LEARN ABOUT YOUR MACROS!
PROTEIN
ROUGHLY, PROTEIN'S MAIN FUNCTIONS ARE:
- PROMOTE TISSUE GROWTH
- MUSCLE REPAIR
- SUPPORT THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
- PROVIDE ENERGY IN THE ABSENCE OF CARBOHYDRATES
- FACILITATE PROPER HORMONE FUNCTION/PRODUCTION THROUGHOUT THE BODY
- TRANSPORT OTHER PROTEINS
THEY REALLY DO SO MUCH MORE THAN THIS, BUT YOU GET THE POINT. PROTEINS ARE IMPORTANT!! AS A PERSONAL TRAINER, ONE OF THE LARGEST MISTAKES I SEE CLIENTS MAKE WITH THEIR DIET, IS NOT EATING ENOUGH PROTEIN TO SUSTAIN MUSCLE MASS (LET ALONE MUSCLE GROWTH). LEAN BODY MASS CONTROLS THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE CALORIES IT'S CAPABLE OF BURNING IN A DAY. SO IT WOULD MAKE SENSE THAT SOMEONE ATTEMPTING TO LOSE WEIGHT WOULD WANT TO MAINTAIN AS MUCH LEAN BODY MASS AS POSSIBLE TO KEEP THEIR CALORIES INTAKE HIGHER WHILE STILL LOSING WEIGHT. ADDITIONALLY, PROTEIN HAS THE HIGHEST THERMOGENIC EFFECT OF ANY MACRONUTRIENT. YOU BURN AROUND 20% OF THE CALORIES FROM PROTEIN VIA DIGESTION.
FATS
FATS GOT A PRETTY BAD REPUTATION IN THE 1980'S. AMERICAN CULTURE WENT FROM CARING LITTLE-TO-NONE ABOUT THEIR FAT INTAKE TO SEEING A HUGE BOOM IN LOW FAT FOODS. BEWARE THE EVIL FAT! THE DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN TYPES OF FATS AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE BODY HAS MADE WAVES MOST RECENTLY WITH BULLETPROOF COFFEE AND STUDIES DONE ON TRANS FATS. SO, WHAT ARE THESE FATS?
- TRANS FATS: PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS. NO LONGER EVEN RECOGNIZED AS SAFE BY THE FDA. LINKED TO CANCER, OBESITY, NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND HEART DISEASE. (RUN AWAY!) THESE FATS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO INCREASE LDL (BAD) CHOLESTEROL, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY DECREASE HDL (GOOD) CHOLESTEROL:
TWO SUBTYPES: 1. NATURALLY OCCURRING – FOUND IN SOME MEATS AND DAIRY. HAVE NOT BEEN PROVEN TO HAVE THE SAME DEGREE OF NEGATIVE EFFECT AS NON-NATURAL TRANS FATS. 2. NON-NATURALLY OCCURRING – FOUND IN MOST PROCESSED FOODS IN THE FORM OF PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS. "NOT SAFE" - FDA
- MONOUNSATURATED FATS: A LESS UNSTABLE FAT. LIQUID AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, BUT SOLIDIFIES AS IT COOLS. MUFAs HAVE BEEN LINKED TO A DECREASE IN LDL CHOLESTEROL.
- POLYUNSATURATED FATS: A VERY UNSTABLE FAT. BOTH OMEGA-3s AND OMERGA-6s ARE PUFAs. LIKE MUFAs, THEY HAVE BEEN LINKED TO A DECREASE IN LDL CHOLESTEROL.
- SATURATED FATS: THE MOST STABLE FAT. LEAST SUSCEPTIBLE OT DAMAGE.(FOUND MOSTLY IN BUTTER, CHEESE, AND MEAT. YUM!!) THE A.H.A. CONCLUDES THAT SATURATED FATS RAISE TOTAL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS. WHICH THEY RECOMMEND AVOIDING. HOWEVER, THIS GENERALIZATION DOESN'T REALLY COVER THE FULL PICTURE. SATURATED FATS HAVE MANHY SUBTYPES WHICH EACH HAVE A SIMILAR, BUT VARIED, EFFECT. FOR EXAMPLE, STEARIC ACID IS ACTUALLY CONVERTED TO A MUFA BY THE LIVER. MOSTLY, SATURATED FATS RAISE YOUR TOTAL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS (INCLUDING HDL). <WHICH ISN'T NECESSARILY A BAD THING>
ONE FINAL NOTE: IF YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR CHOLESTEROL. GO SEE A DOCTOR.
CARBOHYDRATES
IN RECENT YEARS, CARBS HAVE BECOME THE MOST VILIFIED OF ALL THE MACROS. LET ME BE CLEAR, WHEN YOUR GOAL IS TO LOSE WEIGHT, CARBOHYDRATES ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY! THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATES (CARBS), SIMPLE AND COMPLEX.
- SIMPLE CARBS: USUALLY FOUND IN THE FORM OF SUGARS WHICH ARE EASILY DIGESTED AND ABSORBED; FOR IMMEDIATE USE BY THE BODY.
- COMPLEX CARBS: THOSE THAT REQUIRE MORE ENERGY TO DIGEST AND ABSORB OVER A LONGER PERIOD. TYPICALLY, COMPLEX CARBS HAVE A HIGHER FIBER CONTENT AND LOWER SUGAR. THE FIBER SLOWS DIGESTION AND DAMPENS THE BODY'S INSULIN REPOSNSE (I.E. LOWER GLYCEMIC RESPONSE).
MANY PEOPLE ELIMINATE CARBS IN A MISGUIDED ATTEMPT AT REDUCING BODY FAT WHEN THEY SHOULD BE MORE FOCUSED ON ADJUSTING THEIR DIET TO SUPPORT THEIR LIFESTYLE. NEITHER HOW CARBS DIETS, NOR VERY LOW CARB DIETS ARE NECESSARY. METABOLIC FLEXIBILITY IS THE REAL AIM. ASIDE FROM ADDRESSING:
- A MEDICAL CONDITION
- EXTREME INSULIN RESISTANCE (DIAGNOSED)
- A VERY LARGE AMOUNT OF FAT TO LOSE
- AND FOLLOWING THE KETOGENIC DIET
CARBS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF FITNESS! CARBOHYDRATES PROVIDE ENERGY FOR ALL BODILY FUNCTIONS AND PROMOTE INSULIN RELEASE (THINK MASTER GROWTH HORMONE). WHILE WE DO TEND TO ABUSE AND SHOW ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS TOWARD CARBS, IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT INSULIN IS JUST AN ANABOLIC HORMONE; NOT THE BOOGEYMAN. 👻
ALCOHOL
I, ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS, CONSIDER ALCOHOL TO BE THE FOURTH MACRONUTRIENT. IT CONTAINS 7 CALORIES PER GRAM, WHICH IS DISTINCT FROM THE OTHER 3 MACROS.
IF YOU HAVE READ EVERYTHING UP TO THIS POINT, YOU'LL NOTE THAT I'M A MODERATE WITH MOST CONTROVERSIAL DIETARY INFLUENCES. I DRINK PERIODICALLY. I DON'T KNOW MANY PEOPLE WHO DON'T INDULGE. HOWEVER, AS WITH ANY OBVIOUS STRESSOR IN A DIET, I WOULD CAUTION AGAINST OVERINDULGENCE.
APPROXIMATELY 20% OF ALCOHOL IS ABSORBED THROUGH THE WALLS OF THE STOMACH, HENCE THE EFFECT AFTER JUST THE FIRST DRINK. THE REMAINING 80% IS ABSORBED THROUGH THE SMALL INTESTINE. ALCOHOL SUPPRESSES THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, THEREFORE, REDUCING THE IMPACT OF PAIN, RELAXING THE MUSCLES, AND TEMPORARILY INHIBITING THE BODY'S INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE.
I CHOOSE TO DRINK WHEN I'M A STRESSED OUT KNOTTY TRAIN WRECK. USUALLY ON A REST DAY FROM THE GYM I'LL TAKE A NICE HOT EPSOM SOAK AND DRINK A BIG GLASS OF WINE.
WITH ALL THAT SAID, IF YOU CAN'T MODERATE YOUR CONSUMPTION, DON'T DRINK.
IF YOU WANT MY OPINION, BEARING IN MIND THAT YOUR ON MY WEBSITE, THE DIMINISHED CAPABILITY FOR BURNING FAT AND EMPTY CALORIES MAKE DRINKING DAILY PRETTY FOOLISH. SIMILARLY TO CAFFEINE, CONSISITENT DRINKING, LEADS TO AN ELEVATED TOLERANCE TO ALCOHOL'S EFFECTS. JUST BE SMART ABOUT YOUR INTAKE. IF A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER APPROACHES YOUR WITH CONCERN ABOUT YOUR ALCOHOL INTAKE, DITCH YOUR EGO AND SEEK HELP. ALCOHOL, ALSO LIKE CAFFEINE, IS AN ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCE. JUST STATING THE OBVIOUS HERE, BUT, ALCOHOLISM IS A KILLER.
WATCH MY VIDEO ON ALCOHOL AND FITNESS: HERE