Nutrition in Context #4 - Calorie Cycling

If you missed the other posts in the Nutrition in Context series, here they are:

#1 - Making Sense of the Non-Sense: http://majorpainmatt.blogspot.com/2012/07/nutrition-in-context-1-making-sense-of.html

#2 - Weight Loss: http://majorpainmatt.blogspot.com/2012/07/nutrition-in-context-2-weight-loss.html

#3 - Carbohydrates: http://majorpainmatt.blogspot.com/2012/08/nutrition-in-context-3-carbohydrates.html

I’ve indirectly referred to calorie cycling throughout the Nutrition in Context series, but don’t think I ever spent any real time explaining it and why it is such an effective strategy for body composition goals. If you want to lose fat and either maintain or grow muscle at the same time, then you definitely want to pay attention and consider implementing calorie cycling into your routine. For body composition in general, you NEED to do strength training! Therefore, for calorie cycling to work, you need to do strength training! You can eat perfectly but you won’t have that athletic, cut look that you are hoping for unless you develop your muscles. So, for the purposes of this blog post, I am assuming you do regular strength training, and you don’t play around with lightweight stuff that takes over 15 reps before you feel a burn J …oh and for you ladies worried about getting “bulky” if you look at a heavy weight for more than a few seconds…please, please, please stop believing that lie. Women who lift heavy weight look TONED and athletic, not big and bulky. Women who take STEROIDS look bulky…and have more facial hair than I do.

What is calorie cycling?

I’ve seen some bogus definitions or explanations of calorie cycling out there on the interwebs (I’ve been dying to use that word…interwebs…it’s probably not even a real word, but it sounds cool), so if you read somewhere that calorie cycling is designed to “trick” your metabolism to make you burn more fat…never go to that website again. Calorie cycling isn’t about spiking your metabolism.

Calorie cycling IS a method of partitioning your calories so that on the days you lift weights you have the necessary calories and nutrients to build muscle. On your rest days, you reduce your calories, and preferably go low carb, to burn more fat for energy. If you lift weights properly and get the right balance of calories and macronutrients, you can build muscle, shred fat, and do it all without having to do any cardio! I have been calorie cycling and have been able to stay under 10% body fat despite some very poor eating choices over the past several months… while at the same time gaining muscle and strength! Suffice it to say I’ve been able to eat what I want for the most part without it hurting me too much. If I were more disciplined, I’d be even leaner than I am right now…so I think it’s time for me to get my head right!

A few IMPORTANT bullet points:

• The rules for weight loss/gain never change. Expend more calories than you consume and you’ll lose weight. Consume more calories than you expend and you’ll gain weight. Therefore, your total caloric intake for the week should be consistent with your weight loss or weight gain goals.
• On lifting days, you want to consume the majority of your calories POST workout. Ideally, immediately after your workout. Your post workout meal should be high in carbohydrates and protein. You also want the majority of your carbs to come from starchy sources: breads, rice, potatoes, etc.
• On lifting days you want to shoot for .7g to .8g of protein per pound of body weight. Therefore, if you weigh 200lbs, try to consume 140g to 160g protein. Ideally, the majority after you work out.
• On rest days (non-lifting days) you want to significantly reduce your calories. You should be very purposeful about the types of foods you eat and avoid any little “snacks” you don’t need.
• On rest days you want to go LOW carb. This takes planning and even more discipline. Low carb days are miserable (for me at least…I’m hungry and tired)…and by dinner time you are craving carbs like nobody’s business…but don’t give in! A goal should be to try to keep total carb intake for the day below 50g. If you can do less than that…awesome!
• On rest days you still want to get good sources of protein when you eat, so a grilled chicken salad or something like that is an excellent choice.

If this is the first time you are hearing this, it may be a little difficult to wrap your head around what I’m talking about. Therefore, I’m going to give you two detailed examples to help explain.

Body Composition Goal Only

This is an example for someone who is interested in maintaining their current weight, but improving their body composition (gaining muscle and dropping fat). Since that is my goal, I'll use my current workout schedule along with my daily calorie intake. Based upon my age, weight, body composition and activity level, I estimate that I need to consume an average of 2,750 calories/day to maintain my current weight. Therefore I multiply my daily calorie goal times 7 to get my total calories for the week = 19,250. Next, I want to set a low calorie goal for my rest days. A good rule of thumb is cutting your average daily calories in half, but since I’ve got so many calories to work with, I’ll go a little less than half and set a low calorie goal of 1,250 calories. Now I need to back these calories out of the weekly total and then divide the remaining calories by the remaining 5 days to determine how many calories I should eat on my workout days. 19,250 – 1,250 – 1,250 = 16,750 / 5 days = 3,350. Because I work out especially heavy on Saturday with a big leg workout (which is also your body’s largest muscle group) I want to add more calories in on Saturday. To do this, I’m going to shave off a few more calories on the other workout days and add them to Saturday. So I’ll take the daily workout calories down 150 to 3,200 (150 x 4 = 600) and add those 600 calories onto Saturday to give me 3,950 calories for my heavy leg day.

Sunday – workout day – 3,200 calories

Monday – workout day – 3,200 calories

Tuesday – rest day – 1,250 calories

Wednesday – workout day – 3,200 calories

Thursday – rest day – 1,250 calories

Friday – workout day – 3,200 calories

Saturday – workout day (heavy legs) – 3,950 calories

This strategy should allow for anabolic (growth) windows on workout days and catabolic (shrink) windows on rest days. Doing this will create an environment where I have the best opportunity to build muscle and burn fat at the same time…all while maintaining weight.

Body Composition and Weight Loss Goal

Let's take someone who also wants to lose weight as well as change their body composition. Let’s say that this person lifts weights 3 times a week, and runs 1 day a week. Based upon this person's specifics, their daily calorie goal in order to lose the 1 lb per week is 1,800 calories, putting their total weekly calories at 12,600. Let's reduce the calories by half on the rest days down to 900 calories, and we'll keep the calories on the cardio day neutral at 1,800 calories. Here is the calculation to find out the workout day calorie goal: 12,600 - 900 - 900 - 900 - 1,800 = 8,100 / 3 = 2,700. Not only should this person be able to lose 1 lb per week consistently, they'll be in a position to gain muscle while losing more fat.

Sunday - workout day - 2,700 calories

Monday - rest day - 900 calories

Tuesday - workout day - 2,700 calories

Wednesday - rest day - 900 calories

Thursday - workout day - 2,700 calories

Friday - rest day - 900 calories

Saturday - cardio (run) day - 1,800 calories

The Good, the Bad, and the Fun

The Good news is on your workout days you’ve got some extra calories to utilize and you can eat what I consider “good” food. Don’t go crazy with your food choices, but generally speaking you can get away with eating a little more liberally after your workout as your muscles are primed to use the carbs and proteins you ingest.

The Bad news is if you want to burn the fat, you’ve got to play by the rules on low calorie/low carb days. Did I mention I loathe low carb days? I don’t see how anyone could actually stick with a low carb diet for more than a few days…maybe that is why people diet and then quit. Carbs are your primary source of energy, so if you cut them out you are probably going to feel weak and tired. If you are a coffee drinker, then the caffeine will be especially helpful to you on low carb days. If you are looking for low carb lunch ideas, my favorite is a 12 count grilled nugget from Chick-fil-a. With Chick-fil-a sauce, you are looking at 360 calories, 50g protein, and only 6 carbs. Hard to go wrong with that! If you like salads, a grilled chicken salad is just as good…just watch out for the calories in the dressing!

The Fun stuff, at least for me, is eating right after my heavy leg workout day. If you are going to cheat, the best time to cheat is right after a big muscle group workout like legs. Want a big burger and a ton of French fries?…might as well! You might want to shower first…but as soon as you can after a workout cram those calories in. Be sure your cheat meal has a good mix of carbs and protein. Having a big cheat meal like this once a week can help keep you sane, and if you eat it at the right time (after that big workout) then it can work for you versus against you.

Remember, workout days you want to go high carb, high protein, low fat. Rest days you want low carb, high protein, and fats are fine…just stick to your calorie goal.

So there you have it…calorie cycling for body composition explained. Obviously your goals dictate whether or not this is a strategy that you want to employ, but I don’t know many people who wouldn’t want to tone up and lose fat. Happy cycling!

Scripture for the day

A friend of mine and I have recently started a weekly study in the Gospel of John. One of the things that really stood out to me as we were studying about Jesus' first recorded sign/miracle where he turned water into wine was John 2:6-7. You probably want to read the entire chapter for context, but verses 6 and 7 read, "Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, 'Fill the waterpots with water.' So they filled them up to the brim." Why was it important to note that the waterpots were filled to the brim? When Jesus performed the work needed for the purification of our sins, there was nothing left for us to do...nothing left to add. The waterpots were filled to the brim...there is no room for anything to be added! Praise the Lord that Jesus performed the work of salvation, and there is nothing left for us to do...simply accept the free gift of Salvation! 

Recomended Recipe: Healthier General Tso's Chicken & Fried Rice

So a buddy of mine sent me a recipe for healthy (...well...healthier) General Tso's Chicken. The wife and I thought this would make for a great dinner date recipe, so we added some fried rice and steamed broccoli and I have to say...it was pretty dad-gum good! The photo to the right is of my plate, right before I completely inhaled it!

I always like it when people share awesome recipes, but I like it even better when they've actually made the recipe and can provide some additional details that are helpful. Lucky you...I'm about to hook you up!

First, here are the links to the recipes online:

General Tso's Chicken: http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/general-tso-8217-chicken-tastier-more-healthy-takeout-214300486.html

Fried Rice: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fried-rice-restaurant-style/

Broccoli: We steamed it...thank you pampered chef steamer.

Helpful Tips:

1. Unless you are some kind of a master chef, don't try to make this on your own. It took both of us working together to be able to make everything in a reasonable amount of time and have everything finish cooking at about the same time.
2. We used half of the dishes in our kitchen to make all of this...so plan on your dinner date also including cleaning up the kitchen.
3. If you stick to the recipe in the link above, you probably want to rename it Ginger Chicken. The ginger flavor in the recipe definitely overwhelmed the other flavors, so I would suggest omitting the ginger...unless you LOVE ginger. Don't get me wrong, it was still good, but next time we make this, we're going to drop the ginger and see how it tastes.
4. The recipe for the General Tso's makes enough to feed 4, or makes enough for 2 meals for 2 people. Regarding the fried rice recipe: for 2 people just do 1 cup of rice unless you plan to eat a TON of fried rice. If you got 4 hungry people you are feeding, go ahead and do the 2 cups.
5. For the fried rice, we made the vegetable preparation easy. We used french cut (matchstick size) cooking carrots...just buy a bag of them at Wal-Mart in the veggie section. This way you can skip the carrot cutting and boiling. We did forget to add the peas...but we'll add them next time.
6. Some of the ingredients for this recipe are a little hard to find, i.e. the hoisin sauce. We found it at The Fresh Market.

Other Comments:

The fried rice turned out perfectly, but you'll definitely have to season with soy sauce, salt, and sesame oil to taste (had to add and taste, add and taste).

The texture and consistency of the chicken and the outer breading was perfect. The chicken was tender, and the breading held together perfectly even when tossed with the sauce afterwards. I don't have a lot of luck making my own breading for stuff...but this one worked out pretty well!

Health wise, this is definitely a lower calorie version of a take-out favorite. It is extremely low fat, but it is loaded with sodium. Aside from the sodium, this definitely passes as a healthy meal.

This makes for a great cooking date...if you and your spouse don't ever do that together...shame on you! It's cheap, fun, and practical.

Enjoy!

- MP

Lazy vs Crazy

Lazy vs. Crazy: How do you handle a tough workout?

Here we are again…blogging. I would say that I’m the world’s most inconsistent blogger,but actually, I pretty consistently don’t update the blog. Anyway, after a pretty tough workout to end week #2 of NOW Boot Camp (www.nowbootcamp.com), I began to think about how people might respond to a tough workout. The way I look at it, people probably fall into one of two categories. For fun I’m going to call these two groups the Lazys and the Crazys.

The Lazys:

After making it through a tough workout, the Lazys realize that they survived, but they think “I barely made it through that workout…I can’t do that again.” The Lazys fear that the next workout will be harder than the workout that they just barely survived. They struggle with the uncomfortable feeling of being exhausted, out of breath, and sore. They look around at other people who are stronger and faster and think "that will never be me." These feelings make them think they just aren't in shape and they aren't convinced that they can put in the work it takes to make improvements. The Lazys will find an excuse to avoid the next workout, and unfortunately, they will never make progress until they change. They've bought into a lie because the lie is more comfortable than the discomfort required to achieve their goal.

The Crazys:

After making it through a tough workout, the Crazys realize that they survived, and they think “I barely made it through that workout…bring on the next challenge!” The Crazys hope that the next workout will be harder than the workout that they just barely survived so that they can test their limits. They accept the uncomfortable feeling of being exhausted, out of breath, and sore. They look around at other people who are stronger and faster and think "that could be me soon." These feelings let them know that they are working hard and making progress, and they are convinced that they can put in the work it takes to make improvements. The Crazys will overcome the barriers to make it to the next workout, and they will continue to make progress towards their goals. They've bought into a goal because their goal is more important than their temporary discomfort.

Obviously, the words lazy and crazy are used liberally here. There are many people who aren’t lazy at all…but lack the confidence needed to push themselves outside of their comfort zone. Also, just because someone is confident and enjoys a challenge doesn’t make them crazy.

So the real question here is, how do you deal with a tough workout? Do you feel accomplished or defeated? Do you walk away from it with more or less confidence? Do you push aside obstacles in the way of your goals, or do you take advantage of convenient excuses? The difference between the mindset of Lazys and Crazys will make all the difference. Physically, the Lazys have every bit of potential and capability as the Crazys. Genetics get blamed far too often when the real culprit is poor habits and work ethic. So the choice is yours…if you are one of the Crazys…stay crazy! Embrace it! If you are Lazy...you can continue down that path, but nothing will change until you make it change. If you aren't happy where you are at now...maybe it’s time to GET YOUR HEAD RIGHT!

Verse for the day:

Proverbs 19:21 "Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand."

-         -  Major Pain