Hey there RawFitnesser’s!!
Let’s talk nutrition! Oh, if I had a dollar for everytime I was asked how much protein, carbohydrates, veggies, fats should I be eating with each meal…well, I wouldn’t have many dollars! Why? People don’t ask because they think that just because they’re eating healthy foods for each of their meals, their daily consumption is right on track for the goals they want to achieve…for the most part, this can result in frustration because these people aren’t seeing the results they thought they’d see.
Don’t go out and buy some scale to weigh your food, this will likely drive you crazy…and who has time for that!!! It’s all about the macronutrient ratios in each of your meals. Macronutrient ratio? The ratio of protein to carbohydrate to fat in each meal. And I break carbohydrate into ‘starchy carb’ (whole food, unprocessed, ex. oatmeal, sweet potato) & ‘veggie carb’ (greens, salad, broccoli). Fats should be ‘healthy’, unsaturated, no trans fat, think omega-3’s!
First, start journaling everything you eat and drink throughout the day. Use an online food journal like www.fitday.com to help calculate your daily totals of calories, protein, carbs & fats. I’d love for you to journal for the rest of your life because it really helps people stay consistent with their diet, but I know this may be unreasonable to ask. So, commit to journaling for 3-4 weeks. By the end of 3-4 weeks, it will come natural. You will know how much & what to eat daily for your meals to stay within your daily caloric goals and macronutrient ratios of protein (35%-40% total daily cals.), carbs (30%-45%), and healthy fats (20%-25%). Down the road, if you feel like you’re ‘relapsing’ and getting off track with diet, start journaling again to get your butt back on track!
Second, use smaller plates!! Here in the U.S. our ‘average’ plate sizes just keep getting larger and larger, and we keep filling them up with more and more food and our daily caloric intake keeps gettin’ higher as well as those waistbands! Use smaller plates. A general rule, your protein portion should be the size of your palm (minus your fingers!), your ‘veggie carbs’ should be the size of your 2 hands cupped together, and your (un-processed, whole food) ‘starchy carb’ portions should be no more than the size of your ONE clenched fist. Protein sources should be lean & low-fat, make sure that your daily diet includes at least 20% healthy fats.
Third, as I’ve already stated…macronutrient ratio for each meal is important. Start your day off with a healthy breakfast! And yes, it should include each one of the macronutrients (protein/carbs/healthy fats). Good example 1/2 cup oatmeal, 4 egg white w/spinach omelete, fish oil supplement. Try to include your ‘starchy carbs/grains’ (like oatmeal) to your earlier meals. Your body needs the fuel from the starchy carbs to get through the day, and also this way you will burn off those carbs by dinner. Eat for what you will be doing NEXT, this applies to the macronutrients. I eat a hearty breakfast (protein:starchy carbs, ex. oats & protein powder) to fuel my morning workout…and then eat a somewhat lighter lunch (protein:veggie carbs, ex. steamed veg & egg white omelete) because I will be working at a desk for a couple hours and somewhat sedentary…my dinner is light as well (protein:veggie carbs), because…guess what? I’ll be going to sleep soon after and don’t need as much ‘fuel’. Depending upon your workout program, daily activity level and goals, your macronutrient ratio will differ from the next person. But as a general rule, heavy weight lifting programs & goals to gain lots of lean muscle? You’ll NEED protein to recover those muscles & carbs to refuel the glucogen stores you lost during your workout so you can have the stamina for the next days workout, so don’t starve yourself of these macronutrients. Trying to shed the fat & slim down? You’ll still need to lift weights because you need that lean muscle to keep your metabolism up and burn fat, but you may be doing a less intense weight lifting program & more cardio, so your need for protein and starchy carbs will be a little lower & your diet should consist of lots of ‘veggie carbs’, moderate amounts of lean proteins, and low-to-moderate healthy fats. Keep fats lower but not below 20% & make sure they’re healthy fats!
I know this is a lot of information, and you may be like…what the hell are you talking about?!?!?!? To simplify, some general rules on portions for different types of food are below. Also, contact me at nmeconi@customizedpt.com if you’d like an individualized nutritional plan & exercise plan for your specific needs & goals. For those that have that drive and motivation to stick to a plan but just need a little ‘jump start’ because they aren’t sure what their diet & exercise should be, my ‘Jump Start’ program I offer is a perfect fit for you. Inquire at nmeconi@customizedpt.com for information regarding my ‘Jump Start’ program or other personal fitness training services offered by Raw Fitness!
General Rule for a Single Portion (taken from my fav site, bodybuilding.com)
- Cereal (1 c.) = a baseball
- Salad Dressing (2 Tbsp.) = a shot glass
- Nuts (1 oz.) = a cupped palm
- Cheese (1 oz.) = a ping-pong ball
- Lean Sirloin Hamburger (3 oz.) = a mayo jar lid
- Peanut Butter (1 tsp.) = one die
- Beef (3 oz.) = a bar of soap
- Rice (1/2 c.) = an ice cream scoop
- Potato/Sweet Potato = a computer mouse
- Butter (1 tsp.) = a Scrabble tile
- Fruit (1 c.) = a tennis ball
- Cooked Pasta (1/2 c.) = a golf ball
- Fish (3 oz.) = a checkbook
- Chicken (3 oz.) = a deck of playing cards
As always, good luck on your endeavors! – Nat –
Warrior Girl Fitness 