Training ·
The 3 most important diet rules!
There is a lot to think about when it comes to the weight loss "cutting" phase of your program. There are a thousand different people that have what seems like a million different ways to cut body fat and they all claim to be right. Some have some pretty extreme ways of dropping the weight and others take a more conservative approach.
Before I go on, keep one thing in mind- There is nothing interesting about the truth. What I mean by this is, everyone wants the secrets and tricks to getting shredded. It is because of this that you have diets that have been named and stamped with endorsement deals from celebrities. We have blood type, paleo, gluten free, Atkins, HCG, intermittent fasting and keto just to name a few. But what do all of the diets have in common? They all limit the types of food you can have and the times you can have them which almost always equates to eating fewer calories and this brings me to my 3 most important diet rules!
1) You need to track the amount of calories that you eat on a daily basis. Without establishing a calorie deficit goal and sticking to it, you will never see the weight loss that you are looking for. This rule is #1 because it is simply science. There is no types of foods, times of eating, or anything else that can trump this rule. As a basic guideline, I recommend BW(body weight) multiplied by "12" as a good starting point. Use an app such as myfitnesspal to help keep track of what is going in on a daily basis.
2) You need to establish your macronutrient guidelines. You need to take your calorie goal and break down those calories by percentages and grams for protein, carbohydrates and fats. By doing this you will make sure to get adequate amounts of the macronutrients your body needs. I always like to start by prioritizing protein. Protein should be at 1 gram per lb of lean body mass up to 1.5 grams per lb of lean body mass. After protein, I like to look at fat. In general, men shouldn't drop much below 50g on a daily basis and women below 30g. Fat is important for regulating hormones and we all know how important that is. And finally, we have carbohydrates and we can really just fill in the remainder with these. The only guideline with carbohydrates is make sure your fiber is adequate. Women I recommend 27g of fiber and men at least 35g.
3) Finally, we have nutrient timing. This is not as valuable at #1 or #2 but still worthy of considering. As a very basic rule of thumb, I like to incorporate a protein, carbohydrate and fat at each meal. I would recommend that 50-70% of your overall carbohydrates be consumed pre and post workout. This is important because we are actually taking advantage of an insulin spike when we need it most. Typically, most are left with green leafy vegetables at night as their main carb source. It is important to keep fats and fiber low before and after workouts but always make sure to have a descent amount of fat prior to bed time as this is when our hormones really go to work.
Don't be fooled by all the diet mumbo jumbo out there. Stick to these 3 basic rules and you are sure to be off on a good track!
Before I go on, keep one thing in mind- There is nothing interesting about the truth. What I mean by this is, everyone wants the secrets and tricks to getting shredded. It is because of this that you have diets that have been named and stamped with endorsement deals from celebrities. We have blood type, paleo, gluten free, Atkins, HCG, intermittent fasting and keto just to name a few. But what do all of the diets have in common? They all limit the types of food you can have and the times you can have them which almost always equates to eating fewer calories and this brings me to my 3 most important diet rules!
1) You need to track the amount of calories that you eat on a daily basis. Without establishing a calorie deficit goal and sticking to it, you will never see the weight loss that you are looking for. This rule is #1 because it is simply science. There is no types of foods, times of eating, or anything else that can trump this rule. As a basic guideline, I recommend BW(body weight) multiplied by "12" as a good starting point. Use an app such as myfitnesspal to help keep track of what is going in on a daily basis.
2) You need to establish your macronutrient guidelines. You need to take your calorie goal and break down those calories by percentages and grams for protein, carbohydrates and fats. By doing this you will make sure to get adequate amounts of the macronutrients your body needs. I always like to start by prioritizing protein. Protein should be at 1 gram per lb of lean body mass up to 1.5 grams per lb of lean body mass. After protein, I like to look at fat. In general, men shouldn't drop much below 50g on a daily basis and women below 30g. Fat is important for regulating hormones and we all know how important that is. And finally, we have carbohydrates and we can really just fill in the remainder with these. The only guideline with carbohydrates is make sure your fiber is adequate. Women I recommend 27g of fiber and men at least 35g.
3) Finally, we have nutrient timing. This is not as valuable at #1 or #2 but still worthy of considering. As a very basic rule of thumb, I like to incorporate a protein, carbohydrate and fat at each meal. I would recommend that 50-70% of your overall carbohydrates be consumed pre and post workout. This is important because we are actually taking advantage of an insulin spike when we need it most. Typically, most are left with green leafy vegetables at night as their main carb source. It is important to keep fats and fiber low before and after workouts but always make sure to have a descent amount of fat prior to bed time as this is when our hormones really go to work.
Don't be fooled by all the diet mumbo jumbo out there. Stick to these 3 basic rules and you are sure to be off on a good track!