The importance of understanding protein, fat and carbohydrates for weight loss

It is time to ditch the calorie counting and start thinking about your macronutrients

Before I started on my educational journey into the world of health and fitness my only knowledge of macronutrients was the food pyramid, looking at the back of nutrition labels and reading ‘health’ magazines. I grew up in the era when margarine replaced butter, boxed cereal replaced fresh eggs for breakfast and ‘fat free’ reigned. 

In my mind it was all about total energy. 2000 calories or less per day. How many calories I burned would determine how many more calories I would allow myself. My obsession with having a slim physique made me think that with fat being the most calorie dense food then the logical thing would be to try and eradicate it as much as I possibly could from my diet. 

I had no idea that these 3 macronutrients are broken down differently in the body, elicit varying hormonal responses and in turn effect metabolism and all round performance.

The very basics on calories 

Protein, carbohydrate and fat make up the 3 key macronutrients. In very basic terms, macronutrients are what our body needs for survival. Each of these provide the body with energy, or calories to enable growth, metabolism, repair and other body functions. While each contain calories, the amount does vary.

Carbohydrate 4 calories per gram

Protein 4 calories per gram

Fat 9 calories per gram 

Note: Alcohol is not a macronutrient, yet is another source of calories at 7 calories per gram.

The truth is that a calorie is not really a calorie. A calorie from fat versus a calorie from protein or carbohydrates is broken down and utilized at a different rate in the body. This is a great article on Huffington Post where Dr Lustig succinctly describes why all calories are not created equally. 

The low fat craze of the 90’s that still seems to stick did not take into account that the breakdown of these nutrients requires varied amounts of energy from the body. This will elicit different hormonal responses which could be from the type of food, the quality and of course the individual. How could 100 calories of fresh vegetable be the same as 100 calories of french fries? When you think about it, it makes no sense! As individuals we are all different and for some more carbohydrates may be tolerated well, where for others a higher protein and fat ratio will yield better results. Genetics, lifestyle factors and diet history will all play a role.

Where to go from here?

If you have been doing the same thing with your diet for some time and you are not getting results, then it is time to look a little closer. Start thinking about each meal in terms of the three macronutrients and knowing what, when and where sugar is creeping into your diet. 

1. Where is the protein? Are you eating unprocessed animal products or more processed meats?

2. What kind of fat are you eating? Are you eating good quality monounsaturated fats, e.g. from nuts, avocados, seeds and cold pressed oils such as olive oil? 

3. How much and what type of carbohydrate are you consuming? What is the vegetable to processed carbohydrate ratio? For example vegetables versus pasta, quinoa or brown rice? What type of refined carbohydrate are you eating? e.g wild rice or jasmine rice?

4. What sugars are you eating? Candy or sweets? In coffee, soda, milk products or juices? 

Looking at your meal in terms of macronutrients can be a bit of an eye opener….. And I am just scratching the surface here. Check out the Precision Nutrition calorie control guide as a good starting point for constructing a better plate.

Sources:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/fix-a-broken-diet

http://www.phillearney.com/nutrition/its-not-about-the-calorie/

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/Anatomy/your-digestive-system/Pages/anatomy.aspx

Winter Fitness Strategies to Manage Indulgence

Thawing freezing fingers and toes in a cozy bar with a big glass of red, or racing home to snuggle up on the couch with a big bowl of pasta and a cozy blanket has a powerful pull during cold winter days. Days off exercise can quickly lead to weeks off and suddenly the fitness discipline and diet regime you worked so hard to cultivate earlier in the year has evaporated. Finding balance in New York winter can be difficult and requires a little extra dedication and planning to compensate for the cold. 

Get Moving

Weather permitting, walk wherever you can. Pick places to eat that are further away for lunch, walk to a further subway stop, take the stairs. Go out shopping rather than buying online. Incidental exercise counts. Purchasing a personal exercise tracker such as a Fitbit is one way to keep an eye on your daily baseline activity. 

Make Time to Workout

A few days away from your routine can easily slip into a few weeks off. Set yourself realistic goals and schedule your weekly workouts ahead of time. Pack light exercise equipment such as skipping ropes when traveling. Plan your gym days and honor that time as you would a business meeting. If you are feeling unmotivated or find your workout is getting stale, schedule time to attend some of the classes offered at your gym or book sessions with a personal trainer to give new energy to your workouts and to help keep you accountable.

Lift to Stay Lean 

Pick up those weights to maintain muscle tone, not just for definition but to keep your metabolism stoked. When you can get to the gym, utilize that time to work those big muscles which will help you burn more calories, build tone and reduce body fat. Think deadlifts, squats, lunges, pull-ups and rowing.

Mix in Cardio 

Enjoying more decadence than usual? This is a great opportunity to amp up your cardio workout routine to effectively use all that extra energy. Your muscles use sugar as fuel so when a little too much indulgence takes place use it wisely by applying yourself to some challenging workouts, such as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) which torches calories to help stave off that unwanted fat.  The great thing about HIIT workouts is they can be done in a limited amount of space with little to no equipment. So even if the weather outside sucks you can still get something done!

Get a Handle on Your Eating and Drinking Habits 

Don’t let one bad food choice or decadent meal be the catalyst for an entire day or week of overindulgent eating. Balance your big meals out with healthier choices and make it a priority to drink purified water. Not just a glass here and there, at minimum half your body weight in ounces per body weight per day. If you are hitting the caffeine and cocktails then you are going to need even more to help hydrate and flush out the system. 

Build in Detox Days

Include some short detox days in between indulgent days. After an indulgent weekend carve out time during the week to cleanse the body. Eat lots of leafy greens, rehydrate with purified water and herbal teas. Add anti-inflammatory herbs and spices to soups, salads and juices such as ginger, mint, cilantro, parsley and turmeric. 

Getting Relief From Lower Back Pain

I signed up for a group exercise class the other day excited to try something new. Conveniently ignoring the niggling tightness in my lower back, hips and legs off I trotted to go command my body to perform a succession of exercises unbeknownst to me. 

The class begins and off I go, all guns blazing. Bopping and jumping about, weights flying here and there, feeling like I own the place. I’m fit right? I can handle anything… 

My inner dialogue tells me to ignore that discomfort. Any exercise is good exercise right!? Plus I really want to work off that Paleo brownie I gobbled up this morning. 

I am getting my sweat on and enjoying the music until I feel that all too familiar tweak, right around my sacrum and then YANK! There goes the global stabilizers of my lumbar spine seizing up. It feels like a ratchet has tightened a screw so tight in my lower back that now my spine has turned into a metal rod. 

I should know better. And I do. But we all need a reminder sometimes that any exercise is not necessarily good exercise. Listening to your own body is essential to have a happy and healthy relationship with fitness. 

There are some key things that I have personally neglected this last few weeks that are generally helpful in keeping your lumbo pelvic region happy and balanced so that when you do go push yourself you are prepared and ready for the challenge. These exercises are excellent in assisting in the prevention of back pain. If you are currently experiencing pain you should always consult a doctor and seek treatment from a physiotherapist or physical therapist who can prescribe the specific exercises for your condition.

Mobility

The thoracic spine is comprised of 12 vertebrae that lie mid-way through the spine between the shoulders. The thoracic vertebrae are intended for rotation mobility to allow proper movement through the shoulder girdle and for proper diaphragmatic breathing. Lack of mobilization in this area can result in excessive loading in another area of the spine. If you are very tight in your thoracic spine (hello most people who sit at a computer all day), the lumbar vertebrae can become strained, resulting in lower back pain. 

Here is an effective thoracic mobilization exercise that requires the purchase of 2 tennis balls then can be done anywhere 

Stretching

The lumbar spine needs to be able to flex and extend to allow you to bend forward and backward properly in daily activities, fitness and sport. Sitting on a chair all day, carrying heavy handbags, walking in high heels, spots and fitness can create tightness in the muscles that act on the pelvis. This tightness will begin to pull on the pelvis, drawing it anteriorly, posteriorly or laterally depending on which muscles are tight. 

If you can see a pronounced curve in your lower back (like the Donald Duck walk) then you might be in excessive anterior pelvic tilt and need to stretch the iliacus, TFL, rectus femurs, IT Band and erector spinae. Work on releasing these tight muscles utilizing these stretches.

Common for people who sit hunched over a desk all day is a flattened lumbar spine (like the Pink Panther walk) where the pelvis tilts posteriorly. The muscles needed to be stretched are the hamstrings, rectus abdominus, external obliques, adductor magnus, glutes and psoas. See this video on stretches for posterior pelvic tilt from Functional Patterns.

Stability 

Lower back pain often stems from a lack of control of the inner unit stabilizers of the spine and pelvis. These stabilizers are the deep core muscles, specifically the transverse abdominus, pelvic floor, multifidus, and the internal obliques. If the inner unit stabilizer are not working properly then the synchrony of the sacrum, pelvis and spine is thrown off. This results in the global stabilizer muscles becoming overactive to protect the lumbar spine from the unstable pelvis. Movement becomes rigid and painful. Here are a few core strengthening exercises from the Mayo Clinic to build pelvic stability.