Nutrition for Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, and Performance: A Guide to Macros, Study notes of Nutrition

Download Nutrition for Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, and Performance: A Guide to Macros and more Study notes Nutrition in PDF only on Docsity!

N U T R I T I O N

F U N D A M E N T A L S

AN INTRODUCTORY NUTRITION HANDBOOK FOR NOVICE-

INTERMEDIATE LIFTERS AND NEW TRAINERS

Written by: Danny Matranga, BS.c CSCS

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

Aout This Book 3

Why People Diet 4

The Big Three 5

Energy Balance 6-

Macros (^) 8

Protein Carbs Fat Macro Cheat Sheet Fiber Vitamins Minerals

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

How to Calculate Your Macros A Note on TDEE TDEE calculation + Surplus/Deficit Calculating Macros Tips/Tricks Flexible Dieting Supplements Disclaimer Works Cited

16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24

To lose fat (historically and still number

one).

To gain muscle.

To optimize physical performance.

To improve an autoimmune issue.

To curtail inflammation.

For ethical reasons (veganism).

To attempt to optimize performance.

Because their friend is doing it.

Because they want to "try something new"

Because they saw a documentary on

Netflix.

The weight loss industry eclipsed 70 million dollars

as of 2018 - a staggering figure. Wanting to lose

weight has no doubt been the primary reason people

implement dietary change. With the advancement of

nutritional science, however, people are beginning to

see food as much more than just something that

makes us gain weight or lose weight. Here are just a

few of the other reasons people have told me they

are changing their eating habits:

WHY

PEOPLE

"DIET"

LET'S TALK

ABOUT

THREE

Nutrition for Fat Loss

Nutrition for Muscle Gain

Nutrition for Performance

As mentioned on page four, the

reasons people are changing their

diets nowadays are seemingly endless

That being said, and with respect to

the many nuances of nutritional

science, we will only be covering three

nutritional protocols:

Energy balance illustrating a calorie deficit, tipping the scale in favor of weight loss.

Energy balance illustrating a calorie surplus, tipping the scale in favor of tissue gain.

Energy balance illustrating calorie maintenance. Bodyweight will be maintained.

CALORIES

EATEN

CALORIES

BURNED

CALORIES

BURNED

CALORIES

BURNED CALORIES

EATEN

CALORIES

EATEN

CALORIE

DEFICIT

CALORIE

SURPLUS

CALORIE

MAINTENENCE

MACRONUTIENTS

CARBOHYDRATE

PROTEIN

FAT

Dietary carbohydrates are carbohydrates present in food, including sugars, starches, cellulose and gums. Carbohydrates serve as a major energy source of animal diets. Dietary sugars come from various natural and non-natural sources, including fruits, honey and corn syrup. All ingested starchy carbohydrates are eventually broken down into glucose. Carbohydrates are tremendous for fueling workouts and recovery, when timed properly. Despite their recent demonization, carbohydrates are a fine part of most diets and can be extremely nourishing. Carbohydrate has 4 calories/gram.

Protein is a macronutrient essential in the development of muscle tissue. Protein is comprised of valuable amino acids. There are 20 amino acids in total, each one with various unique roles in the body. We typically get our protein from animal products, like meat and dairy, though it is also present in other sources, such as nuts and legumes. Protein also plays a role in maintaining things like skin, hair, nails, digestive health, joint health - to name a few. When working with new clients I often find they drastically undereat protein. Protein has 4 calories/gram.

Fats do many different things within the body. They play a vital role in protecting cells and brain and are integral in the absorption of certain vitamins. Dietary fats are often referred to as lipids. Some of the more common fats or fat derivatives you will here referenced in regards to nutrition are Omega 3,6, and 9, Triglycerides, cholesterol, saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, trans fats, and MCT's. Some of these fats are very beneficial to health, wellness, and performance (omega 3's, for example). Others must be monitored to ensure ratios are kept in healthy ranges (omega 6, triglycerides, and cholesterol). Some are compounds we know to have negative health impacts in large amounts (trans fats). There are many considerations when selecting fat sources for a nutritional protocol/diet. Fat has 9 calories/gram.

FAT GUIDELINES AND SOURCES

grass fed butter

ghee

olive oil

nuts

avocado

Fats, or lipids, are vital for maintaining many key systems within the body.

Beyond being integral for the health of our brain and cell membranes, they

play an integral role in the production of hormones like testosterone and

estrogen - to name a few. When designing a diet for optimal gains, protein

must be adequate. The remainder of dietary calories can come from a blend

of carbohydrates and fats.

When calculating fat, I aim for a range of 20%-70% of total calories. The

lower end of this range I have found to be great for people in glycolytic

sports. The middle of this range is excellent for people looking to eat a

balanced, easy to follow diet. The higher-end range works well for those who

are sensitive to high levels of dietary carbohydrate.

I often have clients set the range at around 0.3-05 grams/lb of lean body

mass when looking to generate a rough starting place for grams/fat per day.

Fat sources I regularly consume/keep around the house are:

Energy systems used in training (are you an endurance athlete, or a powerlifter?) Recovery needs of the individual. Calorie needs of the individual. Personal preference when it comes to food selection.

Rices Quinoa Potatoes Whole grain/sprouted grain breads Whole grain/sprouted grain cereals Oatmeal Flax Muffins

Carbohydrates are vital for recovery and managing the stress of training. They can also improve workout quality by providing energy to perform glycolytic (carbohydrate dependant) work.

Once protein and essential fat have been established, the amount of carbohydrates and additional fat an individual consumes should come down to a few individualized factors:

Carbohydrates play a vital role in replenishing muscle glycogen (a process known as glycogen repletion). When glycogen stores are full, muscles hold more water and can appear more full. This is why people often complain of looking "flat" when they are low- carb and or dehydrated.

Carbohydrates are usually classified as "complex" or "simple". Complex carbohydrates require more digestive energy to convert to glucose (due to the size of the carbohydrate molecules and their fiber content). Simple carbohydrates or sugars are more easily broken down into sugars than complex carbohydrates.

Most carbohydrates will markedly raise insulin compared to fat. Specific proteins also have a profound ability to raise insulin. While each individual will have a different insulin response to certain foods/carbohydrates, simple carbohydrates will usually spike insulin more so than complex carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate sources i regularly consume/keep around the house are:

CARBOHYDRATE GUIDELINES AND

SOURCES

FIBER

Green Veggies Berries Beans Nuts Avocados Whole Grains Bran Products Fiber Supplements

Fiber can be soluble or insoluble, but most individuals have a harder time getting enough insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber that is particularly valuable for feeding the important microbes in our gut and maintaining proper digestion and excretion. Getting the right amount of fiber is crucial to long term health, but getting too much can be equally problematic.

Getting the right amount of fiber can help with managing cholesterol and preventing heart disease [2], helping maintain bowel regularity, and long term health of the digestive system [3].

Considering most people simply do not eat enough plant matter as it is, increasing vegetable intake is a great way to kill two birds with one stone

• getting both fiber and valuable nutrients found in plants.

The American heart association recommends people get between 25- grams of fiber per day. I have found, anecdotally, men need a little more than 25-30, so to make things easy for my clients I shoot for:

Women: 30 grams/day Men: 35-40 grams/day

When it comes to fiber sources, I like to keep it simple. I keep the following around in house:

VITAMINS

Vitamin A (retinol) Vitamin B1 (thiamin) Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) Vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) Vitamin B6 (pyridoxal phosphate) Vitamin B7 (biotin) Vitamin B9 (folic acid) Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) Vitamin D (cholecalciferol) Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) Vitamin K (menadione)

Vitamins are a group of organic compounds the human body needs in specific amounts to be able to survive. There are 13 essential vitamins. Of the 13, 9 are soluble in water (these are the (8) b Vitamins and Vitamin c) and 4 are soluble in fat (Vitamins A, D, E, and K).

Each Vitamin plays a plethora of roles in the body affecting everything from enzymatic processes to hormone production. A deficiency in any one of these Vitamins can affect performance and wellness. Having too much of any Vitamins can be an issue as well - but this is less common.

Going over each vitamin, the symptoms of deficiencies, and the symptoms of toxicity is highly recommended. But, with respect to the depth of that topic - I will not touch on that in this book.

Just know that it is highly advisable to try to hit AT LEAST the RDI (reference daily intake) for each of the Vitamins listed below. Get them from whole foods if possible, and supplement as needed:

fat soluble

water soluble

HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR

MACROS

Eating to lose fat Eating to gain muscle Eating to perform

The TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) The amount of the deficit or surplus. The actual macro breakdown.

If you remember on pages 5,6, and 7, you will recall people have THREE primary fitness nutrition goals:

We also established that the first goal fat loss requires a calorie deficit. Both goals two and three above, muscle gain and performance, will likely be optimized by remaining in a mild calorie surplus.

This makes things simple.

For almost every single client, you will be working with this framework at some point. When it comes time to make a calorie and macronutrient-based plan of eating for yourself - you must piece together the following things:

Over the course of the next few pages I will share my favorite methods for doing all three of these things.

Before diving into all of that stuff though I would like to remind you a diet is only effective when adhered to. If you are making macronutrient-based dieting protocols for yourself or clients, that's great. All diets will be useless unless adhered to. Habits and discipline are the backbone of all fitness (and dieting) success. Start there.

A NOTE ON TDEE

BMR (base metabolic rate) Exercise expenditure (calories burned from exercise) NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) [think fidgeting, walking, tapping your foot] Thermic Effect of Food (the energy required to digest food)

Before calculating TDEE, I would like to say the following. I have never been 100% accurate in the over 1000 or more times I have done this calculation. Why? Easy - all TDEE is, is an estimate. While the formulas you will read about in a minute are VERY accurate for most people - they are never exact. So, with that being said, be willing to make adjustments based on the feedback you are receiving from your body or your client.

When calculating for total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) we are looking to establish the total calories burned by that individual in a given day, INCLUDING activity. TDEE is NOT BMR (base metabolic rate) or how much the body burns at rest.

TDEE is comprised of FOUR primary things:

Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: Implications for the athlete - Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Components-of-total-daily- energy-expenditure-TDEEBMRbasal-metabolic- rate_fig1_260397860 [accessed 31 Oct, 2019]

The components that make up TDEE do not vary from person to person. What does change is the actual percentage of TDEE each component comprises. NEAT has the most significant variation [4]. Person to person NEAT differential is a big reason why people appear to have so-called "fast/slow" metabolisms.

TEF does not vary much.

BMR and Exercise expenditure vary a lot depending on the person's size.

These are factors that estimation cannot fully represent with 100% accuracy. This is why it is important to be flexible. That being said, here are the best ways to calculate TDEE with confidence.

CALCULATING MACROS

Before we get started let's talk about the caloric weight of each macro (see page 8 for a refresher).

As stated earlier on page 9, when calculating macros " ALWAYS START WITH PROTEIN "

For illustrative purposes, I will talk about this through the lens of a 180-pound lifter looking to make some lean muscle gains. I calculated his TDEE to be 2700 calories and added a 300 calorie surplus. He will be aiming for 3000 calories per day.

For lifters and those looking for fat loss, I will usually set protein somewhere between 0.7-1. grams/lb of bodyweight. So, for a 180-pound lifter, protein intake would be between 126- grams/day. If I had this lifter eating 180 grams/protein, that would be 720 calories/day from protein. I will then subtract 720 from 3000. This leaves him with 2280 calories.

Next we establish FAT intake. Fat is an essential nutrient. So I need to give the client at least essential levels of fat to survive and not feel terrible. I like 0.3-0.5 grams/lb. I like to split the difference. For our 180-pound lifter, we will multiply (180 x 0.4). That winds up being 72 grams of fat/day. Fat has 9 calories/gram, so the lifter will eat 648 calories/day from fat. 2280 -648 = 1632. 1632 is the number we will use to generate carbohydrate intake.

The last step is easy. Simply take the remaining calories, 1632 in this case, and divide that number by four (4 is the number of calories per gram of carbohydrate ). We are left with 408. The lifter will have 408 grams of carbs to use for training and recovery.

Your last step is to reverse engineer that entire equation and make sure it adds up. I do the following (protein in grams + carbs in grams x 4) + (fat in grams x 9) = calorie intake goal. This looks like (180 + 408 x 4) + (72 x 9) = 3000. If all that adds up, you have nailed your macro prescription.

TIPS &

TRICKS

Once you have established macros, you have a few options as to how to track them. You can take the total number of each macronutrient and try to divide them evenly across the desired amount of meals that best suits personal preference.

The method I like best is to ensure that the pre and post-training meal includes at least 20 grams of protein and 40 grams of carbs (that's 20 & 40 before AND after), with the rest of the macros being "hit" in a flexible manner as the day goes on.

For clients who prefer a lower carbohydrate approach to dieting, I make a special point to include carbohydrates around training.

If a client likes to train FASTED early in the morning, i recommend a higher protein and carbohydrate intake with their final meal to ensure they have high availability of fuel for training.

If protein is hard to hit for a client (which it often is for general populations, individuals), shakes and bars are an option. BUT, they should be used as a last resort.

For individuals looking to gain weight, but struggling to hit their calorie total for the day, liquid calories can be a godsend. I recommend nutrient-dense smoothies in this case.

For those who feel hungry dieting on a lower number of calories, I like to implement a strategy to increase the intake of high fiber, high volume green veggies. Vegetables can increase perceived satiety [5].

FROM THE TRENCHES