We’re sure you’ve come across at least one yo-yo diet that severely cuts down—or eliminates—an entire food group. A great example? The keto diet, which cuts our carbohydrate macros. While these diets may deliver short-term results, they’re typically incredibly difficult and dangerous to stick to for a long period. Usually, extreme diets lead to a regain of weight or loss of muscle and the cycle starts again.
The body needs all macro and micronutrients to stay healthy! So let’s look at what a plate could look like depending on your health and wellness goals. Remember: this is simply a guide and no major food group changes should be made without advice from your doctor or a registered dietician.
Macros for Weight Loss
By now, we’ve learned we need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. Put simply, more energy needs to go out than come in. Consuming higher quantities of protein does aid in weight loss and can help you feel fuller for longer. But that doesn’t mean we eat lots of protein and no carbs or fats!
Fun fact: Eating whole-grain carbs helps you feel fuller for longer and prevents snacking, while good fats help transport essential nutrients around the body. Check out this chart for a simple breakdown of what your plate could look like!
What’s Carb Cycling?
We know carbs are not thy enemy! We need them for everything from concentration to basic tasks like standing and housework—and most definitely for your intense workouts. Whole carbs are the best source of energy you can give your body. On a scientific level, it’s the nutrient your body is designed and optimized to use for energy to power everything.
Have you ever had a day where you can’t focus on work, feel tired, and ‘hangry’?! There’s a high chance your body is telling you it needs more fuel from food (and not just extra cups of coffee!).
On the other hand, if you overdo it with excessive carbs (especially simple carbs like white grains, candy, and soda), your body converts what isn’t used up into fat. It may feel like a lot of conflicting info, but we’ll break down how you can carb cycle—aka adjust your carb intake based on your activity level—to optimize your nutrition, workouts, and wellness!
Higher carb intake days: Going for a workout or spending the day on your feet for hours, tracking 10,000+ steps? Eating a quick carb snack—like an apple, yogurt, or toast—before you work out (15-40 mins if possible!) can boost your performance, increase your energy, and help you recover quicker. On these days, replacing the energy used during your workout and activity is key to helping your body stay balanced.
Lower carb intake days: Think: rest days from working out and days you’re moving significantly less. Carbohydrates play a crucial role in our everyday health, supporting everything from basic bodily functions to brain and hormone activity. Mixing in some low-carb days can be a great strategy to keep our carb intake in check and avoid overdoing it. Prioritize snacks rich in protein (like nuts and cottage cheese) over those that are rich in carbs (like yogurt, dried fruit, and potato chips) and focus on protein plus vegetable-rich meals.
Check out this example of what lunch or dinner could look like on a high-intake day vs a low-intake carb day. You can eat more whole wheat pasta on the high-intake day, and more veggies on the low-intake day.
Lower carb intake vs. higher carb intake
Should I ever have a no-carb day? At obé, we’re huge fans of sticking to the science and including ALL macros in our diet daily. Research does not show that no-carb vs low-carb days increase weight loss, but it does show that no-carb days can decrease recovery and lead to agitation, lack of focus, and poor sleep. All those side effects can stall fitness progress!
Macros for Muscle Gain
When our goal is building muscle mass and strength, we need to focus on protein intake and be in a calorie surplus. You may have heard of ‘bulking,’ which has been associated with eating high-calorie dense food and lifting max weights to gain strength. But we know that A) that’s not the most effective way to gain muscle and B) not a very healthy option!
So what does a calorie surplus really mean? Basically, need to consume enough energy so your body has a surplus of it to create new muscles. That does not mean you have to gain body fat to gain muscle. It’s entirely possible to lose body fat and gain muscle, sometimes leading to overall weight gain.
These excess calories can come from protein and whole carbs. Our muscles use carbs broken down from glucose to move. The more we exercise, the more carbs we use. If we don’t have enough energy (glucose) to get through a hard workout, it’s less likely we’ll increase our muscle mass. So fueling your body before a workout is important in gaining strength.
The same goes for after too! We talk a lot about post-workout protein, but protein coupled with carbs increases muscle recovery and synthesis! With the right fuel, muscles continue to repair throughout the day. TL;DR: Whole-grain carbs, high protein, and healthy fats make the perfect recipe for muscle gain.
The 101 on Protein for Building Muscle
Your body absorbs and stores protein macros differently from fats and carbs. Protein can’t actually be stored long-term! So if you have excess protein from a meal, it will be converted into glucose, then used as fuel or stored as fat (which can contribute to fat gain).
There’s lots of advice on how much protein you need for muscle gain, ranging from 0.5 lbs per pound of body weight to 100 grams per foot of height. But considering how often you eat protein will be far more beneficial for recovery and muscle gain!
A little science: Assuming your digestive system is in working order, the average person can absorb almost all the protein they eat (but remember, excess may be stored as fat). However, research shows your body can only use 25-40 grams of protein at a time to fuel muscle growth (also called muscle protein synthesis, MPS). FYI, your body composition, age, and training level can impact this number.
So those expensive protein powders and meals quoting they deliver 50+ grams of protein per serving? You don’t need them. Instead, focus on getting 15-30 grams of protein 4 times a day and go for your largest serving after your workout!
Your day of eating could look like this:
- Breakfast: Avocado toast with two eggs: 18g protein
- Post workout snack: A protein shake: 20-40g protein
- Lunch: Tofu and chickpea salad: 25g protein
- Dinner: Lean turkey burger: 22g protein
Protein Macros Timing: The Anabolic Window
While protein is the building blocks of our muscles, tissues, and organs, strength training is the foundation of building muscle. But without the building blocks of protein to make the muscle, our muscles won’t grow.
This is especially true post workout with a system called the muscle protein synthesis window, aka the Anabolic Window. Anabolic refers to tissue building in the body—in this case skeletal muscle. When we put our muscles under stress (i.e strength training), our muscles send signals to our brain saying they need help, that they need to grow and get larger to handle the stress. In return, the brain tells amino acids, protein molecules, to report to the muscles and help build more.
However, our body can’t store protein the way we store fat and carbohydrates. We don’t have excess protein waiting to be used in protein reserves, and the body also needs protein to constantly repair and build vital organs like skin. That’s where our anabolic window comes into play!
The general rule: within 30-60 minutes after strength training, we need to eat 25-35 grams of protein. Within that 60 minutes, the brain continues to send signals that the muscles need more building blocks! But only if we have protein to spare. When we eat protein (a shake, chicken, tofu, lentils, etc.), the body first prioritizes organ repair, which can use up to 15 grams of it. To have enough “overflow: to be sent to the muscles you worked to build, you need more than that! After an hour or two (depending on the person), the anabolic window closes and the muscles will no longer be prioritized.
Should I Eat 3 or 5 Meals a Day?
Unfortunately, the question of going for 3 larger meals versus 5 smaller meals per day isn’t straightforward. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference and maintaining a balanced lifestyle that aligns with your goals.
Traditionally, 3 meals a day is the norm, but let’s break down what that entails. Ideally, you should aim to eat evenly across those 3 meals. Yes, breakfast should have a similar nutrient breakdown as dinner! This helps ensure an even distribution of energy throughout the day.
Research shows that skipping breakfast and eating a small to medium lunch followed by a large dinner can lead to excessive energy storage and weight gain. If you currently don’t eat 3 meals a day, or eat most of your food in the second half of the day, a great place to start is by eating breakfast and observing how your hunger cravings change throughout the day.
If eating larger meals isn’t for you or causes discomfort, then 5 smaller daily meals can be a good solution. Think: a small snack with your morning coffee, a post-workout snack, lunch, a small afternoon snack, and dinner. Eating smaller meals frequently can help sustain energy throughout the day and avoid energy dips between meals.
When increasing your meal frequency, it’s important to be mindful of portion sizes to avoid overeating. While more frequent meals can help maintain steady energy levels and better control hunger, it’s crucial to ensure your total calorie intake remains balanced and doesn’t exceed your daily requirements. This means planning smaller, balanced meals and snacks rather than simply adding extra full-sized meals to your diet.
Again, the goal is to find an eating pattern that works for your body plus schedule and includes all the essential macro and micronutrients! Tuning into your hunger cues, energy levels, and level of recovery are great ways to tailor your meal frequency and portion sizes to best support your overall health and goals.
In summary: While there are many different nutrition plans out there, consistency is the key ingredient across all studies examining which diet is best for weight loss, gaining muscle, or both. Finding a plan that works for you in the long term is what’s most important. A big part of that? Consistently building a routine that allows for nights out, days off when you need them, and finding eating habits you feel GOOD about.
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