Maximize your Potential Through Dietary Modifications

Calories, Protein, Fat, and carbohydrates. Words you should be familiar with after reading this article Four tips to help you with your nutritional needs. When it comes to nutrition everyone has an opinion, including myself :)! Information useful to you can be few and far between. What’s useful to you is going to depend on what you’re looking for.  If you want the “quick fix” (which i’ll let you know right now is the fitness industries biggest lie) or if you want quality results through consistency of hard work and discipline. Nutrition and mindset will put you on the right path.

Nutrition can have convoluted ideas trying to influence the simplicity of what it can be. Different types of diets to different types of meals. finding simplicity and having consistency when deciding how to approach nutritional changes in your life, the process becomes easier!

I’m writing this  to give you food for thought. As well as hopefully steer you in the right direction for a “healthier” you.  Let’s get into some tips that may or may not answer some questions you may have on a nutrition bases.

Tip One! Calories with Protein, Fats and Carbohydrates 

Unfortunately you should count your calories! I say “unfortunately” sarcastically,  it seems that people don’t enjoy this very much,  as if they are apprehensive about committing to it. Most weight problems come down to calories in, calories out.  It counts for everything! The little bits you eat while cooking, the condiments you are putting on salads, the quantity of oils you use for cooking. You have to factor all of these calories in. I think that’s where most people lose interest they’re overwhelmed having to monitor everything going into their mouths. It can be time consuming and somewhat annoying.

I heard a great example  once which is; if you want to save money you budget. You stop spending here, you save money there and you are always aware of your finances, looking at the money you are saving and spending. Same applies to counting calories. If you want to lose weight you need to cut calories here and there so you can maintain a caloric deficit. You must always be mindful of the number of calories going in and going out. This is the number one tip because it ties everything together. Whether you want to change up what you are eating to healthy proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, or you want to keep consuming the same food just less of it. you need to count your calories!

Source: Swinburn B, et al. Increased food energy supply is more than sufficient to explain the US epidemic of obesityTrusted Source.

Another note on calories, I tend to see some people follow these arbitrary numbers such as 1200, 1500, 1800 and sometimes 2000 calories. If you have been counting calories following numbers such as these and it works for you keep doing it. If you count calories using these numbers and you struggle to find success it’s time to reassess. Calorie counting is specific to each person. Everyone has their own number special to them based on their lifestyle. It’s important to try and figure out what your number is because you could be missing out on some calories  or you could be over eating.

Tip Two! Its all about the protein

Eat more protein! It seems the advocacy of protein consumption continues to rise as of recent. Now, this is geared toward the individuals who are NOT; prepping their body for a physique competition, athletes,  powerlifters, Crossfit athletes or people who have to really dial in their nutrition. but this section still has some relevance to the athletes. It’s for the average joe out there. People who need to lose some weight, gain some muscle or just need a basic understanding of how to manage protein consumption within their daily dietary needs. Protein helps with building and maintaining muscle mass as well as feeling satiate from meal to meal.

This is directed toward high quality protein sources  like, fish, steak, chicken, pork, tuna, eggs. It’s not geared toward protein sources like legumes, grains, cereals or plant protein. This is because the quality of protein matters as well. If you eat higher quality protein, your body is able to absorb and utilize it more efficiently.  you don’t have to eat an excessive amount in one sitting. Eating more  legumes or plant protein is not as effective as quality meat. you would need to consume a lot more in a sitting to get the same results.

The amount of protein you should be consuming is around .75 grams to 1 gram per 1 pound of body weight. So if you weigh 200 pounds you should be eating anywhere in the neighborhood of 150- 200 grams of protein. As you get older the higher the consumption of protein should be. It can be hard to hit a number this high. The closer and more consistent you are, the better your results can be.

source: Carbone JW, Pasiakos SM. Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit.

Tip Three!

Eat more fruits and vegetables! Although, this one isn’t very insightful. Most of use have heard this ever since we were kids eating at the dinner table with mom and dad. It’s something most of us (including myself) don’t do enough of. Fruits and vegetables have great fiber content, both pro and prebiotics, antioxidants and help keep you satiated. All of this can lead to healthy bathroom breaks, take away that bloating feeling, help fight diseases, and make you feel better overall, giving you more energy throughout the day. Combining fruits and vegetables with more lean meats is a powerhouse way to improve your body composition. It can help with cravings you may have. along with The hunger feeling you get throughout the day and your overall low energy levels.

Final Tip!

Diets don’t work, food modifications do! What I mean by this is two things. One; you change what you are eating to a degree, where you are getting more protein, fruits and vegetables while remaining in a structured calorie count but still being able to consume things that you love. Point one is changing how you eat into a “healthier” manner. Add counting calories and macros to the shift of eating healthier and it will maximize your progress potential. It’s not a way to suffer through, hit a goal and then lose the progress, but more of a lifestyle change.

Two; keep eating what you’re eating. while trying to arrange it, so you keep to a caloric number suiting your body specifically. Point two is eating what you have been eating but changing the frequency and amount you are consuming in one sitting. Moderation is the key. On this path, you need to be cognizant of how much you’re eating, it can get out of hand quick.  Which is why counting calories is the premise of this article. It’s the backbone  in which controls the success you can have with your nutrition adjustments.

Source: Luscombe-Marsh ND, et al. Carbohydrate-restricted diets high in either monounsaturated fat or protein are equally effective at promoting fat loss and improving blood lipidsTrusted Source.

When changing foods and incorporating new foods you have to ask yourself, ” can I see myself eating like this the rest of my life?”. “Will i want to eat like this all the time?”. If you can answer yes, you are on the right path. If the answer is no, you have to reevaluate the foods you are consuming.

Give some of these tips a shot and let me know what you think in the comments below. I hope everyone can find some success in their endeavor toward being a “healthier” individual. I can give you all the information I know and you can learn more than anyone out there. Ultimately it comes down to how much you want it. How well you will and can apply the information to be successful! Now go out and accomplish your goals!