Thursday, February 22, 2018

Macros and Muscles

What did you eat yesterday?

Did you intake enough carbs to fuel your workout for optimal performance?  Did you eat enough protein to maintain or build muscle?  Did you make sure to eat enough fat for good health and energy? Did you meet the calorie requirement for your body composition and activity level?  

Do you have any idea?  

I do.  

For the past month I have been eating differently and I'm so excited about it.  

I have been following a flexible eating program, which means I can eat ANYTHING I want...as long as it fits in my "Macros".  

mac·ro·nu·tri·ent
ˌmakrōˈn(y)o͞otrēənt/
noun
BIOLOGY
  1. a substance required in relatively large amounts by living organisms, in particular.
    • a type of food (e.g., fat, protein, carbohydrate) required in large amounts in the human diet.

No more starving, no more paleo!  No one can tell me that I can't have beans, wine or pizza if I can figure out how to fit it into my daily macro allotment.  My biggest challenge is letting go of the idea of eating low carb.  It was so ingrained in me.  I have learned that carbs are essential and important to athletes.  I have added bread back into my daily diet to help me meet my carb requirement and that is very exciting to me.  :) One night I even had to eat pretzels after dinner to hit my carb number!  That is so unlike me and was such a treat.  I feel like I am treating myself all the time now to get to my numbers, and yet I'm still seeing results!

My journey all started with a body composition analysis.  I stood barefoot on a special scale with my arms outstretched, holding special handles.  About 30 seconds later I had a full report of the breakdown of my body...fat percentage, muscle mass, water weight, how much each arm and leg weighs, and the EXACT amount of calories my current body needs to function.  No more guessing or estimating.  This was all powerful information.


From there my nutritionist, Rose Colleran of The Flex Eating Plan, and I decided that based on my results my goal would be to build muscle.  She then considered the kinds of workouts I do and how many per week to estimate a number of extra calories I would need, and then distributed them evenly throughout the week. Now I had my final appropriate caloric intake number.

I've counted calories before.  This is different.  My mindset is different.  In counting calories I was constantly trying to deprive my body and I would get tired of doing it and stop.  With flexible eating/macros I am trying to fuel my body.  If I don't eat enough protein I know that I am not maintaining or building muscle.  If I don't eat enough carbs I know that I am not going to perform my best.  If I don't eat enough fat I won't feel full or have the energy or overall health I desire.

I am empowered and excited by the science of nutrition, and accurate numbers based on my current body composition.

I use the My Fitness Pal website/app to track my food daily and it is easier than I thought it would be.  There is a barcode scanner and a place to copy and paste whole recipes.  I actually find it fun.  Trying to complete the puzzle of protein, carbs and fat each day is a little like a game of Tetris.  Some days are better than others and I have yet to really nail it consistently; however just trying to hit my numbers has helped me already.  In one month, which included Christmas and a gluttonous trip to Disney, I am already seeing results.  I lost .8lbs body fat and gained 1.3lbs of muscle (more muscle means more calories to eat)!  Note that my weight went up to cover the muscle and water needed for that muscle so if I didn't have this scan I would be down on myself for gaining weight, assuming it was fat, even though I feel extremely strong, lean and energized.  I am finally accepting that the number on the scale alone does not matter.  I am 6 lbs over my personal "ideal" weight but I feel better now than I do at that weight.


I have tried many different ways to eat, but this just feels right, and feels maintainable.  It just makes complete sense to me, my body and my life.

Update:  In my next scan a month later I gained 2.2 more lbs of muscle and lost 1.2 more lbs of fat - down to 13.4% body fat.

If you're in the Boston area and interested in a body composition analysis or just want to learn more about macros, contact Rose Colleran at rose@reebokcrossfitmedfield.com.