Day 3 - Macro what?

The previous post walked you through step by step how to calculate your daily caloric needs. Today we will address where those calories should come from.

Calories are a unit of measure for energy. Our body uses this energy to sustain all the functions of living. We are constantly burning calories as energy even during sleep. It takes energy to exchange air in our lungs or for our heart to pump blood throughout our body.

When we relate calories to food, we are actually referring to the amount of energy the food will provide for our body as fuel for metabolic needs. Weight loss occurs when we burn more energy than we consume.

A macronutrient is a required substance for living organisms. The three main macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates and fat. There are varying theories as to how much of each your body really needs, but I am taking a conservative approach and including an almost even amount of all three. I will be using a 40/30/30 split. That means that of my daily caloric needs, 40% will come from protein and 30% will come from carbohydrates and fat.

Macronutrients provide calories needed for bodily functions. They yield differing amounts. One gram of protein provides 4 calories. One gram of fat provides 9 calories. One gram of carbohydrates provides 4 calories. This explains why healthy fats have a large calorie price tag. It does not take as much volume of fats to reach the caloric needs compared to a protein source.

These macronutrients all serve different purposes in our body and are important. Protein is important in maintaining and creating muscle tissue. If you lift weights, you will need a significant more amount of protein than the standard recommended daily amount. Lifting weights breaks down the muscle tissue and dietary protein intake is necessary to rebuild that broken down protein. Carbohydrates are considered protein (muscle) sparing. This means that if adequate amounts of carbohydrates are available to your body, the body will use them as fuel first and use the protein for growth and repair. If you do not have a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, your body might turn to muscle to break it down for fuel. This is why timing your carbohydrates around your training is an effective strategy for weight loss and muscle building. Fats are very important! Do not believe the trend that low fat is a good thing. Fats are required for hormone syntheses and keep your hair, skin and nails healthy. We will go into more detail about each of these important macronutrients in future posts.

 

The main concept I want to enforce with this post is actually the importance of eating real food. Take a moment to realize that the food you are choosing to eat is more than just what might have sounded tasty. It is literally the fuel your body uses to provide all necessary energy needs for your body to function.

Stay tuned to learn about the importance of whole food (real food) and meal planning.

- FitWhitt

Email questions at fitwhitt@gmail.com

Carb Cycling

Carb cycling is a nutrition technique used to accelerate your body's fat burning potential. If you plan to carb cycle, you will alternate days of high or low carbohydrate intake. The idea is that you give your body the energy and fuel source it needs from a higher carbohydrate intake on training days you will be utilizing them the most. The other days are considered lower carbohydrate intake in hopes that your body will turn to fat sources for energy when the carbohydrate sources are absent.

What is a carbohydrate and how does your body use it?
Carbohydrates are not stored in the body the same as proteins and fats. The body is eager to use them for energy if they are available. Carbohydrates are broken down in our bodies into glucose so that the body can quickly utilize it as a energy source to fuel the cells. For this reason, carbohydrate intake plays a large role in are blood sugar regulation. The difference between "good" and "bad" carbs is the difference in how fast your body can break down the carbohydrate source and how fast it will cause an increase in blood sugar. The higher fiber content of complex carbohydrates causes them to be broken down slower in our bodies and minimizes an abundant surge of sugar into the bloodstream. Simple carbohydrates are broken down by the body much quicker and cause an immediate spike of blood sugar into the system. If there is an excess of glucose that the body can't utilize at the time it is eaten, it is stored as fat for use later. When carbohydrate sources are not available, the body will turn to fat in the diet as a energy source.

High carbohydrate days will be beneficial because they can help stimulate an insulin response to encourage muscle cells to grow. They will also replenish glycogen stores and make you feel good and energized. High carbohydrate days are best if utilized on days where you train larger muscle groups so the increase need for energy is there.

Low carbohydrate days will help promote fat loss by tricking the body to utilize fat for fuel. They also keep your body receptive to insulin.

There are various approaches and theories on how to schedule your high and low carbohydrate days. I personally want to see the most muscular growth in my glutes. For this reason, I will utilize a high carbohydrate approach on my two glute training days as well as my one day a week where I train longer distances in my marathon running program. I find that a three day split is sufficient to keep my energy levels high and my intensity elevated as well. My reason for trialing this approach is that I desire to maintain leanness and continue to lose body fat but also desire to see muscular gains as a result of my training.

Here is an example of my carbohydrate cycle

Sunday = Rest (LOW carb)

Monday = Cardio + Back/Ab  (LOW carb)

Tuesday = Cardio + Glutes (HIGH carb)

Wednesday = Cardio + Bi/Tr/Ab (LOW carb)

Thursday= Cardio + Sh/Chest (LOW carb)

Friday = Cardio + Glutes (HIGH carb)

Saturday = Long Distance Running (HIGH carb)

Tips and Tricks!

It is helpful to place a high intensity training period on the weekend which allows for some flexible dieting during the weekend.

Your calories come from three main macronutrients: protein, fats and carbohydrates. If you are consuming less carbohydrates, you should naturally have a lower calorie intake those days as well. I consume a higher amount of fat on my lower carbohydrate days to account for the calorie deficient, but still keep my calories about 200 less than on my higher carbohydrate days.

Keep your carbohydrate sources healthy. Stick to complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, high fiber grains, starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, fruit and legumes.

Remember we are all different. This approach may not work for you. Approach any theory in nutrition and fitness as if you were conducting your own research. Be open minded, take detailed notes on how your body responds, give it time and in the end if you realize it is not the best approach for you, try something else!