Quick Start Guide to Macro Nutrient Diets

Where do Results come from?

50% from appropriate amount of calories,

30% from right balance of macronutrients,

10% from meal timing,

5% from eating healthy (eating healthy will make you healthier but this is a big reason why there is flexibility in diet because you can choose the sources of your food as long as it fits your macros),

5% from hydration and supplements

How many Calories do I need?

The starting point for maintenance calories mainly depends on your current body weight. The most important thing is consistency. Check out the graph to find out how many calories you should start at. Adjust based on your specific needs and results.

Weight loss/gain rate recommendations:

For weight loss aim to lose 0.5% - 1% of bodyweight per week for 6-16 weeks.

For Weight gain aim to gain 0.25% - .05% per week for 6-16 weeks.

A weight maintenance period is recommended after 2/3 of time length it took to lose 10% of weight.

This will ensure we’re keeping your metabolism, training performance and motivation high while mitigating any possible health risks, disruptions in sleep, accumulated fatigue, elevated stress hormones, and hunger. It’s vital that you’re in a healthy mental state before attempting another fat loss phase. If you’re still fantasizing about cheat meals you’re not ready.

For weight gain 4-6 week weight maintenance period with lower training volume to re-sensitize yourself for the following phase.

PROTEIN

Daily Protein intake:

For health 0.3g per pound of bodyweight,

For weight loss 0.8-1g pound of bodyweight,

For weight gain 0.7g-1g per pound of bodyweight.

Optimal for all scenarios is 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

Have an equal sized serving of protein in every meal. Protein is the most important macro, besides being building blocks for muscles, it is metabolically active and burns calories at rest and 25-30% of calories consumed get burned during digestion.

CARBS

Daily Carb intake:

For health 0.3g - 5g per pound of bodyweight.

Optimal is 1g of carbs per pound of bodyweight.

FAT

Daily Fat intake:

0.3g per pound of bodyweight is recommended in all situations unless diet adherence is an issue. In which case get optimal protein and divide rest of calories among carbs and fats with a minimum of .3g of each.

Meal Timing

Pre-Training Meal: limit fat to 10-15g to not slow down digestion and limit blood flow to gut and choose food that digests well.

Intra-training meal: only warranted if hard workout over an hour. Sugary/Dextrose/BCAA drink works best in this situation.

Post-Training meal: Equal serving of protein, limited fat 10-20g. Equal to greatest amount of carbs in this meal. You can store about 2 to 3 hours worth of carbs stored as glycogen in your muscles. During training you tap into this fuel source, thus after training, this carbohydrate fuel tank is low. Therefore, your muscles are sensitive to the carbohydrates you consume directly after exercise and are primed to be refueled. Post workout carbs are less likely to be stored as fat because your body will prioritize filling depleted muscle glycogen stores. Your body is also more apt to burning off fat as fuel due to lower insulin levels. Having a lean animal source of protein or a whey protein shake and some sugary cereal with unsweetened almond/rice/coconut/soy milk, fat free or low fat milk is actually a great and tasty option directly after working out. Besides being a treat that helps with diet adherence, sugary cereal is a higher glycemic carb, with minimal fat and fiber, so your body will waste no time replenishing your depleted muscles.

Food Source List

Lean Protein Sources Examples:

Chicken Breast/Thighs/Tenderloins/Ground (not fried or breaded)

Grass-fed Beef- Sirloin/Filet Mignon/Flank Steak/Round Variations/Ground (>90% Lean)

Ground Turkey (>90% lean)

Eggs (preferably pasture raised or organic eggs with yolk, egg whites are ok)

Fish of Choice (not fried or breaded)

Shrimp

Pork Chops/Loin Variations

Carbohydrate Source Examples:

Fruit

Beans (black, navy, pinto, etc)

Oats

Brown Rice

Whole grain (pastas, tortillas, bread, crackers, wrap, etc.)

Sweet potatoes or Yams

Sprouted Grains

Buckwheat

Barley

Quinoa

Couscous

Lentils

Edamame

Corn

High Glycemic Index (70+) Carb Sources For Post Training Meal Examples:

Kids cereal

Bagels

Low fat muffins

Low fat baked goods

Fat free candy

White potatoes

Mashed potatoes

White rice

White bread

Rice crackers

Fruit bars

Low fat biscuits

Instant oat porridge

Pop-tarts

Fat Sources Examples:

Avocados

Cheese

Sea Salted or Unsalted Nuts

Nut butters (Cashew, Almond, anything BUT Peanut would be ideal)

Oils- Extra Virgin Olive, Avocado, Extra Virgin Coconut

Seeds- Flax/Chia/Hemp/Sesame/Pumpkin/Sunflower, etc.)