Basics of Nutrition
For nutrition, there are many types of frameworks one can take. For example, is the focus on losing weight, gaining mass, or maybe even both? Some seek to be “healthier,” and others are financially motivated. What I am getting at, there is many different “right” foods and methods, but it always depends on your goal. That may seem like a COP OUT, but it’s also very relevant regarding nutrition; for some of the basics, there are a few guiding principles for lifters to focus on when it comes to food.
First, what is food? Food is a fairly generic term used for the matter we consume for the sake of calories. A calorie is a unit of energy. We eat food to absorb energy to function in our lives; this includes breathing, walking, running, healing, thinking, or all of it. How much food someone should eat in a day is the same question as how much energy someone needs. With this in mind, see the blow.
Per one gram (g) of Macro Nutrients:
Protein = 4 calories
Carbs = 4 calories
Alcohol = 7 calories
Fat = 9 calories
With these facts in mind, if you need more energy, it’s easier to gain that energy from Fats. If you need less energy, you should avoid Fats. That is calories in their most basic sense. Humans are far from simple creatures. The human body is made to adapt and survive. It can store excess energy in the form of Fat cells. It also requires specific vitamins and minerals in fairly precise amounts to function. These factors cause differences in diseases and “health.” I continue to put “health” in quotes because it is vague.
“Healthiness” is a constant battle. It’s continuous with the body and its environment. Health is simply a snapshot in a moment. It’s hard to truly determine health as it depends on genetics, settings, mental status, etc., not merely nutrition, but I digress. That is for a different article.
The next part is how this affects weight gain or weight loss. Weight is just how much mass or matter something has. You can change yours by adding or removing clothes, water, food, hair, etc., which is easily inaccurate. You can change weight just by being in an environment with different gravity or simply drinking a glass of water. What I am getting at is that it is fickle. The point most people make regarding weight gain/loss is changing the amount of mass in their fat storage. This is the real focus on “Weight Loss,” not just looking at a scale, although that can help show change.
First, find your basal metabolic rate (use an online calculator). This is how many calories you would need in a day. Then subtract how many calories you want to cut, for example, about 500 calories to lose .5-1 lbs a week (this is a rough estimation depending on the person and lifestyle). This is usually enough to lose fat but not be overly cranky (or the other way around for bulking). When cutting or bulking, there are lifestyle changes that you will have to go through to compensate for the change, such as possibly poor mood, but again that is more for another article. Anything past 20-25% of your overall daily calories may be too much for people to sustain and uncomfortable. As always, test it and find out what works for you.
Maximize your hour in the gym and rest (mainly sleep) as much as possible. To do this, you can lean on tools to support you, such as programs, supplements, equipment, proper recovery, mindset… All the things that our website was created to help you with. We aim to support your fitness journey with these elements to get you to your dream goal. So dream big and get strong.
