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Showing posts with the label carbohydrates

All about nutrient timing

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Does when you eat really matter? source You’ve learned about  what  to eat to meet your health and body composition goals. But what about  when  you eat it?  What is nutrient timing? Nutrient timing is a planned alteration of macronutrient intake in order to promote health, workout performance, and get/stay lean. Nutrient timing strategies are based on how the body handles different types of food at different times. One of the most important nutrient timing principles is that it’s best to eat most non-fruit and veggie carbohydrates during and after exercise. Many factors influence energy balance, with the laws of thermodynamics being the most important determinants of weight gain and weight loss. Yes, this means how much we eat is priority #1 when changing body composition. But the key here is “body composition.” If we’re losing equal amounts of fat and muscle when losing weight or gaining equal amounts of fat and muscle when gaining weight, we’re not takin...

Is There A Magical Macronutrient Ratio For Fat Loss?

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Q: "I'm trying to lose some fat, but everywhere I go to look for helpful information, I get conflicting views on the proper macronutrients ratio. Is there a right answer?" source Great question! In reality, when you're trying to lose weight, there's no ironclad macronutrient law for mapping out your diet plan. No macro mix can save you if you eat way too many calories or way too few. Yet your macro mix is an important consideration. Your body type, metabolism and weekly physical activity level all have some bearing on your ideal percentages for that moment in time. But that doesn't mean it will be the macronutrient ratio you'll use forever. It may change if and when your body weight or body fat fluctuates, or if you run into any plateaus. Then there's the fact that you have to continuously manipulate your ratios throughout any fat-loss plan. The macronutrient ratio I typically play with for maintenance purposes is 50% protein, 35% carbs and 15% fats. B...

How Much Do Macronutrients Really Matter?

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Macro-focused diets say that by getting the right balance of proteins, carbs and fat, you can lose weight and be healthier. source OK, you might not have heard of the term “macronutrients” before, but you still eat them every day. They are carbohydrates, protein and fat, and your body needs a lot of them – which is why they’re called “macronutrients,” not “micronutrients,” such as iron and zinc. Macros also provide your body energy: Each gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories; protein contains 4 and fat, 9. (The only other substance that feeds our bodies calories is alcohol, which has 7 calories per gram. But, since we don’t  need  booze to survive, it doesn’t get to be a member of the macronutrient club.) For years, diets have ganged up on this-or-that macronutrient, telling us to banish them as much as possible to lose weight. In the 90s, it was the fat-free craze. But then research found that healthy fats such as avocados, walnuts and olive oil c...

The Truth About Calories, Macronutrients, and Weight Loss

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Imagine this scenario: Your DOCTOR diagnoses you with a life-threatening illness. The only treatment, he says, is “ brain surgery .” Panic stricken, you visit a different doctor for a second opinion. It turns out the first doctor was right about the illness but wrong about the treatment. “ Antibiotics will suffice .” Do you see where this is going? Relieved but still worried you visit a third doctor. Again he agrees with the diagnosis but not the treatment. It turns out, “ you need to have your leg amputated .” You feel confused and helpless, so you visit 20 more doctors and get 20 different suggested treatments. What option do you choose? This is a ridiculous situation, right? No way would 23 experts all disagree on the best treatment for a life-threatening illness… would they…? Well, I’ll rephrase the question: You are morbidly obese, and a doctor tells you a heart attack is imminent unless you improve your diet. Scared into action, you start visiting nutritionists for help with ...