How to Survive Your Diet
Nutrition is much like how I treat the individualization of training. There are progressions and regressions to exercises and nutrition is no different. Many times, individuals start in the wrong place and fail. The vast amount of diet books and endless online articles can be confusing and inaccurate. Luckily, working with a wide-array of clients through the years, I have developed a simple system for discussing nutrition.
I want to preface this article with caution. If you have a known health issue (metabolic disease, cancer, etc….) seek medical advice. This is a lifestyle guide that we use with clients, not a replacement of medical advice from a physician or dietician.
Below you will find a step-by-step guide to understanding which place is right for you to start.
Baseline
Females >30% body fat
Males >20% body fat
In the initial stages of making a lifestyle change, counting calories is too excessive. Anyone who has tried this knows its time consuming and frustrating.
Quality is the most important factor in nutrition. Always strive to improve your quality of food. If you train at least 2-3 days per week and constantly improve nutritional quality results will come quick.
Here's an example of improved quality:
Soda < Water
Fast Food < Lean Meat (chicken, fish, etc...)
Sugary Snack < Protein Shake
KEY: Put full focus into improving ONE quality at a time. If fast food and soda are both an issue, then slowly improve the quality of only one. Once you have improved then pick another habit and repeat the process.
Research shows when there are multiple goals set at one time, many fail to reach any of the target goals. When the target goal is clear and singular the goal is often obtained.
Progression 1
Females > 25-30% body fat
Males > 15-20% body fat
"You can’t manage what’s not measured" -Unknown
At this point, you will need to get an understanding of daily calories consumed. MyFitnessPal APP is the best nutrition tracker. Log your nutrition for a couple of days to establish a baseline.
Now that you know what you're working with use the link Harris-Benedict link (bottom of this section) and calculate your Basil Metabolic Rate.
KEY: Create a small deficit from your Harris-Benedict formula and use MyFitnessPal to track and hit those numbers. Stored body fat is valued at 3500 calories. If you want to lose 1 lb each week you must create a daily 500 calorie deficit.
Caution: Factor in the cost of exercise each day. If you are training then you will consume close to your BMR in calories for the day. Don't go overboard on creating a deficit, this is the number one reason why fat loss fails. Nutrition is required to support healthy hormone function, which is directly related to fat loss. Research shows that .8-1.2 g per lb. of protein intake is required to maintain muscle mass (dont lose this!).
https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/bmr-harris-benedict-equation
Progression 2
Females > 20-25% body fat
Males > 10-15% body fat
This progression is the most realistic health zone for most people. If body fat numbers are in this zone, we know you have established the following habits:
1. Training 3-4 days per week
2. Consciously choosing quality foods over quantity
3. Sleeping 7-9 hours per night
If you want to take your body to the next level, then attention to detail and sacrifices must be made. Meal preparation and shopping must be treated like a session in the gym.
KEY: To obtain the lower end of this body fat percentage range, meal preparation but play a key role. Always have a plan for your nutritional plan for your day. Social events must also be planned out. Drinks and calories here add up quick. Establishing rules for these occasions help with reducing unnecessary caloric intake.
Progression 3
Females < 20% body fat
Males < 10% body fat
Operating in this progression puts you in rare company. Here you will find elite athletes and competitors. Often times, people think they want to be in these zones but that often means you will sacrifice much of your social life to sleep and extreme nutritional and training situations.
KEY: Evaluation of goals and lifestyle needs are critical. Realistic expectations need to be set during this phase. Carb cycling, Ketogenic and intermittent fasting diets could all be valuable during this phase.
The best diet is the one you will stick to. If you are going to try a mainstream “diet” program, you must be honest with your ability to follow through. Nutrition Expert Stan Efferding says, “Compliance is the science”.
Fat loss can be complicated if you get caught up in the myriad of information currently available. Using this model, you can understand where a smart and realistic place is to start. Remember fat loss can be very difficult and you must have patience. Pick a small goal and attack it full on!
Anthony Looney, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Owner of Discover Fitness, Strength and Conditioning