Diet/Macronutrients

If you're wondering what type of diet I am on, continue reading:

I've lately been doing If It Fits your Macros (IIFYM) or some might call it "flexible dieting" type of eating! I love this diet due to it having pretty much NO food restrictions, meaning I can eat anything I want such as ice cream, chips, junk food, etc. as long as I hit my Macronutrient, Micronutrients, and Fiber Goals for each day.

Now I know some of you might be thinking, "What is a Macronutrient?" Basically, Macronutrients (Macros) are your essential nutrients your body needs. These are Fats, Carbohydrates, and Protein.  Moreover, you need to make sure you have adequate amount of micronutrients, which you can get from meeting your daily recommended intake of veggies and fruits, or take a daily serving of a multivitamin. Furthermore, you need to have an adequate amount of Fiber in your diet. It is recommended that you take 10g of fiber per 1000 calories you ingest, so if you are eating 3000 calories per day, your fiber intake should be 30 grams of fiber. I usually take 40-50 grams of fiber a day just to be safe, however just because a little bit of something is good for you, doesn't mean a lot of it is better. So don't go out there and eat 100 grams of fiber!

Now everyone is different and everyone will have different breakdowns in their intake of F, C, & P. Just to keep it simple, I'll tell you my breakdown, and if you want to know more you can ask me or just follow my example:

What you will need to calculate and figure out your Macros!:
1) BMR (basal metabolic rate) = this is the amount of calories your body needs to sustain LIFE! Meaning, if you sat around and did nothing all day, this would be the amount of calories you need to stay alive.
2) TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) = this is the amount of calories you need, depending on your activity level for the day.

(Now an easy way to figure out your BMR and TDEE is to visit www.IIFYM.com and use their online calculator. Go over to the "calculators" tab and then click on "TDEE calculator" plug in your information and hit "calculate.")

LIFE IS EVEN EASIER BECAUSE THEY HAVE A MACRONUTRIENT CALCULATOR FOR YOU TOO, SO YOU DON"T EVEN HAVE TO READ THE REST OF THIS BLOG IF YOU DON"T WANT TO.

3) Height = 5'8"
4) Weight = currently 177 lbs
5) Gender = Male
6) Body fat % (optional, but more accurate if you know this) = estimation of 10% (just to give myself some wiggle room)

Using the calculator on the site provided:
My BMR = 1934 calories
My TDEE =  2830 calories

REMEMBER THESE NUMBERS:
Each gram of FAT = 9 calories
Each gram of CARBS = 4 calories
Each gram of PROTEIN = 4 calories

So to maintain my weight with the current exercise activity I am doing everyday, I need to make sure I consume 2830 calories. If I want to gain weight, I should consume about 300-500 (3100-3300) more calories per day to increase weight by roughly 0.5-1 pound per week with minimal fat gain. If I want to lose weight I should decrease my daily caloric intake by 500 calories (2330), and lose about 1 pound per week.

Now the tricky part (not really)...Calculating your Macros (how many grams of fat, carbs and protein should you eat per day). These numbers will change accordingly to what you want to do, the way you workout, whether you're a weightlifter or endurance athlete etc. To make it easy, I'm providing info based on me. I love lifting weights and I lift hard and heavy. Therefore, it is recommended that weightlifters consume 0.8-1.25 grams of protein per pound of body weight. To make this simple, I'll pick 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. I weigh 177 pounds, so I should consume 177 grams of protein per day (we'll round up to 180g). 177lbs x 1 gram of protein = 177 grams of protein

The recommendation for fat is 0.35-0.45 grams per pound of body weight. I'll go with the middle number and pick 0.4. Again I weigh 177 pounds, therefore, 177 x 0.4 = 71 grams of fat that I should consume per day. 

Once you figure that out, you can do some math to figure out how many grams of carbohydrates you should consume daily. Now remember from up above, i mentioned to "REMEMBER THESE NUMBER"

So so far, I am consuming 180 grams of protein and 71 grams of fat
180 x 4 = 720 calories from protein
71 x 9 = 639 calories from fat

720 + 639 = 1359 calories from fat and protein. now if i want to maintain my weight, like I said above, I need to eat 2830 calories per day.

2830 - 1359 = 1471 calories left over. Divide this number by 4, and that will be your carbohydrate intake for the day.

1471/4 = 367 grams of carb per day

So my macros to maintain my body weight of 177 pounds to go along with my activity level are:
71 grams of fat
367 grams of carbs
180 grams of protein

Like you use to do in GRADE SCHOOL!!! CHECK YOUR PROBLEM (MATH) TO SEE IF YOU GOT THE ANSWER RIGHT

71 x 9 = 639
367 x 4 = 1471
180 x 4 = 720

639 + 1471 + 720 = 2830 calories per day! Bingo!!!!

Again if you want to gain weight add about 300-500 calories per day

To lose weight subtract 500 calories per day

To do this, don't manipulate your Fat and Protein intake, but manipulate your carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are not as essential as Fat and Protein, that is why we try to adjust the carbs instead. If you want to increase your caloric intake by 400, just divide 400 by 4, which is 100, meaning you would be consuming 467 grams of carbs per day to increase your calories per day by 400. Same goes to decreasing 500 calories. Just divide 500 by 4 = 125, so you would subtract 125 grams from 367 = 242 grams of carbs per day.

AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST THE BASIC RECOMMENDATIONS! NOT EVERYONE IS THE SAME!