If you are ready to cut through the nonsense and learn how to fuel your body so you lose fat, build lean muscle tone, and look and feel your best, keep reading..
Section A. Calories – First and foremost, we need to understand that calories are a unit of measurement of energy, that is all. We burn calories by breathing, brushing our teeth, folding laundry, replying to emails, doing lunges, digesting food, etc. Calories keep us alive, so as you can imagine, the calories from healthy foods are going to make us feel best.
We all have a BMR (base metabolic rate) which are the number of calories we would burn even if we never got out to bed. Most women I work with have a BMR of around 1200 – 1400 calories a day. This is generally based on our age, sex, weight, how much muscle we have (I’ll touch on this more briefly.) Then, when you begin to factor in the calories we use in our daily workout routines, our daily activities like driving and showering, and the calories we burn digesting food, this counts as our total daily energy expenditure. Most of my clients have a TDEE of around 2200 – 2800 calories a day! You can calculate yours here.
If we do not eat enough we cannot build muscle. So if you are skinny and wonder why you can’t see muscle tone or abs, you need to eat more to build muscle. (If this makes you nervous, HIRE ME! I can walk you through the process, step by step, explain things and guide you through the process.) But also, if you are under eating your body will get used to only running on 1300 calories a day, for example, and it will store the fat you do have, but also lower the rate at which you burn calories which sucks because it lowers your immune function, you will likely feel super tired and lethargic all day and ultimately risk burning out your adrenals. If you want your body to drop fat, it must feel safe enough to do that, and you can help it by eating more food. How much? That varies person to person, but I can help with this if you join #Commit2Fit!
Section B. Food Quality- When it comes time to choose what foods you will eat, you want to choose high quality foods. The things that come from the earth such as fish, eggs, pork, cabbage, squash, peppers, olive oil, avocado, walnuts, rice, beans, grapes, etc. These are foods that are meant for human consumption, so chances are our body will process them well and be less likely to store them as fat, but give us lots of energy to feel amazing so we can lift heavier and sprint faster. Man made foods like artificial sweeteners and potato chips are more likely to increase inflammation, cause gut irritation and will not help us lose fat and build muscle.
However, not all foods work for every human. Personally, my gut does not tolerate dairy well. I have a client who has high histamine levels so she needs to stay away from high histamine foods. Some of my clients tolerate gluten, some don’t. If you pay attention to what you are eating and how it makes you feel (yes, this means you need to slow TF down) you are likely to be able to figure a lot of this out on your own, but if it’s too much, you can hire me and I will help you! Either way, if you recognize when something “healthy” doesn’t work for you, try to avoid it and your body will thank you by decreasing bloat, inflammation and improving your digestion so your hormones can be happy and healthy and you can lose fat and build muscle!
Section C. Explaining Macros – Macros are macronutrients, simply put. Macronutrients are what food is made of – protein, fat and carbohydrates. Each one plays a vital role in our bodies.
Protein is what our body is literally made of. Our skin, hair, bones, muscle, organs – all protein. Our body uses the protein we eat to support the synthesis or these things, but also it’s great because it boosts glucagon to decrease the impact of insulin, which is a fancy way of saying, it decreases the chances of fat storage. Protein also keeps us feeling satiated and satisfied so we are full longer, and have fewer cravings.
Fat is great because on it’s own, has little to no affect on our insulin levels, which is why the keto diet works so well. (I am not pro keto.. in fact, none of my clients are currently in a state of ketosis, I was just saying that’s he science behind the diet. I’m not anti-keto either. It’s not my favorite because it’s kinda extreme and doesn’t create a healthy relationship with food IMO, but I support whatever makes people happy and healthy.) ANYWAY, fat is great because it helps hormone function and production which is super important for fat loss, and it keeps us satiated and satisfied. I find it very common that when a client has sugar cravings, the fat in her diet is too low.
Lastly, carbohydrates are great because they support muscle building. They are also great brain fuel, give us lots of energy, and they’re delicious. I mean, hello sweet potatoes and pineapple! But also, carbs are important for all of the micronutrients we find in them like the anti-oxidants in grapes and spinach, but also because it’s how we get fiber, and fiber is super important for gut health and hormone function.
Ultimately we want to get a bit of every single one of those macro nutrients, but how much of each varies person to person, which again, is why it’s helpful to have someone like me help you with this!
If you want individual help with these things, #Commit2Fit is open for enrollment. Go to commit2fitcoaching.com to learn more and join. Or feel free to contact me if you have questions!
Your Coach,
Kyra