Thursday, September 18, 2014

MACROS... What you eat matters!




The purpose of food is to fuel our body.  Right?  The question then might pop up as to why there are so many people who are overweight or unhappy with their body.  I have two answers; First, people are eating their feelings, and Second, people are eating the wrong proportions of their macros.

   
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RAVENOUS EATING


First, really notice what emotions you are feeling when you are grabbing for food.

Do you only temporarily feel happy/satisfied after eating?

Are you… Bored? Angry? Upset? Lonely?

You can become physically fat when you are emotionally fat.  What I mean is that if you are constantly just holding in your feelings you can end up unconsciously turning to food for comfort.  But it will only briefly divert your focus away from the real problem.  After your binge those feelings will come back to your attention in addition to a feeling of guilt for overeating or eating a food labeled as ‘unhealthy’.

So before you chow down make sure you actually need to eat and it’s not just a distraction from having to actually deal with your emotions or a situation that happened that day.  When you break the habit of covering up your feelings, you will find it easier to control what you eat.

  
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TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HABITS, TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE


If your emotions are in check then next look to WHEN you are getting this urge to eat everything in sight.  Has it become a habit?
If you tend to get this uncontrollable eating feeling every day around the same time then you need to look at what you are eating throughout the day until that point.  You could be not eating enough of or not eating the correct balance of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates &/or fats)

Figuring out the correct ratio of Macronutrients is a trial and error process.  Do you have to measure and track every little thing you eat?  Well, it depends on your goals.  You could certainly eyeball each meal’s proportions and get some results.  If you are looking for a bigger transformation then you should really measure and track what you eat until you get to the point where you know how to plan out your meals and it just becomes second nature.

So before you start to track what you eat remember this; change does NOT happen overnight.  Your body has adapted to your eating style.  If you are going to make a diet change you need to do it gradually to give your body a chance to adapt to this new way of eating and also to avoid falling into the habit of a restrictive diet and binge situation.

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CALCULATING MACROS


There are many ways out there of how to calculate your macros.  This is what I go by based on what I have learned in school and researched myself.
How many Calories do I need?

First calculate your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
DO NOT ever go below this amount of calories.  This is the absolute minimum your body requires to function.  It does NOT include the activity you are doing throughout your day.

Men = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) - (5.677 x age in years)
Women = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) - (4.330 x age in years

*Height in inches X 2.54 = height in cm
*Weight in pounds / 2.2 = weight in kg

Multiply your body weight in pounds by the following:
12 = Not Active (No Exercise, Sedentary Job)
13 = Moderately Active (Exercise 3-5 Times/Week, Sedentary Job)
14 = Very Active (Exercise Every Day/Physically Demanding Job)

ME:
5’4” or 64 inches X 2.54 = 162.56cm
137lbs / 2.2 = 62.14kg

My RMR = 447 + (3.1 x 162.56cm) + (9.2 X 62.14kg) – (4.33 X 26) =

447 +  503.936 + (571.688) – 112.58 = 1410 Calories

137 lbs X 13 (Exercise every day but have a sedentary job) = 1781

So I want my calorie intake no lower than roughly 1500 (on days I do no cardio or weight training)
And as high as 1800 depending on my activity and intensity level for that day.


How much Protein do I need?

10-35% of Calories

.36g/lb of body weight – BARE MINIMUM
.7g/lb of body weight - ACTIVE
1g/lb+ of body weight – BODYBUILDING, POWERLIFTING, HEAVY TRAINING/LIFTING

ME:
137 lbs X 1g/lb = 137g

1500 calories X .10 = 150 calories /4 = 37.5 grams of protein
1500 calories X .35 = 525 calories /4 = 131.25 grams of protein

1800 calories X .10 = 180 calories/4 = 45 grams of protein
1800 calories X .35 = 635.4 calories/4 = 158.85 grams of protein


How much Fat should I eat?

20-30% of Daily Calories

Calories X fat% (.20-.30)
Divided by 9cal/g = grams of fat

ME:
1500 Calories X .20 = 300 calories/9 = 33.3 grams of fat
1500 Calories X .30 = 450 calories/9 = 50 grams of fat

1800 Calories X .20 = 360 calories/9 = 40 grams of fat
1800 Calories X .30 = 540 calories/9 = 60 grams of fat

How many Carbs should I eat?
45-65% of Daily Calories

Calories X carb% (.45-.65)
Divided by 4cal/g = grams of carbs

ME:
1500 Calories X .45 = 675 calories/4 = 168.75 grams of carbs
1500 Calories X .65 = 975 calories/4 = 243.75 grams of carbs

1800 Calories X .45 = 810 calories/4 = 202.5 grams of carbs
1800 Calories X .65 = 1170 calories/4 = 292.5 grams of carbs


So here I have my ranges.  After my competition season is over I will work on increase my carbs slowly over time (adding 10 grams or so) until my body adapts and checking in with myself each week to see if I should increase them again that week or not.  While in competition season my macros fluctuate.  If you are an athlete you will learn how to adapt your macros appropriately to your training.

~1500 Calories                                   ~1800 Calories
Protein:                      131.25 – 158.85 grams                      131.25 – 158.85 grams
Fats:                            33.3 – 50 grams                                40 – 60 grams
Carbohydrates          168.75 – 243.75                                  202.5 – 292.5 grams




You might now be thinking that this doesn’t tell you exactly what you should be eating.  And well, no.  There are no cookie cutter plans out there.  Everyone is different in the way their bodies are built, what they eat, the activities they are doing day to day and the energy they expend.  These calculations are just guidelines for you to get started.

Calculate your ranges and then you can alter your current macros (you can track your food using an app like MyFitnessPal) over time.

On days where you don’t exercise try going on the lower end of your Carbohydrate requirements, and on the higher end of your fat and protein requirements.

On days where you are exercising moderately go to the middle of your Carbohydrate requirements, moderate fat and moderate protein.

On days where you are lifting heavy or expending much more energy than on your moderate days then go to the higher end of your Carbohydrate requirements with moderate fat and protein intakes.

You can also try keeping your protein and fat measurements the same and just manipulate your Carbohydrate requirements based on your activity level.


Keep a record of what macro measurements work for you and which ones don’t.

  
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TRACKING YOUR MACROS

I took some screen shots of the MyFitnessPal app so you can see how easy it is to track your meals.  You will need to set up an account first.  You can also do all of this on their website if you are using a desktop computer.






You can set up your profile with some information and a picture.  You are able to add friends and under the profile tab you can see their progress/activity as well as your own.  You can also set up your weight, activity and nutrition goals as seen below.
    


    


 Under the nutrition tab you will find the meal log.  When you click 'add food' below the meal you are entering it will bring you to the following screens.  Here you can search OR scan the food item then adjust the serving size.  This will immediately adjust the nutrition facts so you can plan accordingly.






It is going to be best to plan your meals ahead of time so when it comes time to eat you either know what to cook or you already have the meal cooked and ready to eat.  It will take some time to gain the nutrition fact knowledge of the food you normally eat.  After a while it becomes easier to choose a measurement.







You can change the labels in the settings but this cannot be done on the app.  I set mine to 'Meal 1-5' and the last category as 'Extras'.  At the bottom you will see a tab labeled Nutrition.  This lays out your macros in a chart and list form as seen below.




  
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MEAL PREP


Last thing; here are some pictures showing my food prep... It might take a week or two to figure out how to organize your setup to make it go as quick as possible.  This meal prep took me about an hour.  You can choose to cook your meals every day, every other day or one to two times per week depending on your schedule and priorities.





I cook my sweet potatoes in the microwave.  Wash and stab them beforehand.  Rotate them every 3 minutes until they are soft all of the way through.



 I make my breakfast fresh every morning... I split the pancakes and omelette in half to  make 2 meals.


Grilling my meals on the George Forman grill makes meal prep 100 times easier!!!!



  










Feel free to email me with questions:  

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