the level of macronutrients you consume, you will need to understand the direct correlation of calories per gram of macronutrients, since total caloric intake is important.
Macronutrients refer to elements that the body needs daily to stay alive and function properly. The body needs this category of nutrients in large amounts, with large a relative term based on the need of the individual. Proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are the macronutrients. A person cannot function properly over time without these elements. Each will be broken down in detail further along.
Micronutrients are elements a body needs to consume on a daily or regular basis to perform certain processes in the body or to maintain bodily tissues and systems. The elements include vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. This is a wide category, with the need for some elements disputed, either in terms of overall usefulness, or the amounts needed of specific elements.
Water
As odd as it may seem, there tends to be widespread misunderstanding of water and its importance to overall health, fitness, and athletic performance. Water is an essential element, as important to your success as macronutrients. Water aids in digestion, internal and external cooling, energy production, cellular hydration, blood formation, healing, removal of wastes from the body, and other bodily processes. Without water the body will die. Without sufficient water, various processes will not function as well, leading to poor physical performance, poor mental performance, and poor performance of internal bodily functions.
The exact need for water varies on a person-to-person basis and is largely determined by the activity level of that person. Size, physical ailments, medication use, supplement use, and other factors can directly affect the level of water needed by a person as well. For example, a person with more muscle mass needs more water to properly hydrate those muscles and restore glycogen. Supplement companies advise a person to increase water intake while using certain fat burners or other supplements to help the products work. Some blood pressure medications cause the body to expel or use more water, requiring users to consume more water while taking the given medication.
Over the years, the general rule of thumb has been to drink 64 ounces of water daily. While this might be sufficient for some people, for others it may not. I generally recommend the average client to listen to thirst and adjust from there. Ideally, spread most of this water across the day. Consume a higher than normal amount before, during, and after the workout
Do understand that all fluids count toward this total, including other drinks (except alcohol) and the fluid in foods. However, whenever possible, consume as much of your fluids as possible through water.
Determining Your Nutrition Intake
It is now time to get into it. I will break down the details of nutritional planning as simply as merited, but with technical aspects to make sure you get the numbers as close to ideal as possible.
Calories
You need calories to get through the day, as mentioned previously. There are many ways to assess this need. The following equation is a simplified approach that I find to be effective and falls into +/- 10 percent of other methods, though generally the gap is smaller. Either way, it provides a simple and effective way to assess a starting point.
Bodyweight in pounds multiplied by 10: BW x 10 = caloric need
This gives you an estimate of the base calories your body needs if you were to do nothing all day long. Let us again use the 175-pound male and 125-pound female referenced earlier.
Male 175 x 10 = 1750
Female: 125 x 10 = 1250
The male has an estimated base need of 1750 calories per day while the female has an estimated base need of 1250 calories per day. Remember that this is the need each person would have if they were to do nothing all day except sit on the couch and watch television or otherwise be awake but sedentary. All day long, even when not in motion, the body has ongoing processes from digestion to respiration, which require energy that comes from calories.
Lean factor
A person with more muscle requires more energy. A 175-pound obese person carries more fat than a 175-pound muscular person, meaning the muscular person should need more energy. For that reason, estimated caloric need adjusts according to your body fat percentage. The following table applies to you whether you are male or female.
Body fat Percentage | Multiplier |
14 percent or less | 1.0 |
15 to 30 percent | 0.9 |
31 percent or more | 0.8 |
I will use the male and female again.
Male at 20 percent body fat: 1750 x 0.9 = 1575
Female at 32 percent body fat: 1250 x 0.8 = 1000
Additional need
On top of base need, you will need energy to get through your day of activities. These activities help determine a second adjustment to daily calories. When I have clients face-to-face, I make a list of their activities and estimated expenditure, creating additional need from that list. The process for you will be slightly different, but in the same vein. You will use a modifier to adjust your need.
Activity Level | Modifier |
Office worker, light physical labor, similar type of jobs or inactive lifestyles, Active stay-at-home mom | 1.12-1.25 |
Moderate manual labor, office worker with daily hour-long low difficulty workouts, office worker engaged in 30-minute moderate or high- difficulty workouts, similar types of jobs or moderately active lifestyles | 1.26-1.5 |
Heavy manual labor, moderate manual labor with hour-long moderate- difficulty daily workouts, office worker with intense 1 -2 hour workouts, similar active lifestyles | 1.51-1.75 |
Heavy manual labor with moderate to intense hour-long workouts daily, moderate physical labor with 1 – 2 hours of moderate to intense workouts daily, office worker with intense workouts 2-3 hours daily, similar active lifestyles | 1.76-2.0 |
I will use the male and female again.
Male with a 1.5 modifier: 1575 x 1.5 = 2363
Female with a 1.75 modifier: 1000 x 1.75 = 1750
Keep in mind that these are rough numbers. Further adjustments are likely on a case-to-case basis. For instance, the male and female in these examples have high body fat. It may be advisable for them to lose body fat first, in which case certain macronutrients would be reduced to reduce overall daily calories and promote fat loss. However, if they follow the caloric numbers and the rest of the programing, they will likely lose fat while getting fit.
Let us take a second look at the process and examples for this section.
Male: 175 x 10 = 1750
Female: 125 x 10 = 1250
Male at 20 percent body fat: 1750 x 0.9 = 1575
Female at 32 percent body fat; 1250 x 0.8 = 1000
Male with a 1.5 modifier: 1575 x 1.5 = 2363
Female with a 1.75 modifier: 1000 x 1.75 = 1750
These numbers provide an idea of the daily calories these persons need. Follow the same process and you will have an estimate of how many daily calories you need. Before you do so, asses how many calories you currently consume daily. The best way to do this is to track your calories for 3 to 14 days. During this time, you should keep your eating normal and track honestly. Fudging the numbers so you feel better is counter-productive. Once you have the numbers, compare them to your estimated need as determined by the above process.
If you are over or under on calories once you compare the numbers, you need to get to the right number. However, you do not just want to jump in. For instance, if the male in the above example currently eats 2000 calories per day, he wants to increase his calories. If the female eats 2500 calories per day, she needs to reduce her calories. However, he will not just jump up 363 calories nor will she just drop 750 calories.
I would have the male increase his calories 100 calories per day per week until he reaches the necessary level. For example:
Starting point: 2000
Week 1: 2100
Week 2: 2200
Week 3: 2300
Week 4: 2363
By the fourth week, the male has achieved the necessary caloric range. By doing so over the course of 4 weeks, the trainee was able to acclimate his body to the new food intake, work additional food into his meals, and add additional eating times, if needed. Now you might ask, “If the male needs to lose weight, why is he increasing calories?” Let me offer an example as an answer.
A former client of ours named Kevin came to us at 160 pounds and 26 percent body fat with some workout experience behind him. His caloric need was around 2200 calories, but he consumed an average of 1400 calories daily, while some days were as low as 900, with macronutrient levels imbalanced. There are a few possible reasons for this, such as his body was in starvation mode. That said, ideas such as starvation mode are widely disputed, and I had no way to measure metrics that would tell me if he was in such as state. My assumption, instead, was that he was not properly nourishing his body to create a state in which his body was primed to burn fat and gain muscle.
I followed an approach like that I suggest for the male example above. Over the course of 6 months, Kevin added 10 pounds to his frame, while dropping 10 percent body fat. He also felt better mentally and physically, seeing an improvement in mood while also seeing gains in overall fitness, denoted by strength increases, the muscle increase, greater cardiovascular endurance, and greater muscle endurance. Keep in mind that I also adjusted his workouts and macronutrients levels, so his body felt the “need” for more muscle and less fat, while the nutrients fueled performance and muscle growth.
Kevin’s situation, as well as that of our hypothetical male client, is not common—it is unique.
Most persons do not need to take this approach, but it is something to consider. Most people who struggle with weight loss are overeating (even if they don’t think so), have not balanced their macros for optimal body composition, and, in some cases, need to improve their training plan.
The female in this example has a large excess of calories. She is reducing calories, so certain concerns are present, such as the possibility of weakness, moodiness, and sleeplessness because of calorie reduction. For this reason, she would start by reducing the calories per day, per week, by 100, but would move to reducing by 50 per day, per week, if adverse effects presented. For example:
Week 1: reduce by 100
Week 2: reduce by 100
Week 3: reduce by 100
Week 4: reduce by 100 (adverse effects noted)
Week 5 – 11: reduce by 50 each week (adjust if needed)
Ideally, this would begin addressing the fat loss concerns for the female. She should drop fat while improving fitness levels with this caloric approach combined with the macronutrient recommendations and the programming recommendations that follow.
Determine your caloric need by following the above equations. Use the examples to help you if needed.
Determining Macronutrients
Now that you have the caloric range, you need to understand how to break those calories down into the proper macronutrients. Let us start with an explanation of each macronutrient: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Proteins are the building blocks of muscle. Each is comprised of amino acids, which are broken down in the body to perform various functions, including the formation of muscle, repair of muscle, maintenance of muscle, maintenance and repair of other tissues in the body, DNA formation, and hormonal processes, to name a few. Adequate consumption of protein daily allows these processes to function as normal, leading to a fit and healthy body. Inadequate consumption of protein leads to tissue breakdown and problems with the various processes reliant on protein.
Carbohydrates are the primary energy source for the body. They replenish glycogen stores in the muscle, which fuel muscles during workouts. Protein and fat can be broken down for energy, but the process is not as efficient as carbohydrates used for muscle.
Carbohydrates feed the brain as well, as glycogen is the brain’s preferred food source. Without carbohydrates, mental function can be impaired. Carbohydrates fuel not only muscle performance and brain function, but other bodily processes as well, including organ function and cellular repair. Without carbohydrates, a person runs the risk of adverse effects, most notably poor mental and physical performance, moodiness, and hormonal imbalances.
Fats act as an insulator in the body. They insulate not only the organs but cells as well. When a person puts on extra fat, the fat insulates the exterior of the body, under the skin. Fat is essential for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. The body uses fat to help fight inflammation and in certain hormonal processes. The absence of fat in the diet will result in adverse effects to certain bodily processes such as hormone production, cell stability, and organ protection.
Macronutrient Ratios
Macronutrient ratios refer to the specific percentages of calories that will come from each macronutrient, resulting in many calories that come from each macro as well as a gram value for each macro. To keep things simple, I comprised a layout of specific percentages for the basic goal of being strong and building/maintain muscle:
Proteins: 30 percent of total calories
Carbohydrates: 40 percent of total calories
Fats: 30 percent of total calories
It is simple to employ and universal for anyone following this program. This is not for everyone who is not following this program. For example, this may not be the ideal ratios for a bodybuilder. However, for the purposes of staying fit and healthy with the ability to perform in and out of workouts, this ratio set will serve you well. This sticks with the commonly accepted idea that active people require upwards of 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, that sufficient carbs are needed to fuel the body, and that moderate amounts of fat are ideal for health and performance. Keep in mind that you must follow the other aspects of the program as well, including the calorie estimation, workout plan, and overall advice. I will revisit the male and female example:
Male: 2363
Female: 1750
Breakdown of macros for the male:
Macronutrient | Percent of calories | Calories | Grams of Macro |
Carbohydrate | 40 | 945 | 236 |
Protein | 30 | 710 | 177 |
Fat | 30 | 710 | 79 |
Breakdown of macros for the female:
Macronutrient | Percent of calories | Calories | Grams of Macro |
Carbohydrate | 40 | 700 | 175 |
Protein | 30 | 525 | 131 |
Fat | 30 | 525 | 58 |
These percentages allow promote ideal body composition and performance, leading to a fit and healthy body. That said, you can adjust these macros to some degree, but I would recommend the smallest possible change at any one time, equal to five percent or less difference from those listed above.
Do note that these recommendations are for person who do not have medical conditions, including but not limited to insulin resistance problems such as diabetes.
Timing Your Nutrition
Meal timing is essential. Throughout the day, you want to feed your body, giving it the fuel it needs to function both physically and mentally, while enabling the normal body processes to occur. Let us again look at the male:
Male: 2363
Breakdown of macros for the male:
Macronutrient | Percent of calories | Calories | Grams of Macro |
Carbohydrate | 40 | 945 | 236 |
Protein | 30 | 710 | 177 |
Fat | 30 | 710 | 79 |
Imagine the male wakes at 4:30 am, must be to work by 6:00 am, has a break at 9:00 am, lunch at 12:00 pm, and leaves work at 3:00 pm. He plans to workout with at 6:00 pm then head home and have dinner at around 8:30 pm before calling it a night a 10:00 pm. The male has 2363 calories to spread over the day. He needs breakfast, a snack for break, lunch, an afternoon snack, a pre-workout snack, a post-workout snack, and dinner. His timing might look like this:
| Protein | Carbohydrates | Fat |
Breakfast: 5:00 am | 25 | 35 | 11 |
Snack: 9:00 am | 15 | 20 | 5 |
Lunch: 12:00 pm | 35 | 50 | 20 |
Afternoon Snack: 3:30 pm | 15 | 20 | 10 |
Pre-workout snack: 5:30 pm | 25 | 35 | 5 |
Post-workout snack | 25 | 35 | 5 |
Dinner: 8:30 pm | 35 | 50 | 21 |
This approach does not work for all people and is not meant to be a catchall. Instead, it is just an example. Persons engaged in intermittent fasting protocols such as 16/8 will have a much smaller window in which to eat. The goal of this brief section on timing is to get you thinking about spreading your food through your day in a manner that promotes your physical success.
Selecting the Right Foods
Food selection is somewhat outside of the scope of what I can offer in this writing. Due to allergies, moral preferences, religious reasons, food likes/dislikes, and more, I cannot provide a single universal set of foods for everyone who will read this. That said, I can offer some ideas.
Foods should be as fresh and natural as reasonably possible. Fresh fruits and vegetables meet these criteria as do lean meats for non-vegetarians. When reasonably possible, avoid processed food items such as frozen dinners or similar items. Flash frozen vegetables or similar items are okay, if additional ingredients have not been added to them, such as preservatives.
Boxed or bagged food items such as pasta, rice, and bread are fine for individuals not following strategies such as Paleo. Beware of highly processed items, try to stick to 100% whole grain products when choosing bread or similar goods, and otherwise choose foods that are the closest to natural.
For the best performance and maintenance of a lean physique, alcohol, sweets, fast food, and similar low-quality foods should be avoided. That said, I understand that you will consume these things at times. Be sure to do so in moderation. These “bad” things should not comprise most of your diet.
Supplements
One cannot talk about exercise/training or nutrition without the topic of supplementation coming up. Let's dive right in.
Supplementation Does Not Trump Proper Nutrition
One of the first subjects I want to tackle is supplementation does not make up for poor nutrition or training. There have been many occasions when a person I work with wants to immediately begin supplementation. Now, I do not mean your average multivitamin, but rather sports supplementation. Before I move on, it is important for you to understand the definition of what supplements are and the difference between nutritional supplements and sports supplements. Definitions vary widely from one school of thought to the next, so the definitions contained herein apply to the view point of us at Nathan DeMetz Personal Training. This point of view will mirror principles from some groups and overlap with ideas from other groups, while still differentiating from others.
Supplements are any products used to derive nutritional elements found in nature from sources other than food, non-prescription drugs that improve performance but are not intended to treat disease, and other legal substances that are performance enhancing.
Nutritional supplements are products that provide macronutrients, micronutrients, or phytonutrients outside of their natural form. This group includes greens powders, protein supplements such as protein powder or protein bars, and vitamin as well as mineral supplements, among others.
Sports supplements are elements consumed for enhancing performance. Pre-workout supplements, fat burners, and legal non-prescription natural or synthetic testosterone boosters, among other products, fall into this category.
Supplementation in itself is not bad. It is the overuse or abuse of supplements that can have adverse effects and ultimately sabotage a person’s forward progress. Let me explain. A person who has a poor nutritional strategy will not receive the ideal benefit from a fat burner if he or she does not clean up the nutritional strategy. A person who takes a testosterone booster with the purpose of increasing strength and muscle mass, but who also has a poor nutritional strategy or training plan, will not receive the best results.
When starting with any client, I recommend limited supplement use. Using a multivitamin or individual vitamin is often fine. A pre-workout supplement may be okay. The same with protein supplements. However, people taking hormonal products, stacking supplements, and going headfirst into sports supplementation early on is not recommended by us. A person who has been working out casually for under a year has not begun to reach his or her natural potential. Even a person exercising hard for a year has not. With exception in some cases, a person should train 1 to 3 years before beginning a serious supplement regimen. This allows the person to make natural gains and get used to a basic supplement approach, not to mention incorporate an effective plan for training and nutrition.
You, or others, may question this approach.
Some high-end athletes and athletic companies, not to mentions certain trainer certifying bodies and fitness personalities, suggest heavy supplementation early on. However, if you are a newbie, or even if you have been training for a few years, you are not those athletes in question. Beyond that, he or she has different needs than you, in all likelihood. If that person eats 5,000 calories a day but you only need 3,000 to meet your goals, would you still eat 5,000? I would like to think you mentally said no to this. The same idea applies to supplementation. The approach should be individualized, and need must be assessed. Additionally, the body needs time to grow naturally or at least with minimal supplementation use first.
In that same line of thought, all supplement companies are trying to make a dollar and the fitness personalities, athletes, and celebrities endorsing these supplements are as well. While I know there are well-meaning companies and individuals out there, there are just as many or more that don’t care if you see progress or not, as long as you buy their products. Many may not even care if the product works, as long as it sells. This is why some companies sell products without science behind them—to make a dollar and/or play on the “next big thing” in supplementation.
For many people, supplementation, training, and nutrition are separate pieces of the same puzzle; however, they should not be. Supplementation in its intended form is a way to make up nutrition gaps in one's diet, and training and nutrition should accompany each other. Due to excessive physical or mental stress, an inability to consume large enough quantities of a nutrient in food form, or an underlying issue that calls for supplementation are good reasons to use supplements. Using supplementation because you are too lazy to cook a proper meal or because you think you can cheat the hard work in the gym are not good reasons.
Keep this in mind—always question why you’re taking a supplement, be able to justify that reason, and be able to show that the supplement is helping. If you cannot do these things, then you should not take the supplement.
— Nathan DeMetz
Personal Trainer & Nutritionist
Nathan DeMetz Personal Training LLC
Comments