Sweet and Spicy Macros

What’s the deal with protein?

If you’ve ever swiped up on your favorite Insta Influencers, then you have probably gotten a calorie number for fat loss. I bet if you have tried several different calculators then you have gotten several different numbers. Confusing right? Let me try to explain why.

First, they are all just an educated guess.

Calorie calculators take your age height and estimated body fat % to estimated how many calories your body uses on a daily average. They are using your BMR which stands for Basal Metabolic Rate. Your BMR is the amount of energy your body uses to stay alive. Your Internal organ functioning like breathing and blood pumping to your organs. This is the amount of calories you would burn even if you slept in bed all day. This number gradually decreases as you age. You can combat the decreasing process by building more muscle mass with resistance training. This is why men can often eat more, they naturally have more muscle mass so their BMR is higher. Simple as that.

The next part of the equation is TEF which stands for Thermic Effect of Feeding. This is the amount of energy that your body uses to chew, digest and process food into energy. Protein has the highest TEF rating. So when you eat a diet high in protein it not only keeps you fuller longer but it actually burns more calories than any other macro when you eat it.

Next we have NEAT or non exercise activity thermogenesis. Hand talking, fidgeting, pacing, these are all NEAT movements and count for a lot of our energy expenditure. This is going to be impossible to calculate in a calorie calculator. you can’t really enter, 1000 toe taps a day. This is why tracking steps is so important. It helps you get moving throughout the day, not just during your workout.

Finally we have EAE Exercise Activity Expenditure. Your workouts. Unfortunately, this only accounts for about 10% of your daily energy expenditure. This is why a lot of people are unsuccessful at their weight loss attempts. They fail to understand the calories they should be eating They start running or doing some cardio videos. Thinking that they worked out so hard, they reward themselves with a treat meal. Most people over estimate their energy expenditure and under estimate their calorie intake. Nutrition is the driving factor in weight loss.

Now where does protein come in?

Being in a calorie deficit can lead to muscle loss, but the more muscle we have the higher our BMR is. So we want to do everything we can to preserve as much muscle as possible while losing weight. Protein is essential to muscle building. It drives muscle building amino acids to our muscles signaling muscle adaptation (growth). By eating higher protein, especially in a deficit, you can maintain more muscle and lose more fat while dieting.

So how much protein should you be eating?

The recommendation is approximately 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass. Calculating lean body mass is done by taking body weight minus body fat. Now, finding body fat percentages can be confusing and, often the method to measuring it are inaccurate. An easy way to find out how much protein you need is to use your goal body weight. So if you are 200 pounds that may mean you need around 140-150g of protein daily. Older individuals need if more protein because after age 30 you are actively losing muscle mass at the rate of 1/2 a pound a year. This means at age 50 you will have 10 pounds less muscle mass than you did at age 30. So even if you weigh the same you would have gained 10 pounds of fat. Now, remember what I said about more muscle mass having a higher BMR? This is one of the reasons why losing fat as you age can be more difficult. All the more reason to up your protein and start a resistance training program! Notice I said training program, not just randomly doing exercises you see on Instagram? To properly build muscle you need progression. You need to get stronger on the basics like push, pull and squat. No idea where to start? I’ve got you covered! I have 3 month resistance based training programs for every training level, whether you are an avid gym goer or are new to lifting and want to workout from the comfort of your own home, I have something for you. If you are overwhelmed by all the information out there let me take all the guesswork away. You can join me for one-on-one online coaching by choosing my Personalized Program Design. This is where you get to work one-on-one with me. I tell you exactly what to do and how to do it. I’d love to have you!

Lean Protein Choices

Hitting your protein goals is by far the hardest thing for people to reach at first. Here are some of my favorite lean protein sources. I like lean protein so you can use your fats in other, more enjoyable places. Ice cream anyone?

96/4 Extra lean ground beef

Lean ground chicken

Chicken breast

Lean ground turkey

Tilapia

Scallops

Lobster

Shrimp

Salmon

Crab

Cod

Low-fat cottage cheese

Nonfat greek yogurt

Low-fat ricotta cheese

Fat free cheese

Eggs

Liquid Egg whites

Beef Jerky

Protein bars

Whey protein powder

Casein protein powder

Notice that Nuts and Nut Butters are not on the list. While they do have protein, I do not recommend using them as a main protein source. The calorie per gram of protein is significantly higher than the sources. Let’s compare 100 grams of peanut butter vs. 100 grams of chicken breast. 100 grams of peanut butter has a whopping 588 calories and 50 grams of fat. That is likely to put you over you allotment for fats for the day. Then to make matters worse, you’re only getting 25 grams of protein. Now you’re hungry AND frustrated. The better option is chicken breast which only has 165 calories for 100 grams, only 3.6 grams of fat and 31 grams of protein. Now you have an extra 423 calories to use and more protein. These are the kind of swaps that you may need to make. Pulled pork vs. Shredded chicken. 96/4 ground beef vs 80/20 ground beef. Instead of 2 whole eggs for breakfast, try 1 egg and 100 grams of liquid egg whites. I’m all about helping me clients find way to get to eat more food quantity for less calories. This is known as food volume. For some people, when dieting it is very helpful to have larger quantities of food to help them feel full. For some they prefer a higher fat diet because that’s what helps them feel satisfied. As long as you are getting enough protein, you can choose which option works best for you.

I hope I have given you some helpful tools to use in your journey. If you have any further questions please feel free to email me at anytime, I’d be happy to help!

Talk to you soon friends, Alica