Going out to eat is an adventure for Alissa and I, as we only eat at certain places, and will only order certain foods, so it should come as no surprise that many of our meal guests make comments on our nutrition plans. A relative was quick to point out that we should enjoy what we eat.

Well, I can tell you this much.  I enjoy what I eat, and I’m sure Alissa does.  The thing about it is, most people have forgotten something very important:

The first role of food is to provide nourishment, while the second is for it to please our taste buds.  I don’t eat any food that I don’t like, I eat healthier and cleaner than anyone I know, and it’s the strangest thing–  I enjoy the taste of what I eat.

. . .  Just try and remember the purpose of food.

We hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving, and normal updates will resume Thursday!

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We have in various posts gone over some of the ways to determine your body fat percentage and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which are essential things to know when changing your body.  All of my “working out” life I kept hearing how hydrostatic (Under water) testing is the most accurate for these specific things.  When Gabe’s brother found a truck that drove around and did this testing up in San Jose I took on the task of finding a truck locally to get tested at.  I found a truck and made my appointment.    I was very nervous / excited to get the test done.  I wanted to see how closely the numbers matched the numbers that we had figured out.

When I got there I was told to change into a bathing suit (Which I was never told to bring) and sit in the tank.  Luckily the lady running the whole thing had an extra swimsuit for me to wear–  That could have been awkward, otherwise!.  She then weighed me and took my height.  This is where it gets tricky for me.  She said that I weighed 5 pounds more than the last time I weighed myself, which was only 3 days earlier.  This could be explained by saying that the scale I use is off, but I weigh 10 pound weight every time before weighing to see if it is off… Then she said I was almost an inch shorter than I am…which I had Gabe measure the next morning to verify that she was in fact wrong. I digress… She explained the process, where I would lean back in the water completely emerging myself while holding my nose and blowing all the air out of my lungs.  We did this about 5 times and I was done.  I changed back into my clothes while she printed out the results.

Her results were only about 100 calories off from what I had figured on my own, but the body fat percentage was about 3% higher…which is a lot.  I am torn as to how I feel about it.  I think that because the weight and height were off all the numbers are off.  It is frustrating to me to pay all that money and test with the most “accurate” technology only to feel that she gave me the wrong info.  I can’t be sure she is wrong, but it just doesn’t make sense that for one morning only I would weigh 5 pounds more and be almost an inch shorter than normal.

I do realize for some people it is amazing and really helps them.  Please tell me your thoughts on this process and your experience!

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Someone asked me whether or not I drink, and I replied, “I enjoy it, and I used to, but now it just impedes on my goals, so I don’t currently.”  I gave them a brief explanation, and they didn’t really pay attention.  That’s okay, though, as they don’t have the same goals as I do, or as you may have.  There’s a running theme on this blog, and that is, if you’re trying to lose weight and / or build muscle, you should pay attention to this post–  To the perils of drinking.  Now, it’s worth noting that this is more important for those interested in muscle mass, but there’s information here for everyone.

Most importantly, alcohol halts the production of testosterone, and instead, promotes the flow of estrogen.  If you don’t know this already, it is impossible to build lean body mass without testosterone–  The reason why men are naturally more muscular is because we naturally have more testosterone flowing through us, and it’s easier for us to keep those levels high–  Those levels will plummet though, if you drink excessively, or on workout days.

Not interested in building mass?  Well, maybe you’re interested in developing muscle definition, or muscular endurance (Which is similar to cardiovascular endurance)?  It’s going to be rather difficult to build up your muscles in any way, whether it be for mass, strength, or endurance, when your body can’t synthesize protein.  What does that mean?  Protein synthesis is when your body takes all of the amino acids floating around in your body, and turns them into complete chains of protein, which are used to repair your muscles.  Alcohol consumption slows this process by as much as 20%.

Do you only care about losing weight?  Well, alcohol disrupts the TCA cycle (A.k.a. Citric Acid Cycle, Krebs Cycle, etc.), which is your body’s natural energy burning mechanism.  (A very, very long post about this will come some day.)

Another slightly indirect effect is that of your body’s natural growth hormones (nHGH), which are at their highest levels early in your sleep cycle.  While alcohol does not directly affect your nHGH, it does effect your body’s sleep cycle, which can lead to the disruption of the secretion of nHGH.

Do you know what an “empty” calorie is?  It is one with no nutritional value.  While beer and wine may have carbs, distilled spirits do not, so they add calories, but no carbs, fat, or protein to your day.  This will cause your macro-nutrient ratios to be off if you’re staying within your caloric goals, and will leave you lacking nutrients.

On top of all of this, alcohol drains your body of vitamins, minerals, and severely dehydrates you, which will leave your body lacking the nutrients it needs and not feeling as it should.  Keep in mind, as well, that your body does not recover in a day.  If you think that alcohol’s effect on protein synthesis won’t matter because you worked out yesterday, remember this:  It takes almost a week for a muscle to fully recover from an intense workout, and in that time, it is still repairing itself.

And one last bit of information. . .  Your body treats alcoholic calories with preference, which means, if you consume any carbs at all while you’re drinking, they are immediately stored as fat because they can’t be burned up until all of the alcohol you’ve consumed has been metabolized.

Now, I’m not telling you to stop drinking. . .   Just consider how much you’re drinking  (As some of these effects only occur with excessive consumption), how your body reacts, how you feel, and what your goals are.  There’s evidence to suggest that a single glass of wine will have no effect on Testosterone levels (And may be healthy for you), yet, I refuse to drink at all because I am so focused on my goals.

(It’s worth noting that, there are many other effects that drinking has on your overall health and goals, but these are the major issues.)

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Once in a while (Read: Constantly), I go into a supplement store . . .  I usually know exactly what I’m getting based on exhaustive amounts of research, or simply because I ran out of something.

Not pictured: The other cabinet and the Colostrum in the fridge.

. . .  Once in a while, I go into a supplement store and run into an over eager employee that wants to sell me on an $80 bag of protein.  The title of this post is “Consider the Source,” and that’s because you must, at all times.  We’ll begin where it makes the most sense, and we’ll come back to the $80 bag of protein.

When I first became interested in bodybuilding, I read a beginner’s guide that had two very important tips:  1)  Don’t listen to the really cut guy at the gym, and 2) Don’t listen to supplement companies.

Why would I not want to listen to the guy at the gym with the body I want?  Well, the article went on to say that 9 times out of 10, that guy is a Mesomorph (A post about body types will come!), who is just naturally very muscular, tan and lean. . .  And natural mesomorphs typically did not have to work very hard, if at all, to get the body they want.  Case in point, the guy who was telling a lady that bench press would cause her breasts to go away  (You may remember him from a previous post);  Whom also said that you shouldn’t eat any fat.  (If you’re looking to gain muscle, a third of your diet should be fat to maintain testosterone production)  The reason people ask him questions, though?  He’s cut, and looks great, while doing exercises that don’t do anything. . .  So automatically, people see him as credible.

Now, this one may seem kind of straight forward, but let’s just get this out of the way:  Supplement companies are. . .  Companies.  They’re looking to make a profit, so of course they’re going to tell you that everything they sell is amazing, and they’re going to tell you how much you need all of it.

Well, this goes along with my trip to the supplement store.  I had run out of L-Glutamine, a supplement that I’m a big fan of (Which does have naysayers), and went to the store to get some.  I had no idea where this particular place kept it, so when I was approached at the door, I asked for it.  The salesperson began asking me questions:  “Are you taking any other supplements?”  “What kind of protein do you take?” “Are you looking to gain weight, or gain muscle?”  Who would want to just gain “weight.”  I digress. . .  After answering her questions as we slowly meandered to the section, I spotted the L-Glutamine;  Unfortunately, it was behind her, and I had to listen to her sales pitch on an $80 bag of protein.  “This one is high protein, but low calorie, so it’s perfect for muscle building.”

Excuse me?  Muscle building is all about a caloric surplus!  I could go on about the other strange things this lady was trying to tell me, and sell me, but that’s not the point.  She was trying to make a sale.

Consider the source:  Should you listen to someone who’s just trying to make a sale?  Or someone who has not had to deal with trying to gain muscle and / or lose fat?  If someone knows nothing about nutrition. . .  Should they be the one giving you advice?

Consider the source before shopping, or asking people for help.

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This will be a short blog, but an important one none the less.  I want to remind everyone to encourage themselves and others in their environment.  It can be easy to give up or stop trying when we aren’t getting results as quickly as we might like, and that is why encouragement is so very important.  When you tell yourself you are beautiful and want to be healthy it helps to keep you motivated.  At the same time if you are encouraging others to maintain their diets/fitness programs it helps to keep you on track.  Also, if those around you are motivated they will in turn motivate and encourage you, it is an amazing circle of benefit!

So, my goal for you is to encourage yourself/someone every day, even if that means just simply smiling at yourself in the mirror in the morning and reminding yourself how amazing you are.

Keep going!! Success follows those who persevere.

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So, I’ve been asked before, how it is I know exactly how much of what I eat.  In posting the nutritional snapshot, I was precise in what I had at the end of the day.  When people at work challenge me on what is going into my body over the course of the day, I quickly pull out my Blackberry and open SparkPeople on my phone–  They’re immediately shocked by my reciting how many calories I’m eating, in addition to my macronutritional (macro) breakdown.

So, why is SparkPeople so great?  Well, let’s start off with a very simple fact:  If you’re planning on counting your calories, you need some place to write them down and track them.  In the early days of my counting, it was on an index card that I kept in my pocket;  It eventually evolved into a very basic app that only counted calories, but eventually, I needed a method for keeping track of my macro breakdown.  After browsing around on the Blackberry App World, I stumbled across SparkPeople, and there’s no way I could live without it now.

There are a lot of extra services that they offer, but the one that I utilize most (which we’re going to focus on here) is the food tracker.  Let me start by sharing that is available across most smart phone platforms, and if you don’t use it yet. . .  You should.  In addition to being a smart phone app, it also has the added advantage of a web interface–  This is perfect for me, as the amount of food I add while bulking takes far too long from my phone.  With the ability to add almost all of my food in the morning in just minutes, I can better prepare my food for the entire day, leaving the app as a quick reference and a way to track changes to my diet if things change throughout the day.

After downloading the app and registering, you’re faced with a simple question.  How much do you weigh?  After this, you’re faced with another question. . .  How much do you want to weigh?  After processing this information, SparkPeople will automatically setup your macro and caloric goals to optimally reach your goal.

. . .  But you’re not stuck with those options.  I adjust my goals weekly, and use a different macro breakdown than their default, so I can change that and the app adjusts everything accordingly.  +10 points, for sure.

In addition to the default items tracked (Protein, Carbs, Fat, and Calories), you have the option to track additional nutritional items.  Need to watch your Sodium?  Not sure if you’re getting enough Fiber?  These are all things that SparkPeople can help you track.

As far as the functionality of the food tracker. . .  There are two ways to go about it.  The first, is to use their meal plans.  Based on your goals, SparkPeople can actually give you very nutritious meal plans to help you on your way to those goals.

On the flip side, SparkPeople offers a massive database of food to begin with on your tracking–  Not everything is there, but most things are.  If you’re ultra anal, like me, you have the option to manually enter everything, as well!  The first thing that happens when I try a new food?  I enter it into SparkPeople;  In just a matter of seconds on the phone app, you can have it entered into your personal database, and you can have it in today’s meal planner / tracker.

If you’re like me, and you don’t adhere to the “terrible-for-your-body-3-meals-a-day” school of thought, you have the option to add different meals to your tracker, such as “Post Workout,” “Pre Workout,” and “Bedtime.”  You can do whatever you’d like, really–  An added bonus to the different “meals” in it is the calculation of what was in the meal.

I love breakfast.

This is just a basic overview of the app and it’s core functions.  The first place to start, regardless of your goals, is counting your calories. . .  And what better way to do it than with a powerful tool that will not only track everything for you, but can help you plan it all?

I emphasize the “planning” aspect, because this is what I knew I would consume by 8 AM. A post on the importance of planning your day will come.

In Part 2 of this review, we’ll go into the other services that SparkPeople offers, but for now, register with them, like them on Facebook, and get started on planning and tracking toward your goals!

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Welcome to Part 2 of a very important blog– The calculation of your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE / “Maintenance”), and eventual caloric requirements of your goals is where every person, regardless of their goals, should start;  It’s also a number that everyone should know but no one does.

In our last post on the subject, the aptly named “Part 1,” we went into great detail about the home calculations behind these numbers. . .  We left off right when it was getting good, though, and you may be asking yourself, “But Gabriel, how does my BMR tell me how much to eat LOL?”  Well, here’s how it works:

Hopefully you’re aware that you need a caloric surplus in order to gain (lean) mass;  Conversely, you need a deficit in order lose (adipose) mass.  If you’re not already aware of that, there you are–  You’re welcome.  With that in mind. . .

If you’re planning on gaining lean body mass, you’re going to need to eat a very specific amount of calories over your TDEE, otherwise, you won’t achieve the goals you’re setting out for. Bodybuilders and personal trainers used to say that 500 calories above your TDEE, regardless of who you are, would build a pound of lean muscle mass per week.  There has since been research to prove that, if bulking naturally, this is nearly impossible, and you will instead gain a fair amount of fat in addition to lean body mass.  A better guide to follow (That is gaining momentum) is the 10% rule–  That is, you only adjust your caloric intake + / – 10% of your TDEE.  While bulking, this helps promote a healthy ratio of lean mass to fat gain, as fat gain is nearly unavoidable during a natural, clean bulk.

To use myself as an example, my TDEE is currently 2,850 KCal.–  10% above this is 3,135 KCal;  As such, I’m eating between 3,100 and 3,200 for my bulk right now, to maximize muscle gains while bulking.

So that’s great about gaining mass, but what happens if you’re looking to lose fat;  A.K.A.  “Cutting”?  Have you ever heard of the 500 calorie rule?  Well, it goes hand in hand with what we were discussing above.  When losing weight, you need to create a caloric deficit.  You can be extreme about it, but that is very unhealthy, and will lead to a massive loss in lean body mass. . .

So here’s what to aim for when cutting:  Either 10% below your TDEE, or 500 calories below your TDEE–  The rationale behind them is the same.  10% below is optimal for maintaining your muscle mass while cutting the fat away, whereas 500 calories below your TDEE may eat away lean body mass in addition to the fat.

Now, some people may ask why they would want to maintain all of that muscle mass;  Why not just create an extreme caloric deficit to lose weight quickly?  First off, it’s unhealthy to starve your body, and this method only works for so long before your body rebels. Also, keep in mind that muscle burns more calories than fat, so this is something that you want to keep on you body, but more importantly, muscle is shape!  Have you ever seen someone who is very skinny, but has zero definition on their body?  You can avoid that.

I digress. . .

To use myself as an example, we already know that my TDEE is 2,850 KCal. . .  If I were to begin a cutting phase now, I would eat between 2,350 and 2565, the lower bound being my minimum caloric requirements while the upper bound would be my actual goal.

So, after calculating your TDEE with Part 1, and after reading your post, you can determine how many calories you need to achieve your goals!

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Alissa:  I would have to say that one of my biggest problems over the years with trying to lose weight has been staying consistent.  I would try a diet / exercise program for maybe a month or two then decide it wasn’t working and switch to something else.  Of course, in between switching “diets,” I would take a cheat week here or there.  I was never getting the results I truly wanted–  I was far too impatient. It wasn’t until about 5 months ago that I actually decided that no matter the results I wouldn’t give up on my healthy lifestyle.

I have had to change things up here and there, but I am primarily consistent.  I had hernia repair surgery last October and was bedridden for about a month afterward.  During this time I gained 10 pounds, and I was determined to lose it.  It has been slow, but steady progress.   It has taken 5 months, but I have lost that 10 pounds;  And I don’t plan on every going back to an unhealthy lifestyle.  I love knowing exactly what I will be eating every day, and knowing exactly what I am putting in my body.  I feel so much healthier and happier!  My “small” jeans fit again, which is incredible!

It can be hard to feel like your efforts are doing you no good;  It can be hard watching everyone you know eating whatever they want and enjoying it. . .  But after you choose to make a lifestyle change, and determine to stay with it no matter what, you will see and feel the benefits.  You will probably fall off the wagon a few times, and you know what, that is just fine.  As long as you get right back on.  In the near future I will discuss the importance of cheat days. . .  Till then, be well!

Gabriel:  Also, (While slightly on subject) keep in mind, it’s not a “cheat day” if you do it every day, or often.  The less frequently you “cheat,” the better your results, and the more a “cheat day” actually means.

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This is the most important question you must ask yourself when it comes to starting any health / fitness routine, and is an important number to know regardless of your lifestyle. How many calories do you need?  Well, there are many different answers to this single question, and it all starts with two formulas that calculate you BMR.  “What’s a BMR,” you ask? Well, BMR stands for “Basal Metabolic Rate,” and it is the amount of calories your body burns simply by existing over a 24 hour period.  After you’ve figured out your BMR, you then multiply that number by an “Activity Multiplier,” which will tell you how many calories your body burns in a given day.  More on this later, though. . .  On with the formulas:

The Harris – Benedict Formula

This is the most widely used equation for calculating BMR, as it relies on information that people typically know.  While it is very accurate, it can be completely inaccurate for the overly muscular, and the overly obese.  The equation is:

Men: 66 + 13.7x + 5y -6.8z | Women: 655 + 9.6x +2.8y – 4.7z

Where “x” is your weight in kilograms, “y” is your height in centimeters, and “z” is your age. As an example, let’s say you’re a 24 year old, 6 foot tall male weighing 180 pounds;  The equation would read as follows: 66 + 13.7(81.81) + 5(182.88) – 6.8(24) | After you’ve run the equation, you’re left with 1,938 calories.  Remember that number–  We’ll be back.

The Katch – McArdle Formula

This is a lesser known formula for calculating your BMR, but it also happens to be the most accurate, because it only relies on your lean body mass (LBM), which is what requires fuel in your body. This equation is not used as often because most people are completely unaware of their body fat percentage, and thus, they do not know their LBM.  So, how do you find out your LBM?  Buy some calipers, or ask a personal trainer to find out your body fat percentage (In the case of our hypothetical 180 lb. man, 11%);  Multiply your weight by the percentage (180*.11), and you will know how many pounds of fat are on your body.  Then, subtract that from your weight, and you have an LBM.  Covert that to metric, and then plug it into the following formula:

Men & Women:  370 + 21.6w, where “w” is your LBM in kilograms.  According to this, our 180 lb. man has a BMR of 1,943 calories.

Now, comparing the two, 1,938 to 1,943, you can see that they’re both similar, which is why the Harris – Benedict Formula is a perfectly acceptable for you to start–  But now, we need an activity multiplier. . .  After all, a BMR is the amount of calories your body burns existing, not moving.

By default, you have to multiply your BMR by 1.2 to get your “Total Daily Energy Expenditure” (TDEE), because getting out of bed, using the restroom, and eating all require calories.  If you’re more active than a couch potato, though, you use the following guideline to determine your activity multiplier:

Default / Sedentary = BMR * 1.2 (Little to no exercise, nor activity)

Lightly Active = BMR * 1.375 (Light exercise 1 – 3 days per week; Active job)

Moderately Active = BMR * 1.55 (Moderate exercise / sports 3 – 5 days per week)

Very Active = BMR * 1.725 (Hard exercise / sports 6 – 7 days per week)

Extremely Active = BMR * 1.9 (You’ll know if this is you.)

Our 180 lb. man that we have been using in this experiment works out 6 days per week, doing 3 days of hard weight lifting and 3 days of light cardio–  This would put him in the “Moderately Active” group, which brings his TDEE to 3,012 calories.

So why do we use an activity multiplier?  This is done to take the guess work out of your calorie counting–  Rather than guess how many calories you burned weight lifting, and the calories burned standing on your feet at work, this tried and true method does the work for you.  From there, you determine how many calories you need in relation to your goals, which will come in part 2 of this blog!

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