Nutrition plays a very vital role in getting the results you want from your fitness training program. Often times you will hear people talk about the importance of having the right macro nutrients. So what do they mean when they talk about these? They are referring to the amount of calories you get from protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
There is no set amount that works for everyone, but there are general guidelines that can be followed depending on what your goals are.
For someone that wants to shed fat, those amounts will be different compared to someone that is looking to put on size and muscle mass. While it's true that a chicken breast does have protein, carbs, and fat, there are different programs that can break down how much of each category on in a particular chicken breast.
So where do you start? Often times it's said that if you are over 12% body fat; it's a good idea to follow a fat shredding plan. With this plan you will probably be running a caloric deficit. Meaning that in a typical day, your normal activities such as breathing, walking, and everything else you do besides working out, you would burn around 1800 calories. Now keep in mind this is different from everyone.
A construction worker will need more calories for his normal daily activities than someone who sits at a desk. So if you need 1800 calories to get through your daily activities, plus you work out and burn 500 calories during your workout, you would need 2300 calories to get by.
However you don't want to get by and stay the same weight, you want to burn more calories than you are taking in. So you might be between 1800 calories and 2000 calories. Now that you know that amount, it is recommended by many that 50 percent of those calories come from protein, 30% from carbs, and 20% from healthy fats. So if you need 900 calories from protein, how many grams is that? Well one gram of protein is 4 calories.
So you would need 225 grams of protein in your meal plan. If you need 540 calories from carbs, you would need 135 grams of carbohydrates. One gram of carbs is also 4 calories. One gram of fat however, is 9 calories. So 360 calories from fats would amount to only 40 grams.
Once you are at the body fat percentage you like, and now you would like to add some mass. The percentages that you are after are different, along with the amount of calories you want to consume. If you were consuming 1800 calories before, now you might be after 2400 calories.
At that point some suggest changing your percentages to something like 35 percent protein, 35 percent carbs, and 30% fats. Since you are at a higher calorie intake you are still getting plenty of protein, but you are also taking in much more carbs. Keep in mind that these are just basic guidelines and everyone may need to adjust these amounts for their particular situation.
All this being said, the fact that you are watching your diet, and going through a fitness training program means you are taking the right steps to a happier, healthier, better looking you.
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