A successful low carb day

On the off chance that you are reading this post without having read my post on calorie cycling, you probably need to check that out or you'll think I'm on some kind of a low carb diet. I've made no secret of my disdain for low carb diets. They stink...bad! How anyone could do that more than two days in a row is beyond me. I'm just shooting to do a low carb day twice in a week, and so far, I've really only stuck to one. This week, I'm committed to doing two days, and doing it right. Today was a successful day...I kept the calories and the carbs low, but had good protein intake. A few people asked me what they should eat on a low carb day, and I told them I'd post what I do so that they can get some ideas. Here goes:

12pm - MEAL #1

Salad w/ grilled chicken and a protein shake:
Salad - 10 calories, 1g carb, 0g protein
Chicken - 200 calories, 0g carb, 48g protein
Salad Dressing - 100 calories, 4g carb, 0g protein
Protein Shake - 130 calories, 4g carb, 24g protein
Fish oil & Multivitamin - 20 calories, 0 carb, 0 protein
TOTAL MEAL #1: 460 calories, 9 carb, 72g protein

2:30pm - Coffee!

Needed some coffee, and I gotta have some creamer!
1 cup coffee w/ 2 tablespoons creamer - 70 calories, 12g carb, 0g protein

6:15pm - MEAL #2

Omelet w/ ham, cheese, and salsa w/ 2 turkey sausage patties and a 1/2 serving casein protein shake
4 eggs, 2 egg whites - 328 calories, 0g carb, 32g protein
4 slices deli ham - 60 calories, 1g carb, 10g protein
Cheese - 120 calories, 0g carb, 6g protein
Turkey Sausage - 120 calories, 1g carb, 13g protein
Salsa - 10 calories, 3 carb, 0 protein
Milk (4oz) - 40 calories, 6g carb, 4g protein
Casein - 60 calories, 2g carb, 12g protein
TOTAL MEAL #2: 738 calories, 19 carb, 77g protein

Dinner

My mean wife was eating this delicious cinnamon crunch cupcake in front of me :(

TOTAL FOR THE DAY: 1268 calories, 40g carb, 149g protein

Needless to say...I am really looking forward to tomorrow...high calorie, high carb refuel day :)

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

Nutrition in Context: #3 - Carbohydrates

 

Warning, this is a fairly complex subject and it is difficult to try to communicate it concisely…that is why it’s taken me so long to finally blog about it…that and I’ve been really busy wrapping up this session of Boot Camp…and I’ve also been watching the Olympics in my free time…and there might be a little laziness sprinkled in there as well.

I want to put out a disclaimer that I am going to significantly summarize the physiological processes that take place in dealing with carbohydrate ingestion, conversion, storage, etc. Partly because I don’t know how many of you actually want to read all that…and partly because I am just not that smart and would probably screw something up if I tried to pretend that I was that smart J

I do want to try to explain some important concepts in layman’s terms, and then try to address some of the misconceptions I’ve heard about carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are an incredibly important macronutrient, but how you utilize them should be drastically different depending on the goals that you hope to achieve. BTW…I’m also assuming that you are reading this post in the context of the series on nutrition in context, so you already know about weight loss and calories, etc. Nothing in this post contradicts anything I wrote about calories, so don’t think that if you focus on carbs and ignore calories you’ll effectively hit your weight loss/gain goals.

How your body uses Carbohydrates:

I’m sure you already understand the concept that food is the primary source of energy for your body. If you don’t expend that energy in some way, your body will store it. Your body stores energy from carbohydrates in two ways, temporary storage as glycogen, and more long term storage as body fat. Remember that calories are the energy source for your body, but the content of the calories are used in different ways by your body. The 3 primary macronutrients that your food contains are carbs, proteins, and fats. Each of these macronutrients contain a specific calorie content…which I mentioned in a previous post.

When you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar (glucose) level rises. This rise in blood sugar triggers your pancreas to secrete the anabolic hormone, insulin. Insulin is considered an anabolic hormone because it triggers the intake of nutrients for repair/growth/storage (anabolic = grow, catabolic = shrink). The resulting action is the intake of glucose from the blood in order to regulate your blood sugar level. The intake of glucose is stored as glycogen in your muscles for repair/regrowth and into your liver for storage and a variety of necessary physiological functions. When your body stores more glycogen reserves than it needs (energy excess) the glycogen eventually gets converted and stored as fat.

On the flip side, when your blood sugar levels are low, your liver converts stored glycogen into glucose to regulate blood sugar levels. In healthy persons, usually the only time you are going to have a decrease in blood sugar level to trigger the release of glycogen from the liver is after intense or prolonged exercise, or if you are in a low carb or fasted state.  Once the liver exhausts it’s stored glycogen (typically after 8-12 hours with no other activity), the body digs into fat reserves which are eventually converted into glycogen and released from the liver to regulate blood sugar.

The Glycemic Index and Simple Vs. Complex Carbs:

You’ve heard about high glycemic Index (GI) carbs and low GI carbs. You’ve heard about simple carbs and complex carbs. For the most part they are one in the same. Simple carbs (high GI carbs) are broken down by the body rapidly, significantly increase blood sugar, and spike insulin levels. Complex carbs (low GI carbs) break down more slowly, do not increase blood sugar levels significantly, and do not spike insulin levels much. To complicate matters further, you not only have to consider the glycemic index of the carbs you are eating, but the total glycemic load. In other words…portion control! 50g of a complex (low GI) carb may spike blood sugar levels higher than 25g of a simple (high GI) carb.

You’ve probably heard or read that simple carbs are bad, and that you should avoid them and eat only complex carbs. For example…eat sweet potato (complex) versus white potato (simple) or eat wheat bread (complex) versus white bread (simple). If this advice is taken in the proper context, it can be good advice. However, as I’ve been trying to point out throughout this entire series, context is everything…and many sources that solicit this advice don’t bother to take the time to put things in context. There are circumstances where simple carbs can be very beneficial for your goals and other circumstances where they will be detrimental.

Carbohydrate strategy for muscle growth

If your goal is to build muscle, you will want to utilize simple carbs immediately before, possibly during, and immediately after a workout. Why? Because immediately after an intense weight lifting workout, your muscles are depleted of muscle glycogen and spiking your blood sugar and insulin levels through simple carbs is the fastest way to reload your muscle glycogen and begin the rebuilding/repair/growth process.

Simple carbs should probably be avoided outside of the workout window (let’s call the workout window less than 1 hour before your workout, and less than 2 hours after your workout) as once you refill your muscle glycogen, the rest of the glycogen will be stored in the liver and if not utilized for energy will be stored as fat. Therefore, simple carbs can be helpful in a muscle building strategy…but only if properly utilized. Outside of the workout window, complex carbs are a better choice. 

Also, focus more on starchy carbs versus sugary carbs as a greater portion of the glycogen in starchy carbs will go towards muscle glycogen. Breads, cereals, potatoes, rice, etc. are starchy carbs. Sugary carbs are ice creams, sugars, syrups, fruits, etc. Keep in mind, this strategy will help create an environment an environment to help build muscle assuming proper exercise and protein intake…but it is not a good strategy to burn fat.

Carbohydrate strategy for fat burning

If your goal is to burn fat, a low carb strategy isn’t a bad idea. However, depending upon your workout load, you will still need some carbs. My suggestion is that you do try to avoid simple carbs, and focus on eating a reasonable amount of complex carbs within your workout window. Outside of that, limit carbs…especially later in the day when your body doesn’t need the energy. If you go to bed depleted of glycogen, you’ll burn more fat while you sleep.

Keep in mind that ALL OF THIS IS DEPENDENT UPON  YOUR CALORIC INTAKE. You can go low carb all you want, but if you eat an excess of calories through excessive fats and proteins, you’ll still struggle to lose weight. Also keep in mind that when you replete carbs, you will lose water weight. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you see some immediate weight loss in the first few days of a low-carb diet…but understand that you are mostly losing water weight. Also, don’t get discouraged if you have a weekend binge where you eat plenty of carbs and gain all of the weight back…more than likely that is water weight as well due to the carbs. Finally, keep in mind that this strategy will make it very difficult for you to build, and in some cases maintain your lean muscle.

Combined muscle growth and fat burning

The most efficient way to both build muscle and burn fat that I’ve found is through Intermittent Fasting. Why? Because you can combine both of the strategies above by partitioning your days and weeks. You can have a muscle building (anabolic) window, and a fat burning (catabolic) window. In your fasting window, you deplete glycogen and your body taps into its fat reserves to regulate blood sugar. In your feeding window, immediately after you workout, you can reload your glycogen stores quickly so that your muscles begin rebuilding immediately. For those not familiar with IF…have you not read the rest of my blog? Haha…no worries, here is a very brief summary:

• 16 hour fasting window each day – no calories
• 8 hour feeding window each day – majority (approx 60%) of calories in first meal
• Exercise during the fasting window

Ideally, I would be able to workout from 10:30am to 12pm everyday and immediately eat my first meal of the day at 12pm. Unfortunately, I don’t get paid to blog, so I have to work. Therefore, I workout at 5am, and don’t eat until 12pm. Does this potentially limit my ability to pack on muscle? Probably some, but it does increase my ability to burn fat. However, on the weekends I can workout and immediately eat afterwards…I love weekends! The first meal of the day should be heavy on carbs (simple carbs are welcome) and protein. I limit the amount of calories I am getting from fat because they are not efficient calories in helping to build muscle. Later in the day, I’ll try to eat more complex carbs instead of simple carbs. On the days I don’t workout, I’ll try to go low carb all day long, and avoid simple carbs. This is because I don’t need the carbs for energy/rebuilding, and I can focus on fat burning.

Summary

So there you have it. You know how the body absorbs carbs and regulates blood sugar. You know what the Glycemic Index is all about and what simple versus complex carbs mean. And hopefully this blog post helped you to better understand and develop a strategy to have carbs work for you. So, next time you read an article that talks about carbohydrates, you can put it in proper context, and determine if the advice makes sense for you or not.

Scripture for the Day

 1 Corinthians 10:31

"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Nutrition in Context: #2 - Weight Loss

Weight Loss

I think I'm starting to sound like a broken record...but this is something that probably needs to be repeated over and over so that it gets lodged in everyone's brain nice and snug. Weight loss is calories in versus calories out. Your macronutrient (carbs, fats, proteins) content will not make or break your weight loss...it's all about the calories. Ultimately, if you expend more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. If you consume more calories than you expend, you will gain weight. Now, the type of weight that you gain or lose has ALOT to do with your macronutrient content and your exercise habits, but that is for another blog post. Speaking of macronutrients, do you know how many calories are in each gram of carbohydrate, fat, and protein? Carbohydrates and proteins each contain 4 calories per gram, and fats contain 9 calories per gram. You learned something new didn't you?




* It should also be noted that carbohydrate cycling can cause water gains and losses, and this can give people an unrealistic view of true weight loss. Because water bonds to carbohydrates (approximately 3 to 4g water per 1g of carbohydrate), if you eat a lot of carbs, you'll retain more water. Conversely, if you cut carbs you'll flush water out of your system. This is why people who go on a low carb diet can lose 5-10lbs in a week and then suddenly their weight loss stops cold. They get frustrated, and return to their regular eating habits, only to see that 5-10lbs come right back. Without a proper understanding of true weight loss, these people think they burned 10lbs of fat in a week, and then added the 10lbs of fat back over a weekend of binge eating. Sorry Charlie, that was almost all water weight. True weight loss doesn't happen that that fast (without insane caloric expenditure and calorie restriction...i.e. the Biggest Loser).

Breaking it Down

In order to lose 1lb of true body weight, your body must expend 3,500 more calories than it consumes (caloric deficit). Conversely, in order to gain 1lb of body weight, your body must consume 3,500 more calories than it expends (caloric surplus). So, if you want to lose 10lbs, then you'll need to expend 35,000 more calories than you consume (10lbs x 3,500 calories = 35,000 calories). Weight loss really is that simple. Most people try to make it a whole lot more complicated than it needs to be...but there it is in 3 sentences. Ok, now it's time to get practical and actually understand how to track the numbers and create a plan to lose weight. With discipline, it is fairly easy to track how many calories you are consuming (myfitnesspal is a great calorie counter). The question of how many calories you expend is a little more complicated. You'll need to consider your BMR and your activity level.

BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate

Your body burns a certain amount of calories each day just to carry on life and normal functions. The calculation for how many calories your body burns each day at rest is called BMR (basal metabolic rate). This number varies for each person depending on a number of factors including but not limited to: gender, age, weight, height, hormone levels, and body composition. One of the primary factors is how much lean mass your body has. In order for your muscles to move, they need an energy source...calories are that source. Fat reserves just sit in your body as storage, they don't expend calories...however, your muscles (lean mass) have to work harder to support the additional weight that fat stores add. Therefore, a person who has weighs 200lbs at 11% body fat  (178lbs of lean mass) will burn less calories than someone with the exact same lean mass (178lbs) but weighs 240lbs at 26% body fat. This is because the larger person expends more energy via the work their muscles are doing by carrying around the additional weight. BMR calculations are an estimated average at best and aren't 100% accurate because they don't take body composition and hormone levels into account. BMR is calculated using gender, age, weight, and height; but again, it doesn't factor in how many pounds of lean mass you have. Looking for an online BMR calculator? Click HERE.

* It should be noted that various hormones and enzymes that your body produces can up-regulate or down-regulate your metabolism. The thyroid gland produces the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) which play a factor in your body's overall BMR. A condition of hypothyroidism may account for a small decrease in BMR; however, this factor is insignificant when you consider the overall picture of calorie consumption through diet and expenditure through exercise. I've read somewhere (which I can't find now) that most cases of hypothyroidism are responsible for less than a 5% decrease in metabolic rate. In a 2,000 calorie diet that amounts for about a 100 calorie allowance. My opinion is far too many people who have a hypothyroid condition use this as an excuse for weight gain versus looking at their eating and exercise habits. Furthermore, the majority of these people are taking medication to regulate their hormone levels, negating the majority of the metabolic slowdown. These people sell themselves short by buying into the myth that they can't lose weight, and give themselves an excuse to eat poorly and not exercise (the actual cause). There are A LOT of overweight people who don't have a thyroid condition, and it is due to their habits not a hormone imbalance.

Calories Burned Through Activity

Exercise is the #1 thing you can do to increase your body's calorie expenditure. Do you have a job where you are on your feet all day, or a sedentary desk job? Do you play sports or exercise regularly? There are some very good calorie counters available online which can provide you a good estimate of your calorie burn for varies types of exercise. The biggest challenge for getting an accurate estimate is your own estimate of "effort." The difference between moderate and intense exercise may be lost on some people, and studies have shown that most men women overestimate exercise intensity (see study #1 and study #2).

Putting it all Together

Ok, so now that: 1) you understand that you have to expend more calories than you take in to lose weight, 2) and have tools and methods to track your calorie intake, 3) you have tools and methods to track your calorie expenditure, and 4) you know that in order to lose 1lb of body weight you have to expend 3,500 more calories than you consume; it's time to put together a weight loss plan. I consider healthy weight loss 1-2lbs per week. Depending upon weight, this number could be greater or smaller, but 1-2lbs is a good range for the vast majority of people. Therefore to lose 1lb per week, you'll need to run a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories (-500 calories x 7 days/week = -3,500 calories, or 1lb weight loss per week). To lose 2lbs per week, you'll need to run a 1,000 calorie deficit each day. Still need some help visualizing how to calculate your daily calorie goal to lose weight? Check out the following formula with an example.

FORMULA to lose 1lb per week:

BMR: _____ + ADCB _____ - 500 calories = Daily calorie goal: _____

* ADCB = Average Daily Calorie Burn.

Here is an example (with estimates provided for BMR and exercise activities) which shows you how to calculate your ADCB and your Daily Calorie Goal for 1lb weight loss:

Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) (how many calories you burn at rest per day based on your age, height, weight):   1,700

Average calories burned daily through exercise    (ADCB)                                       + 229

(Add your total exercise calories for the week and divide by 7 days)

                Boot Camp x 2 days = 950 calories

                Jogging 30 mins x 2 days = 400 calories

                Strength training x1 day (45 mins) = 250 calories

                = Total 1,600 calories / 7 days  = 229 calories per day

Daily caloric expenditure with exercise                                                                     = 1,929

Less 500 calories per day for 1lb/week weight loss                                                      - 500

Daily Calorie Goal in order to lose 1lb per week:                                                       1,429

Hopefully this post clarifies some of the mystery behind nutrition for weight loss. Yes, there are many other factors to consider when you have goals aside from just losing weight, but if weight loss is the context in which you are considering a plan of action...focus on CALORIES. In the next post in this series, I'll try to address nutrition for muscle gain. I won't get into supplements in that post because that is rabbit trail that I'd never make it back from...but I'll talk about carbs and protein quite a bit.

Scripture for the Day:

WOW! I came across this blog post today, and it is the BEST explanation of why bad things happen to good people that I've ever read. The author wrote this (Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering) in response to the Aurora, Colorado shootings. Take a few minutes and read it...it is inspired: http://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2012/07/why-does-god-allow-tragedy-and-suffering/

Nutrition in Context: #1 - Making Sense of the Nonsense

This is twice in a row I sat down to write a blog about carbs and twice I somehow started writing about something else. I am definitely going to get to the carb post, but when inspiration comes I roll with it.

I'm going to write a little mini-series called Nutrition in Context. I think I'll call this first post: Making Sense of the Nonsense. So...here we go!

Making Sense of the Nonsense

What I've found over the past few years of learning more and more about nutrition is that there is A LOT of conflicting information and nutritional advice out there. Sometimes it is due to flat out bad information and people who have no clue what they are talking about. However, I think most often the advice is decent but it isn't placed in the proper context.

For example, I'm sure at one point or another, every one of you has been told that you need to cut carbohydrates out of your diet in order to eat healthy. Or, you've been told to avoid starchy foods, or that you shouldn't eat any dairy, or take your pick. It seems like there is a never ending drum beat of diet plans that promise to be the key to get your body to look like this:

In reality, the proper nutrition plan for  you depends upon what your goals are (what you hope to accomplish) and where you are currently at. Is your goal weight loss? Do you want to pack on muscle? Do you want to change your body composition without losing weight? Do you want to increase physical performance (sports, running, etc?), or do you have a specific medical condition in which certain foods must be restricted for optimal health (gluten free diets, etc). All of these goals would necessitate a different eating plan.

I'm not going to try to tackle putting all of the various diet plans in context in this little blog series...I'm also not going to pretend that I have all of the answers. My purpose is to get you to begin thinking about proper context when you read an article that throws out nutritional advice; or further, begins to recommend eating or not eating a specific food. Without proper context, you can become frustrated and confused, and make the process of reaching your goals quite a bit more complicated than it needs to be. So how do you make sense of all of the nonsense?

1. First, you have to have a clear, tangible goal in mind of what you hope to accomplish. You also need to be realistic about what it will take to achieve that goal. For example, if you want to have any muscle tone at all...your plan will need to involve exercise, and specifically strength training. 
2. Second, you need a very basic understanding of nutrition and physiology. This doesn't mean you need to go take a college course or sit for a nutritional certification, but it does mean that you need to do a little independent research so that you understand what a protein, a carbohydrate, and a fat are. You need to know a little about calories, and you need to know how to read a nutrition label.
3. Third, you need to use a whole lot of common sense. Understand that there is no miracle diet, and that achieving the results that you are looking for will take hard work, discipline, and consistency. Diets or products that promise FAST results with little effort are bogus. If there really was a miracle diet, everyone would be in fantastic shape. Whether we are talking about diets or products, the same logic applies. For example...the Shake Weight:

...I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this guy, who is a paid fitness model/actor, never used the shake weight a day in his life...until, of course, he was hired to do their infomercial. So the picture you see here is just a snapshot of the entire 30 minutes that this guy had a shake weight in his hand. Common sense should have prevented anyone who didn't intend to order a fancy paperweight from buying this...but something tells me they sold way more than they should have. Yes...I know I transitioned from nutrition to exercise products, but I've been wanting to find a way to say something about crazy products like the Shake Weight...maybe I forced it? Oh well.

My plan for this blog series is to hit a few of the optimal nutritional strategies that can help with common goals. I will attempt to tackle: weight loss, muscle growth, and toning/body composition in different posts. I'll probably talk about caloric deficit and surplus, macronutrient content, carbohydrate refueling, and calorie cycling as well. Hopefully the series as a whole will help you to understand nutrition a little bit better so that you can make sense of things and put all of the conflicting advice you read in context.

Scripture for the Day:

I may have posted this passage of scripture before in the past, but I felt it was applicable today based upon some opportunities God has given us recently.

James 2:14-18 ¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”