There is a ton of noise out there on social media about the best diets and plenty of unqualified “experts” claiming you should never eat certain foods or that carbohydrates are the root of all evil in the world. I hate the word diet. It is a four letter word that implies a restrictive and temporary solution to a permanent problem. This is not DIET advice. Rather, consider this a Nutrition 101 course: Intro to Eating.
Food XYZ is BAD: Here’s the thing, there is no amount of alcohol or sugary candies or ultra-processed foods that are positive for your health. Remember when the national media touted that research study saying one glass of red wine daily is good for your heart? Me too. Do you remember when the same sources touting the benefits of red wine for heart health told everyone that the professor who published that study lost their position in academia because the data for that red wine study was falsified? Everyone responds differently to food. Some individuals have gluten intolerance, that does not make wheat bad, the majority of adults in the world are lactose intolerant, that does not make dairy evil, I personally despise olives but can’t deny that they are an excellent source of healthy fats. Some people have food allergies, some people see performance suffer when they remove potatoes from their diet, some people just don’t like olives. Figure out what you like and what you don’t like, experiment with exclusion diets if you feel the need, or consult a specialist for food sensitivity testing. If you live by the 80-20 rule (preferably the 90-10 rule) where 80% of what you eat is high quality whole foods and 20% is sub optimal, you are probably doing alright. All things in moderation, including moderation, because what’s the point of life if you can’t indulge every now and then?
Carbs are EVIL: Carbohydrates get a bad rep and partly for a good reason, but the hate has gone too far! Ultra-processed foods, unnecessary added sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and frequent consumption of high glycemic index foods have all been linked directly to the development of preventable illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and even certain cancers. The Ketogenic diet works for a lot of people and there is evidence of some serious potential health benefits for certain conditions. That does not mean that all carbs are bad. The Keto diet is based on a physiological process that exists in human beings to enable our body to continue functioning in times of severe starvation. That being said, high quality carbohydrates in a minimally processed state such as oats, potatoes, rice, and whole fruits and vegetables are not bad for you! In fact, carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of energy to support high intensity exercise which is key to developing strength and aerobic capacity.
How much should I be eating?
Unsurprisingly the answer is… it depends! Your intake needs are unique to you and your personal goals. We can approach this question from a number of different angles to figure out just how much you should be consuming on a daily basis:
Calorie Calculator: Nutritional labels in the USA are based on a general recommendation of 2,000 calories per day, but that estimate is very general and not at all specific to your individual needs. This calorie calculator tool from the Mayo Clinic will give you a nice starting point based on age, height, body weight, sex, and reported activity level. This provides an excellent baseline as to what your specific needs would be to simply maintain your current body weight. Knowing your caloric needs leads us to our next point…
Weigh and Measure: Do you know how much you are actually eating? If you’re not weighing and measuring your foods, then the truth is that you have no idea. It is extremely easy to over consume low quality foods and shockingly difficult to eat enough of high quality food sources to achieve appropriate intake levels. If you are not meal prepping by weighing and measuring food, you may just get lucky and hit your goal, but the deck is stacked against you. If you decide to take nutrition seriously, get a digital food scale. It sounds daunting, but there is this amazing tool at your fingertips with information about nutritional content in any food you can think of (spoiler alert: it’s the internet). If you fail to plan then you plan to fail. Read that again. Take the time to plan and do it right. This is easily the most important part about eating to support ANY goal. It does not matter what the goal is be it performance, weight loss, gaining muscle, or just feeling a little healthier. You need to weigh and measure foods, plan your meals, create a nutrition log, and do the math. This will set you up for success. And trust me, it gets easier the more you do it.
What About Macros?: The 40-30-30 rule is a nice spot to start with how to structure your intake. This rule is based on the Zone diet and says that of your total daily caloric intake, 40% should be carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat. Every gram of carbohydrate and protein is 4 calories and a gram of fat is 9 calories. For example, if you determine your daily caloric needs to be 2,600 calories, you should be eating roughly 260 grams of carbohydrates, 195 grams of protein, and 87 grams of fat.
Losing Weight: Weight loss has traditionally been viewed as a calories in versus calories out equation. It is not that simple because food quality matters; however, you are unlikely to see the number on the scale shrinking if you are not at an average calorie deficit on a weekly basis. If you are aiming to lose weight, you should be targeting a deficit of 500 calories per week, not per day! When you are not consuming enough calories for a sustained period of time, your body shifts into a starvation mode. This causes your body to store energy as fat rather than use it to support activity. Also, being at a large calorie deficit for a long time can permanently change your metabolism making it harder to lose weight and easier to gain unwanted weight once your intake increases to typical levels again! Try to keep calorie deficits to an 8-10 week period and then increase your intake again to allow your body to adapt over time. A quick fix is rarely the solution, aim to drop 1-2 pounds per week and you will set yourself up for long term success rather than increase your likelihood for frustration and failure.
Gaining Muscle: Most people think that lifting weights is the hard part about gaining muscle, but let me tell you that eating enough high quality food to support muscle growth is by far the more challenging thing to accomplish. If your primary goal is gaining muscle, start your calorie intake with your protein needs. Aim to eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight you want to get to. Once you have this number, double it to get your minimum carbohydrate needs and then fill the rest of your needs with healthy fats. For example, if your current body weight is 150lbs and you want to increase to 160lbs without a desired change in body composition, you need to be eating at least 160g of protein per day, 320g of carbohydrates, and enough fat calories to fully support activity levels. This amount of carbs and protein would total 1,920 calories. For reference, a 32 year old male that is 5’10” and 150lbs would need intake to be 2,400 calories per day to sustain current weight, meaning they need a minimum of 53g fat to make up the other 480 calories. Increasing carbohydrate and protein before upping fat intake will improve your likelihood of success building muscle, and BE PATIENT! The greater the caloric surplus, the more building material you will have available to grow muscle. Building muscle takes time, stick with it for 12+ weeks if you expect to see real results, and don’t forget your progressive overload in the gym!
If you made it through this diatribe of general recommendations, congratulations! Nutrition is a subject that is often overlooked in relation to injuries, pain, and performance. At Rise, we want you to be successful and accomplish whatever goals you set for yourself, that is why we refer you to certified nutrition experts where applicable. We are happy to give you general guidance, but for specific needs we want to make sure you are connected with someone that has dedicated their life to becoming an expert in nutrition.