General Nutrition

What is nutrition

When I start training a new client the biggest barrier to their success is nutrition. It always seems that a person will let me put them through a very challenging workout but they will not let me dictate what they can eat. Food it seems has a very powerful connection that is hard to change.

Over time I AM able to change their habits but it is really hard to do.

So let me write this article, as I would talk to my clients.

First and the most important component of nutrition is discovering what your BMR is (Basal Metabolic Rate). There are multiple sites on the web that you can enter in specific information and uncover your BMR. Basically, your BMR is the absolute minimum calories you need to take in EVERY day to satisfy your bodies operating requirements “if you do absolute nothing per day but breath etc.” And I have to tell you that 75% of all of my clients that are trying to diet do not come close to their BMR. When one takes in fewer calories then their BMR they are going to keep gaining weight. This is biological science. You cannot fight the laws of nature! So for ¾ of my clients, I need to tell them to eat more. Well, you can imagine how that goes. But for the clients that heed my words - they discover weight loss is rather easy. Give the body what it wants and it will regulate your weight, as it should. Of course such things a thyroid issues etc. can prevent this but for the most part the statement is true. You need to eat to lose weight.

Get your BMR reading ASAP and start eating at least that to be successful in your weight control goals. Don’t do it and the statistics will be your enemy and you will not lose the weight you so eagerly desire.

CARBS:
So many of us have had it drilled into our heads that CARBS are bad and yes, the simple carbs are bad (sometimes) but complex carbs are what your body uses as fuel. Cut them out and you will suffer – I promise you that. You will suffer with reduced energy (muscles use carbs as their fuel source and you cannot change that). So what is the recommended carbs per day for a healthy individual? 125 grams a day but optimally it should be 350 – 400 grams or 55 – 65% of your daily caloric intake. After an intense workout the recommended carb intake is simple carbs. A bagel or white bread is actually a good thing to refuel your muscles.

FAT:
No more then 25 – 65 grams a day or no more then 25 – 30% of your daily caloric intake.

PROTEIN:
No more then 50 to 70 grams per day or 12 – 20% of your caloric intake. The media has conditioned us to eat more protein for greater muscles size etc. We have been introduced to the Atkins Diet that states that protein is good. And yes you will lose weight by increasing your protein intake for the short term but of the long term you will gain all that weight back. Don’t take my word for it - there is 10 years of solid science to back up my claims.

WATER:
Though no study to date has established an absolute requirement I do believe that 1-ounce of water per body pound is solid and safe. Again, this is based on solid science of what normal bodies require.

Some of you reading this article are going to snicker and do what they always do but for the few that heed my advice I will be hearing from you about how you finally lost that weight.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT
Perfect You LLC