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 =
*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!!!!
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