My last few blogs have revolved around nutrition:
How To Lose 25-50 lbs the Simple and Free Way
Taking Nutrition A Step Further: Nutrient Timing
In the How To Lose 20-50 lbs blog, I talked about the power of tracking your nutrition. Today I want to talk about my personal experience and growth since writing that blog…
I have taken a step back, physically speaking, from where I was when I was dialed into my nutrition. My body fat percentage has increased along with my body weight but my muscle mass has decreased by a few pounds. TRIPLE WHAMMY! But no surprise. I knew that I was regressing so I decided to take my own advice and started tracking food in My Fitness Pal.
WOW! I thought I had a grip on my nutrition but apparently I’ve let myself slip a little bit.
What did I find that was so surprising? Let me break it down by macros…
For starters, I was not consuming nearly enough protein to support my body composition and performance goals. I need to be eating about 175-180 grams of protein each day. I was getting about 125 grams; hence, the decrease in muscle mass.
Second, I wasn’t getting enough carbohydrates. I need to be around 254 grams a day to support my performance and composition goals. I was less than 175 grams each day. No wonder I’ve been sluggish, low performing, and kind of just making it through my workouts! If our bodies are rockets and carbs are rocket fuel, I’ve been running on fumes. Additionally, the more muscle mass you have, the more carbs you need. I was giving my body the opposite of what it needed.
Third, my fats were excessively high. This is likely due to my demanding training yet inadequate carbohydrate intake. I subconsciously knew that fats would help me stay full longer, but I was consuming too much. My daily target is 87g of fat. I was over 100g each day.
Lately I’ve just been guessing. I thought I had it under control. I was wrong.
Tracking nutrition is knowledge. Knowledge is power. Now that I know exactly what I have been feeding my body, I know what to change.
You can experience a similar realization. Without changing anything, try tracking your nutrition for a week. It’s very telling.
Then, if there are changes that need to be made, resort back to the How To Lose 25-50 lbs article. I gave simple and free strategies for losing weight.
If you want to get on a specific macro plan with weekly accountability, we can do that too. Simply reply to this email so you and I can set up your initial nutrition plan and get you on the right track starting asap.
Whether you’re looking to lose 50 lbs. of fat, gain 10 lbs of muscle or increase your performance and energy, nutrition is the key to unlock your full potential.
Level Up.
-Haven