Thursday 8/12/10
How much protein do you need? To answer, we need to look into how carbohydrates play a role in building a stronger and leaner physique.
To build lean muscle, your body needs protein. Protein is the “raw material” that your body uses to construct new muscle tissue. Does this mean that protein is the only nutrient one should be eating? NO! Carbohydrates fuel your body to power through tough training and cardio sessions. Without a proper fuel source your performance during exercise will suffer. You need exercise to break down muscle, and your need protein to repair the muscles. Protein and carbohydrates go hand in hand.
Carbohydrates fuel your workouts that help you break down muscle tissue. Your body uses carbohydrates to form of glycogen, a fuel source for strenuous activity. Glycogen is stored in the muscles where it will remain until it is used. Here is the kicker; just like your gas tank in your car, you cannot pump gas into it indefinitely. Sooner or later the gas will “spillover”. Much like the machine with four wheels, your body can only store so much glycogen in your muscles. Anything beyond that saturation point is what we call “spillover”. Spillover leads to fat storage. The more muscle you have, the more glycogen you can store (read as you can eat more carbohydrates without spilling). This explains why individuals with more muscle can get away with eating more carbohydrates than those with not as much muscle.
Protein is then required for your body to repair muscles in order to re-build stronger, tighter, muscles. One must make sure adequate protein is being consumed. Adequate protein will; 1) help repair muscles that are broken down from exercise and 2) ensure you are providing your body a steady stream of amino acids to build muscle.
A good ball park rule of thumb general idea way to find out how much protein you need is…
Males- 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight (200lb male requires 200g of protein per day)
Females- .75 grams of protein per lb of body weight (140lb female requires 105g of protein per day)
This does not take account how much of you is muscle…so I propose using the following…
Males- 1 gram of protein per lb of lean body mass (200lb male with 10% body fat requires 190g of protein per day)
Females- .75 grams of protein per lb of lean body mass (140lb female with 15% body fat requires 90g of protein per day)
After doing all the calculations; divide your total requirement by the number of meals you eat each day. Since we are trying to keep our metabolism running high at all times, we should all be eating 4-5 times per day if not more.
This means that the people in our example above would need to consume 20-40g of protein at each of their 5 meals.
Please remember that this is just a 1/3 of the equation as you still need to take fats and carbohydrates into the equation. For now, just make sure you get enough protein!
Saturday 7/17/10
You are eating clean when…
1. At the grocery store you begin to shop for proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
2. Eating off an actual plate is a treat since most of your meals are packed in tupperware.
3. You begin to think about what to eat for your next meal as you are eating a meal in front of you.
4. You eat “dirty” foods only if you deem them SPLURGE-WORTHY (credit to T.D.)
5. You get excited to eat a nut butter and think of nut butters as a treat.
6. You drink zero calorie beverages all day; which means many trips to the bathroom. (More water in=more water out)
7. You wake up ready to eat carbs!
8. You research menus at restaurants before going to them; at the restaurant you make special requests to make sure your entrée meets your nutritional requirements
9. Your “cheat” meal consists of good carbohydrates and lean protein. (Brown rise sushi anyone?)
10. You know that your body needs some simple sugars when your energy levels are low.
Finally…
You know you are eating clean when you can do all the above without thinking about it.
Guys/girls, eating clean is a lifestyle. It is not a one size fits all program, nor is it a “diet”. Eating clean takes advantage of what mother nature has provided us; unprocessed, wholesome, and nutritious food. Clean eating works harmoniously with our body’s natural ability to breakdown and utilize the foods we eat (metabolism). Eating clean keeps our metabolism burning efficiently.
This is survival of the fittest in the most simplest forms. To eat clean you must learn how to plan ahead, possess basic cooking skills, cook in bulk, and make some changes to your current lifestyle. If we are not willing to change our lifestyle, how do we expect to change our body? Our health?
Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. We exercise but only a few hours per week, but we live 24/7. Nutrition is paramount.
Let’s take off our training wheels and finally do this. Don’t be left in the dust.
There are so few of us (clean eaters) out there. We need to stick together.
Ready, set, go!
Thursday 6/8/10
It’s only this once…
We pack our gym bags, prepare our meals for the day, and eat our veggies. We pay for gym memberships, fitness magazines, personal trainers, and nutritional supplements. We spend slightly more on quality groceries (brown rice, whole grains, lean proteins, and green vegetables). We train at our respective gyms, with workout partners, and with our trainers. We strive to get stronger in the gym, increase our flexibility, and build stamina and endurance. We go weeks staying on track, hitting the gym, eating right, and progressing slowly (read safely and permanently). Everything is coming along as it should be.
Then, we just lose it. We eat like crap for one meal. But it’s only just this once, it won’t hurt me. So we give into temptation, you decide to go for it, (insert your favorite gut busting jean stretching meal here). However the problem is that, it is never just this once. Nor is it ever just one bite, or one sip, or one handful. This one time, happens to repeat it self over and over again. Before you know it, this one time turned into one day, which turned into one weekend, which turned into one week. Before you realize it you have lost your motivation to pursue your goal of (insert your fitness or health related goal here). What the heck just happened? We lost control for a split second which turned into a downward spiral of binge eating and skipped workouts.
The effort we put it the past few weeks were washed away. Whether it was overrating, binge drinking, allowing ourselves too many cheat meals or a combo of both we suddenly act surprised. Why are my jeans so tight? Why I am breathing so heavy? What! I gained 5,10,15 lbs? That is impossible, the scale is wrong!
We all need a reality check, that one time is never a one time. That one time is all it takes for all our efforts to be washed away under a new layer of fat that we insist on carrying. A rhetorical question for those reading; why do you train? Why do you put forth the effort to sweat, push, pull, lift, jump, sprint, bend, hold, tuck, and repeat for sets? Why do you put up with the soreness that follows?
Reality check #1: I just did 60 minutes of cardio, now I can do eat whatever the heck I want. Wow, if this were even half true why are 2/3 of Americans overweight. The fact of the matter is this. One cannot view exercise/training as means to eat whatever they want. Doing so means you are just spinning your wheels and wasting your time. If you keep up with this mindset, expect your jeans to get tighter.
Reality check #2: If I eat 600 calories now and burn 600 calories later today, I just burned everything off. Wrong. The calories 600 you ate will still be digesting while you turning your wheels. Depending on where those 600 calories came from they could be utilized to help repair muscles from hard training, or being stored in your hips. The key is to eat smart on a consistent basis. Going back and forth between clean eating habits and dirty eating habits is very similar to yo-yo dieting. Yo-yo dieting is harsh on the heart and other systems of the body.
Reality check #3: I did not workout on vacation but we did a lot of walking. It ceases to amaze me how many times I hear this. Human bodies are designed for movement. We are built with a unique structure of levers (bones), hinges (joints), and units of force that produce movement (muscles). Here lies the problem. Today, everything is done without movement. More specifically, everything is done sitting on your ass. Commuting, working, watching TV, even machines at gyms (selectorized machines and some cardio machines). Enough about walking. While on your hiatus from the gym, did we offset your lack of activity with a drop in calories? Did you keep your metabolism burning high by still eating small meals throughout the day? Did you increase you non-exercise physical activity (NEPA)? (NEPA can be hiking, dancing, playing outdoors, swimming, taking the stairs, using a basket at the grocery etc). Did you skip breakfast in favor of the fat storing meal everyone calls brunch? If you do not offset your lack of activity with an offset of calories I don’t care if you walked around the earth. Honestly, you should be walking everywhere anyway, vacation or not on vacation.
Guys/girls, if we could just walk fat off rock the 6 bumps on our stomach we would. Since we can’t, clean eating and putting our time in the gym will have to do. Unfortunately that also means we need to still maintain a strong loving relationship with our favorite piece of cardio equipment.
Reality check #4: If I stay in my “fat burning zone” while I do cardio I will get the coveted six pack and lose my love handles. Those “fat burners” that you see at the gym are wasting their time. If you insist on carrying around extra bodyfat because of poor eating habits or yo yo dieting, you will never see what lies underneath. As far as cardio, intensity is the key to earn your results. We need to strive to create a metabolic disturbance during our training so our body will burn fat for fuel. How do we do this? For one, it means stepping up the intensity while doing cardio. Cardio needs to be challenging, read (breathing heavy). With the new Jacobs Ladder at the studio most of you know what intense cardio is.
We all need to step up the training/nutrition in order to produce the changes (both physically and health related) that we desire. Remember, people do not get in shape overnight, nor do they lose fat overnight. It takes time. Frustration only causes you to go backward. Following the guidelines that we preach here at Evolution will lead to safe and effective results.
Do not misinterpret safe and effective as EASY, it isn’t.
Thursday 6/3/10
Diets high in carbohydrates raise insulin levels. Insulin is a “storage” hormone produced in the pancreas; its main job is to remove glucose (sugar) from the blood to be delivered to muscles, the liver, or to be stored as adipose tissue or bodyfat. High carb diets and elevated insulin levels are linked with high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol. Elevated insulin levels, high cholesterol and triglycerides are correlated with heart disease. Simply put, an individual with elevated insulin who indulges in a high carbohydrate diet is facilitating the elevation of those markers of heart disease.
Furthermore, a calorie surplus and surging insulin from consuming a lot of carbohydrates is very efficient at storing bodyfat compared to a small calorie deficit coupled with a low insulin environment is extremely effective in promoting lipolysis, another name for the burning of fat.
Where does protein fit in?
1. Protein does not raise insulin levels. 2. Protein is filling- it takes longer to digest, which means you feel fuller. Consuming protein decreases your chances of overeating. 3. Protein provides energy- 4 calories per gram 4. Protein burns more than carbohydrates- protein is 30% thermic, which means for every 100 calories of protein, your body uses 30 of those calories just to digest it. Compare that to the thermic characteristic of fat (3%) and carbohydrates (10%).
Common Protein Myths
Does protein cause damage to the kidneys? No. There is not research to prove that statement. Unless you have CKD or chronic kidney disease or a decline in renal function, protein consumption will not affect you. If you are concerned about your kidneys, consider limiting your alcohol consumption before limiting protein as there are tons of research proving that alcohol puts stress and can damage the kidneys.
Will protein get me fat?
No. Excess calories and a high carb diet will get you fat. People stray away from protein due to the notion that protein elevates cholesterol and will clog arteries. Consuming saturated fats contribute to elevated cholesterol levels and can lead to the formation of fat in the blood. Keep your protein sources LEAN, at bare minimum 90% or better, (I am being generous here). It is not a coincidence that those who eat a clean diet in which protein makes up the bulk of total calories consumed are usually leaner, have a decent muscular structure, a higher metabolism (which means they can get away with eating a burger and fries every now and then), and have a higher level of fitness. On the other hand, individuals who consume excess carbohydrates, yo-yo with their diets, and consume little protein will have a slower metabolism, low energy levels (they are living off sugar highs throughout the day, or caffeine highs), and will not be as conditioned during exercise. How many times have you said, or heard someone say, “I do not eat a lot, or I am not much of an eater, or I only eat once a day, or I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and they are still carrying around extra weight.
Will protein bulk me up? C’mon, seriously? NO. This is a common notion. If an individual eats a diet of protein, they will all of sudden build large muscles. Why then, are we all not muscular gods and goddesses? Because this is completely false! Achieving the bulky look and weight gain is a product of eating too many calories and gaining bodyfat. Women tend to fall into this notion as they do not want bulky shoulders or thighs. Who does? Protein will not only keep you from gaining weight it will actually help you lose weight (for all the reasons stated above).
I do not work out everyday, do I still need protein? Yes. Training days are not to be considered the only times one needs to consume protein. Individuals wishing to improve their composition need to consume protein at every meal. EVERY MEAL. Even snacks.
Do older individuals need protein? YES. Individuals over 35 will begin to lose muscle due to the effects of aging. Bad news considering that as we get older our activity level decreases. We can’t play basketball for 5-6 hours after school and wake up and do it again. We can’t go dancing every night and still have energy to go to work. This poses a problem. Our activity level decreases as we age however our caloric intake stays the same. This is a good way to start storing fat. As we age, we lose muscle (a decrease in muscle with bodyfat remaining constant means our composition worsens). On top of that, our activity level decreases (due to random life situations such as work, family, insert your reason here) which means we aren’t burning as many calories; our caloric consumption remains constant (due to the stresses of life we use food as an outlet). This means that the older we get, we are more prone to weight gain. To help starve off muscle waste as we age, older individuals will benefit from protein consumption.
The take home? Eat protein at every meal. Why? Re-read this again.
Friday 5/14/10
Carbohydrates are your body’s preffered source for fuel. Your body can break down carbohydrates into glucose (sugar) to be delivered to the muscles, liver, and fatty tissue. An excess amount of glucose in the blood will lead to fat storage.
The take home? Get your carbs in early in the day and around workouts. Choose unrefined, high fiber carbs such as sweet potatos, brown rice, and 100% whole wheat grains. As the day winds down, fill your plates with fibrous vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, spinach, and peppers. This will limit the amount of glucose in the blood and keep insulin levels low, which is a key factor in burning off stubborn body fat.
Good luck!
Friday 4/30/10
Protein helps build muscle. Your body breaks it down into amino acids. Muscles utilize these amino acids to help repair and grow damaged tissue; (damaged caused from doing squats and bench presses at our studio). To ensure your muscles are getting enough protein, structure each meal around a lean protein source. Good choices are lean meats, poultry, eggs, lowfat dairy, and protein powders. Stay away from meals that consist only of carbs and fats as they will shift your body into fat storage mode unless they are burned off for fuel.
Wednesday 4/28/10
A body with more muscle will burn more calories 24/7. One must create a 3500 calorie deficit per week to lose 1 pound of fat.
The take home?
Do not skimp on your weight training!
Also, please read those nutritional labels. How can you create a deficit if you do not know how many calories are in all 5 of your meals. (You should be eating at least 5 times per day already). Get on it!
