Eating supportively is key to gaining muscle strength, maintaining good health, and fat/weight loss. It is easy to get lost in all of the fad and misinformation available. First know that the information contained on this blog is not medical advice and is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health-care professionals. I am not a registered dietician. Consult your physician before beginning or making changes in your diet or exercise program, for diagnosis and treatment of illness and injuries, and for advice regarding medications. That said there are some pretty basic and easy things you can do to make sure that you are maximizing your workout efforts and supporting your muscles.
Basic Habits: Eating 20-30 grams of protein within an hour of waking up in the morning is an excellent way to kick start your metabolism. Another metabolic booster and support is to eat your largest meals earlier in the day starting with breakfast. Eating every 3-4 hours throughout the day keeps your metabolic rate stabilized and burning fat. Ideally each meal should be 15 grams or more of protein and make up 1/3 of your meal with the remaining 2/3 made up of produce and whole grains. Aiming to eat between 8-10 servings of Fruits/Vegetables daily is another great way to stay on track with your nutrition and support your active body. Staying properly hydrated daily is also key to supporting your fitness and weight loss goals (reference below section on hydration). Produce Serving Sizes & Produce Stickers
If you are aiming to reach fat loss goals, then you must eat mindfully. Part of mindful eating is not being distracted while you are eating (e.g., television) as well as tracking what you are eating (reference below section on tracking foods). Eating clean and planning your indulgences is another key factor...if you try to eat clean (whole foods rather than processed foods, limited sugar and white flour, etc.) about 90% of the time and limit your personal indulgences (PIs) to 3-4 times a week, you will be set for optimum supportive and fat burning mindful eating. Keep in mind that bites, licks, and tastes (BLTs) of foods throughout the day count towards your caloric intake and need to be tracked, or better yet avoided all together. Planning your indulgences is better than "winging" it as you will end up eating far more PIs throughout a week if you do not plan them in advance. Also check out these Post Links: The Importance Of Journaling & Weekends & Pre Splurge & Tricks & Tips & Alcoholic Beverages
Know that optimum fat loss and weight management is 75% what you eat. You cannot workout and eat whatever you want and expect ideal results. You cannot eat strictly and not workout and expect a fit body. You need both working together to give you ideal results and a healthy, fit body. Clean It Up x 5 & Healthy Foods
Workout Recovery: Almost as important as exercising effectively and with good form, is how you support your body/muscles post workout. Consuming adequate amounts of carbohydrates and protein before and after a training session is important for optimizing muscle recovery. Consumption of protein immediately post-exercise helps in the repair and synthesis of muscle proteins and helps to preserve lean muscle mass and assure that the majority of weight loss comes from fat and not muscle. Consuming rapidly absorbed proteins such as whey protein with easily absorbed (high glycemic) carbohydrates 20-30 minutes after a high intensity workout followed by eating a balanced 1/3 protein and 2/3 complex carbs (produce/whole grains) about an hour later is when your muscles/body are most prime for utilization. The American Dietetic Association recommends that carbohydrate intake be at 1.5 g/kg of body weight (convert lbs to kg by dividing by 2.2) in the first 30 minutes post exercise and then every 2 to 4 to 6 hours thereafter as this is the time when the muscles are best able to replenish energy stores. It takes about 24 hours to fully restore muscle glycogen (stored carbs), assuming that the appropriate post-workout nutrients are consumed and that nutrition goals for supportive eating are met. This eating a combination of carbohydrate and protein in the post-workout meal(s) has been shown to enhance glycogen replenishment and may also improve muscle tissue repair. With proper recovery and supportive eating you are able to increase the intensity of your workouts but perceive training as easier since your muscle glycogen will be able to be maintained throughout your workouts.
Recovery Protein Shakes: An easily absorbed protein you can do 20-30 minutes post workout is a protein shake. Okay, so what's in a protein recovery shake? With whey and casein proteins being the most popular, how do you know what options are the best choice for your muscle recovery? Following is an excerpt from the American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer Manual explaining just that.
"Whey, the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained, is a high quality protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. There are three varieties of whey--whey protein powder, whey protein concentrate, and whey protein isolate--all of which provide high levels of the essential and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), vitamins, and minerals. Whey powder is 11 to 15% protein and is used as an additive in many food products. Whey concentrate is 25 to 89% protein, while whey isolate is 90+% protein; both forms are commonly used in supplements. Notably, while the isolate is nearly pure whey, the proteins can become denatured during the manufacturing process, decreasing the supplements' usefulness. Unlike the other whey forms, the isolate is lactose-free (Hoffman & Falvo, 2004). Studies of whey protein have found that whey offers numerous health benefits, including increased muscular strength (when combined with resistance training) and bone growth (Hayes & Cribb, 2008).
Casein, the source of the white color of milk, accounts for 70 to 80% of milk protein. Casein exists in what is known as a micelle, a compound similar to a soap sud that has a water-averse inside and water-loving outside. This property allows the protein to provide a sustained slow release of amino acids into the bloodstream, sometimes lasting for hours. Some studies suggest that combined supplementation with casein and whey offers the greatest muscular strength improvements following a 10-week intensive resistance-training program (Kerksick et al., 2006)."
Other Post Links regarding Protein: Vegetarian Protein Complementarity & Other Protein Sources & Yes More On Protein & Lean On Protein & Potent Proteins
Track Your Food: How do you know if you are hitting your nutritional targets if you are not tracking what you are eating? You don't have to track for the rest of your life, just while you are trying to get down a different food lifestyle. Unless you are tracking (and better yet planning ahead) your meals, you have no idea how close you are or are not to supportively eating. It takes me all of 5 minutes to log my food for the day. The hard part is starting this habit, but I can assure you it is so simple once it is a habit. There are many free sites with databases of foods and the ability for you to track & plan your foods/meals. The site that I began using in 2009 and absolutely love is sparkpeople.com. SparkPeople has a huge database of foods (whole foods, prepackaged foods, restaurant foods), but also allows you to customize and build your own database of food choices, create a "favorites" food list so you are not always hunting for foods you eat frequently, allows you to create and store for later access whole meals that you eat frequently so you don't have to log in each food item every time, and even allows you to build recipes so you are aware of the nutritional breakdown of each serving. Additionally, it allows you to modify your nutritional target ranges as well as add targets to track daily. It is very user friendly and even has mobile apps for your smart phones, so it can be on the move with you. However you journal, plan, track your food choices....Make the habit today for better results tomorrow! ...See also these Post Links: I Ate How Much? & Hows The Tracking? & The Importance Of Journaling
Nutritional Targets: So what are these targets? Well, it can be different depending on who you ask. Let's start with some basics: Protein contains 4 calories per gram and it is recommended that approximately 10-35% of your daily calories come from protein. Carbohydrates also contain 4 calories per gram and comes from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and it is recommended that approximately 45-65% of your daily calories come from carbohydrates. Fats contain 9 calories per gram and it is recommended that approximately 20-35% of your daily calories come from fat (less than 10% from saturated fats and the majority from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats). Meeting Energy Needs
The next piece of the puzzle is determining your specific resting metabolic rate (RMR) which represents the number of calories it takes to fuel your body (ventilation, blood circulation, temperature regulation, digestion, etc.). The Mifflin-St. Jeor equation is the most accurate estimation of RMR and is outlined below. Some info you need to know to complete the formula are your weight in kilograms (1kg=2.2 lbs and you can easily convert by dividing pounds by 2.2), your height in centimeters (1 inch=2.54 cm and you can easily convert by multiplying inches by 2.54).
For men: RMR = 9.99 x wt(kg) + 6.25 x ht(cm) - 4.92 x age(yrs) + 5
For women: RMR = 9.99 x wt(kg) + 6.25 x ht(cm) - 4.92 x age(yrs) - 161
The RMR value derived from the predication equation is then multiplied by the appropriate activity correction factor below to determine your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Note that this equation is more accurate for obese than non-obese individuals.
*Sedentary (little or no exercise): 1.200
*Lightly active (light exercise/sports one to three days per week): 1.375
*Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports six to seven days per week): 1.550 (if you workout with me this is the calculator you would use) (Workout Calories)
*Very active (hard exercise/sports six to seven days per week): 1.725
*Extra active (very hard exercise/sports and physical job): 1.900
Example:
For a moderately active 38 year old 140 lb 5'6" female then;
weight in kg = 64 (140/2.2)
height in cm = 168 (66 x 2.54)
RMR = 1,341 ((9.99 x 64) + (6.25 x 168) - (4.92 x 38) - 161)
TDEE = 2,079 (1,341 x 1.550)
The Dietary Guidelines recommend that those trying to lose weight aim for a 500 calorie deficit per day, achieved through decreased calorie intake and/or increased physical activity. Even for fat loss you would take the above derived number and decrease it by 500 for your total daily caloric total. From there you can break out the particular nutritional targets: protein, carbohydrates, and fat based on the previously provided information.
Example:
If your TDEE is 2,079 then your total daily caloric intake should be 1,579 (2,079 - 500) then;
Protein would be 474 calories and 118 grams (1,579 x 30% / 4)
Carbohydrates would be 711 calories and 178 grams (1,579 x 45% / 4)
Fats would be 395 calories and 44 grams (1,579 x 25% / 9)
Be sure to reevaluate your nutritional targets about every 5 to 10 pounds lost.
Hydration: The American College of Sports Medicine and the United States Track and Field Association have developed guidelines for optimal hydration during exercise, outlined below. Note that it can be as dangerous being overhydrated as dehydrated. Are You Dehydrated?
*2 hours prior to exercise, drink 17-20 ounces
*Every 10-20 minutes during exercise, drink 7-10 ounces or preferably, drink based on sweat loss
*Following exercise, drink 16-24 ounces for every pound of body weight lost
Other Helpful Tidbits to Know Post Links:
Size Really Does Matter
Short On Time?
Restaurant Survival
Get Fooducated
Fresh Is Cheaper
The Dirty Dozen & The Clean
The Real Price Of Potato Chips
Meeting Energy Needs
Breakfast Of Lean Champions
Afternoon Bloat
Eliminate The Bloat
Carbs v Net Carbs
Should You Go Gluten Free?
Thinking Fasting Detox Is Good Idea
More Is Not Always Better
Importance Of Sleep Post Workout Snack
Greater Muscle Mass = Higher Metabolism
Some Rules Of A Fast Metabolism
Hydrogenated Oil
Mono Fats, Fake Sugars & Fiber
Al Dente
Need A New Grain?
Spicy
Raw vs Steamed Spinach
The Skinny On Milk
Sip Green Tea
Killer Grapefruit
Sad But True
Entitlement = Led Astray
Food Rewards
Garbage Where?
Habits? What Habits?
Supplements & The Rest
Supplements Part Deux
Acid-Alkaline Balance
Detox & Cleanse
7 Side Effects Of Soda
Friendly Bacteria
Peel Off Pounds
Discerning Good From Bad Fad
Immune System Recovery
Fiber Basics
Need Help with Recipe Ideas? Healthy & Yummy Recipes
~You should see your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. You should have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, if you are overweight, or if you are over 35 years old. Please discuss all nutritional changes with your physician or a registered dietician.~
Basic Habits: Eating 20-30 grams of protein within an hour of waking up in the morning is an excellent way to kick start your metabolism. Another metabolic booster and support is to eat your largest meals earlier in the day starting with breakfast. Eating every 3-4 hours throughout the day keeps your metabolic rate stabilized and burning fat. Ideally each meal should be 15 grams or more of protein and make up 1/3 of your meal with the remaining 2/3 made up of produce and whole grains. Aiming to eat between 8-10 servings of Fruits/Vegetables daily is another great way to stay on track with your nutrition and support your active body. Staying properly hydrated daily is also key to supporting your fitness and weight loss goals (reference below section on hydration). Produce Serving Sizes & Produce Stickers
If you are aiming to reach fat loss goals, then you must eat mindfully. Part of mindful eating is not being distracted while you are eating (e.g., television) as well as tracking what you are eating (reference below section on tracking foods). Eating clean and planning your indulgences is another key factor...if you try to eat clean (whole foods rather than processed foods, limited sugar and white flour, etc.) about 90% of the time and limit your personal indulgences (PIs) to 3-4 times a week, you will be set for optimum supportive and fat burning mindful eating. Keep in mind that bites, licks, and tastes (BLTs) of foods throughout the day count towards your caloric intake and need to be tracked, or better yet avoided all together. Planning your indulgences is better than "winging" it as you will end up eating far more PIs throughout a week if you do not plan them in advance. Also check out these Post Links: The Importance Of Journaling & Weekends & Pre Splurge & Tricks & Tips & Alcoholic Beverages
Know that optimum fat loss and weight management is 75% what you eat. You cannot workout and eat whatever you want and expect ideal results. You cannot eat strictly and not workout and expect a fit body. You need both working together to give you ideal results and a healthy, fit body. Clean It Up x 5 & Healthy Foods
Workout Recovery: Almost as important as exercising effectively and with good form, is how you support your body/muscles post workout. Consuming adequate amounts of carbohydrates and protein before and after a training session is important for optimizing muscle recovery. Consumption of protein immediately post-exercise helps in the repair and synthesis of muscle proteins and helps to preserve lean muscle mass and assure that the majority of weight loss comes from fat and not muscle. Consuming rapidly absorbed proteins such as whey protein with easily absorbed (high glycemic) carbohydrates 20-30 minutes after a high intensity workout followed by eating a balanced 1/3 protein and 2/3 complex carbs (produce/whole grains) about an hour later is when your muscles/body are most prime for utilization. The American Dietetic Association recommends that carbohydrate intake be at 1.5 g/kg of body weight (convert lbs to kg by dividing by 2.2) in the first 30 minutes post exercise and then every 2 to 4 to 6 hours thereafter as this is the time when the muscles are best able to replenish energy stores. It takes about 24 hours to fully restore muscle glycogen (stored carbs), assuming that the appropriate post-workout nutrients are consumed and that nutrition goals for supportive eating are met. This eating a combination of carbohydrate and protein in the post-workout meal(s) has been shown to enhance glycogen replenishment and may also improve muscle tissue repair. With proper recovery and supportive eating you are able to increase the intensity of your workouts but perceive training as easier since your muscle glycogen will be able to be maintained throughout your workouts.
Recovery Protein Shakes: An easily absorbed protein you can do 20-30 minutes post workout is a protein shake. Okay, so what's in a protein recovery shake? With whey and casein proteins being the most popular, how do you know what options are the best choice for your muscle recovery? Following is an excerpt from the American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer Manual explaining just that.
"Whey, the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained, is a high quality protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. There are three varieties of whey--whey protein powder, whey protein concentrate, and whey protein isolate--all of which provide high levels of the essential and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), vitamins, and minerals. Whey powder is 11 to 15% protein and is used as an additive in many food products. Whey concentrate is 25 to 89% protein, while whey isolate is 90+% protein; both forms are commonly used in supplements. Notably, while the isolate is nearly pure whey, the proteins can become denatured during the manufacturing process, decreasing the supplements' usefulness. Unlike the other whey forms, the isolate is lactose-free (Hoffman & Falvo, 2004). Studies of whey protein have found that whey offers numerous health benefits, including increased muscular strength (when combined with resistance training) and bone growth (Hayes & Cribb, 2008).
Casein, the source of the white color of milk, accounts for 70 to 80% of milk protein. Casein exists in what is known as a micelle, a compound similar to a soap sud that has a water-averse inside and water-loving outside. This property allows the protein to provide a sustained slow release of amino acids into the bloodstream, sometimes lasting for hours. Some studies suggest that combined supplementation with casein and whey offers the greatest muscular strength improvements following a 10-week intensive resistance-training program (Kerksick et al., 2006)."
Other Post Links regarding Protein: Vegetarian Protein Complementarity & Other Protein Sources & Yes More On Protein & Lean On Protein & Potent Proteins
Track Your Food: How do you know if you are hitting your nutritional targets if you are not tracking what you are eating? You don't have to track for the rest of your life, just while you are trying to get down a different food lifestyle. Unless you are tracking (and better yet planning ahead) your meals, you have no idea how close you are or are not to supportively eating. It takes me all of 5 minutes to log my food for the day. The hard part is starting this habit, but I can assure you it is so simple once it is a habit. There are many free sites with databases of foods and the ability for you to track & plan your foods/meals. The site that I began using in 2009 and absolutely love is sparkpeople.com. SparkPeople has a huge database of foods (whole foods, prepackaged foods, restaurant foods), but also allows you to customize and build your own database of food choices, create a "favorites" food list so you are not always hunting for foods you eat frequently, allows you to create and store for later access whole meals that you eat frequently so you don't have to log in each food item every time, and even allows you to build recipes so you are aware of the nutritional breakdown of each serving. Additionally, it allows you to modify your nutritional target ranges as well as add targets to track daily. It is very user friendly and even has mobile apps for your smart phones, so it can be on the move with you. However you journal, plan, track your food choices....Make the habit today for better results tomorrow! ...See also these Post Links: I Ate How Much? & Hows The Tracking? & The Importance Of Journaling
Nutritional Targets: So what are these targets? Well, it can be different depending on who you ask. Let's start with some basics: Protein contains 4 calories per gram and it is recommended that approximately 10-35% of your daily calories come from protein. Carbohydrates also contain 4 calories per gram and comes from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and it is recommended that approximately 45-65% of your daily calories come from carbohydrates. Fats contain 9 calories per gram and it is recommended that approximately 20-35% of your daily calories come from fat (less than 10% from saturated fats and the majority from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats). Meeting Energy Needs
The next piece of the puzzle is determining your specific resting metabolic rate (RMR) which represents the number of calories it takes to fuel your body (ventilation, blood circulation, temperature regulation, digestion, etc.). The Mifflin-St. Jeor equation is the most accurate estimation of RMR and is outlined below. Some info you need to know to complete the formula are your weight in kilograms (1kg=2.2 lbs and you can easily convert by dividing pounds by 2.2), your height in centimeters (1 inch=2.54 cm and you can easily convert by multiplying inches by 2.54).
For men: RMR = 9.99 x wt(kg) + 6.25 x ht(cm) - 4.92 x age(yrs) + 5
For women: RMR = 9.99 x wt(kg) + 6.25 x ht(cm) - 4.92 x age(yrs) - 161
The RMR value derived from the predication equation is then multiplied by the appropriate activity correction factor below to determine your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Note that this equation is more accurate for obese than non-obese individuals.
*Sedentary (little or no exercise): 1.200
*Lightly active (light exercise/sports one to three days per week): 1.375
*Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports six to seven days per week): 1.550 (if you workout with me this is the calculator you would use) (Workout Calories)
*Very active (hard exercise/sports six to seven days per week): 1.725
*Extra active (very hard exercise/sports and physical job): 1.900
Example:
For a moderately active 38 year old 140 lb 5'6" female then;
weight in kg = 64 (140/2.2)
height in cm = 168 (66 x 2.54)
RMR = 1,341 ((9.99 x 64) + (6.25 x 168) - (4.92 x 38) - 161)
TDEE = 2,079 (1,341 x 1.550)
The Dietary Guidelines recommend that those trying to lose weight aim for a 500 calorie deficit per day, achieved through decreased calorie intake and/or increased physical activity. Even for fat loss you would take the above derived number and decrease it by 500 for your total daily caloric total. From there you can break out the particular nutritional targets: protein, carbohydrates, and fat based on the previously provided information.
Example:
If your TDEE is 2,079 then your total daily caloric intake should be 1,579 (2,079 - 500) then;
Protein would be 474 calories and 118 grams (1,579 x 30% / 4)
Carbohydrates would be 711 calories and 178 grams (1,579 x 45% / 4)
Fats would be 395 calories and 44 grams (1,579 x 25% / 9)
Be sure to reevaluate your nutritional targets about every 5 to 10 pounds lost.
Hydration: The American College of Sports Medicine and the United States Track and Field Association have developed guidelines for optimal hydration during exercise, outlined below. Note that it can be as dangerous being overhydrated as dehydrated. Are You Dehydrated?
*2 hours prior to exercise, drink 17-20 ounces
*Every 10-20 minutes during exercise, drink 7-10 ounces or preferably, drink based on sweat loss
*Following exercise, drink 16-24 ounces for every pound of body weight lost
Other Helpful Tidbits to Know Post Links:
Size Really Does Matter
Short On Time?
Restaurant Survival
Get Fooducated
Fresh Is Cheaper
The Dirty Dozen & The Clean
The Real Price Of Potato Chips
Meeting Energy Needs
Breakfast Of Lean Champions
Afternoon Bloat
Eliminate The Bloat
Carbs v Net Carbs
Should You Go Gluten Free?
Thinking Fasting Detox Is Good Idea
More Is Not Always Better
Importance Of Sleep Post Workout Snack
Greater Muscle Mass = Higher Metabolism
Some Rules Of A Fast Metabolism
Hydrogenated Oil
Mono Fats, Fake Sugars & Fiber
Al Dente
Need A New Grain?
Spicy
Raw vs Steamed Spinach
The Skinny On Milk
Sip Green Tea
Killer Grapefruit
Sad But True
Entitlement = Led Astray
Food Rewards
Garbage Where?
Habits? What Habits?
Supplements & The Rest
Supplements Part Deux
Acid-Alkaline Balance
Detox & Cleanse
7 Side Effects Of Soda
Friendly Bacteria
Peel Off Pounds
Discerning Good From Bad Fad
Immune System Recovery
Fiber Basics
Need Help with Recipe Ideas? Healthy & Yummy Recipes
~You should see your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. You should have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, if you are overweight, or if you are over 35 years old. Please discuss all nutritional changes with your physician or a registered dietician.~
