I am continually studying and learning about nutrition and exercises and how I can use them to improve my health, fitness, and body composition. This article will focus on what I consider to be the most fundamental and important aspects of nutrition, while briefly discussing exercise. The things discussed in this article are not guaranteed, but are things that I have learned, implemented, and had success in personally
Balanced Nutrition
There are three macronutrients that should be incorporated into your diet – carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Your specific goals and lifestyle will impact what balanced ratio of these three macronutrients will best suit you. Below is a list of some of the general functions of each macronutrient:
- Carbohydrate – The primary energy source for the body and brain. Carbohydrates are the quickest source of energy and facilitate properly functioning bowels. They are also essential for fueling muscles and stimulating muscle growth.
- Protein – The backup source of energy that facilitates tissue repair, immune system function, hormonal and enzyme production, and lean muscle mass growth and maintenance. Proteins are a longer-lasting source of energy (due to the time it takes the body to break them down). Protein is essential for muscle repair and muscle growth.
- Fat – The slowest form of energy and the most energy-efficient form of food (each gram of fat is about 9 calories, which is more than twice that of the other macronutrients). Fats help cushion organs, maintain cell membranes, promote natural growth and development, and help absorb essential vitamins.
All of these macronutrients are essential for building and maintaining a healthy body. Excluding any of these from your diet could result in a nutritional deficiency disorder. There are lots of different suggestions and ideas on the most optimal combination of these macronutrients.
Calories
In order to lose weight, you need to eat less calories than you burn. To gain weight, you need to eat more calories than you burn. If you eat too many calories, you’ll get fat, no matter where the calories come from (proteins, carbohydrates, or fats). While weight management is as simple as that, different nutrients and foods produce different effects hormonally and metabolically – a calorie is not just a calorie. It is important to eat a good balance of macronutrients and to eat healthy selections of each.
Exercise
In general, weight management is mostly impacted by your diet. Exercise, however, plays a vital role in developing a healthy mind and body, building muscle, and facilitating fat loss.
My Approach
I have been exercising regularly for the past 10 years, in which I have learned many valuable lessons regarding exercise and nutrition. However, the things I have learned and implemented this last year have had the greatest impact and have given me the greatest control over the results I achieve.
Weight Management
The basis of my weight management has been calorie control. I did a metabolic assessment which told me my base metabolic rate (BMR), VO2 max, heart rate zones, and maximum heart rate. The BMR is the total number of calories that my body needs in order to function each day at rest. The rest of the data was used to calculate the average number of calories I burn each day doing regular activities and is used to calculate the number of calories I burn during exercise.
On rest days (days I don’t exercise), I only eat my BMR calories plus the adjustment for my day-to-day living, which is 2700 calories. On exercise days, I add the number of calories I burn during exercise to my total calorie requirement for the day (I use a heart rate monitor that calculates the number of calories I burn during exercise). So if I burn 400 calories in my workout, I will eat 3100 calories that day. This would be the number of calories I would eat in order to maintain my current weight.
If I want to lose weight, I subtract 500 calories from my daily caloric intake. So instead of eating 2700 calories on a rest day, I would only eat 2200 calories. This would equate to losing about 1-2 pounds per week. A healthy weight loss program is about 1-2 pounds a week. If I want to gain weight, I will add up to 500 calories to my daily intake. So instead of eating 2700 calories on a rest day, I would eat 3200 calories.
Note: When losing weight, you will lose both fat and muscle. When gaining weight, you will gain both muscle (if you exercise) and fat. In general, the quicker you lose weight, the more muscle you will lose and the faster you gain weight, the more fat you will gain. Through proper nutrition, exercise, end rest, you can limit the amount of muscle loss or fat gain. The basic body building technique is to gain lots of muscle and fat during a bulking season and then shed as much fat as possible for competition, which results in muscle loss as well.
As I lose or gain weight, I have noticed that my maintenance level fluctuates. Thus, it is important to monitor your calories and body composition changes.
My daily routine is to weigh myself in the morning after using the restroom, record and track the food and calories I eat throughout the day, measure the calories I burn during exercise and then add those calories to my daily limit. By following this general process, I have lost 20 lbs in the past year.
My main focus has been to manage my caloric intake and output and I have experienced great results from doing so. In order to better balance my macronutrient intake, I have increased my daily protein intake and am limiting my carbohydrate and sugar intake in the evenings.
Exercise
Most of my exercise history has been comprised of segregated weight lifting and cardio sessions. My weight lifting sessions were patterned after common bodybuilding techniques with isolated movements and some Powerlifting. Just over a year ago, I changed my routine and started to follow Crossfit. Crossfit is a generalized fitness sport that focuses on high intensity cross-functional exercises. My fitness in terms of endurance, speed, and strength has been vastly improving ever since I started crossfiting.
HOW TO DO IT YOURSELF
Start by calculating your BMR and maintenance caloric requirement. The best way to calculate your BMR is to do is a metabolic assessment. These assessments can cost around $300. If you don’t want to spend the money, just go to the following link and enter your information: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/. Then add the following to your BMR for your lifestyle (these numbers will vary per individual):
- Very Light (work at a computer) – 600 cal
- Light (lots of walking but no continuous heavy work) – 1000 cal
So if your BMR is 1890 and you work at a desk most of the day, your maintenance caloric requirement would be 2490 calories. If you want to lose fat, you would eat a minimum of 1990 calories on a rest day. If you want to gain weight, you would eat a maximum of 2990 calories on a rest day. This is not as accurate as a metabolic assessment, but it will work and you can make adjustments as you experiment. As you lose or gain weight, recalculate your current BMR at the linked site to figure out your current calorie requirements. Also, if you find that you are gaining or losing weight at your maintenance level, you can adjust your lifestyle amounts. As I just mentioned, doing a metabolic assessment will give you the correct numbers to work with from the start; however, with a little implementation and experimenting, you can figure out your numbers without spending the big bucks.
The next thing you need to do is buy a heart rate monitor that calculates the calories you burn. I have the Polar FT40 and it works great. You can find better deals online.
With your calorie requirements and a heart rate monitor, you can now track your calories. I created a spreadsheet on Google Docs that I can access and update anywhere. I record what I eat and how many calories I eat. I also track the number of calories I burn during exercise and add that number to my total limit for the day.
In regards to exercise, just do it. Pick a form of exercise that you like and that works for you. Your body and mind will greatly benefit from exercise. Plus, the more you exercise, the more you can eat.
I do not guarantee anything, but if you simply track and manage your calories and exercise regularly, you will achieve great results. I encourage you to further study and learn about nutrition and experiment with macronutrient rationing in a balanced and healthy way.
