There is no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ diet
Q: I’ve found that most women are not sure exactly what to eat and in what quantities (low-carb, high-fat or average-carb, low-fat)? Could you perhaps offer a general guideline or rule of thumb for what a balanced diet should look like?
@laurasmithfit via Instagram
Question answered by Nicole Warburg, personal trainer at Virgin Active Constantia, online coach, and multiple Fitness champion. @livingfitwithnicole
It is important to remember that everyone’s needs are different. We also have individualized responses to different diets based on a number of factors, including our genes, our hormonal status, particularly our level of insulin sensitivity, age, activity levels, and our metabolisms. The ‘optimal’ quantities of each macronutrient will therefore depend on many different and often interrelated factors. Therefore, there is no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ diet.
The one variable that remains relatively constant in terms of its place in a beneficial diet is protein. We all need a baseline intake to support tissue repair and growth and a number of other important bodily functions.
However, the amount will vary based on your weight, body fat percentage and your goal. It has been suggested that you may consume as low as 0.8g per kilogram of lean body mass per day and as high as 1,6-2,2g per kilograms of lean body mass per day for those who train regularly with weights, or those who have greater recovery requirements, such as athletes.
The two other macronutrients are the ones that are most often manipulated in the name of improved body composition and/ or health.
In terms of your fat intake, the old advice of a low-fat or no-fat diet is outdated and downright unhealthy. That’s because fat is an essential nutrient as our bodies require it to sustain life. It is involved in a number of vital biological processes, including optimal brain function, the formation of hormones, and optimal endocrine system regulation, as well as the absorption of vitamins, among many others. Again, the right amount of fat for you is dependent on your weight, body fat percentage, and goal. It may vary a lot based on your total calorie consumption and whether you are in a caloric surplus or deficit. Somewhere between 0.6 – 0.8, g per kilogram of lean body mass is an excellent range to start.
In terms of your carbohydrate intake, it is generally suggested somewhere in the region 1 – 4g per kilogram of lean body mass is ideal. This range depends a lot on your current weight and insulin sensitivity. Those who are overweight or obese will generally achieve better results by sticking to the lower end of the carb spectrum and the upper end of the fat spectrum to improve their insulin response. Other factors to consider with regard to your carb intake are your current activity levels, your body composition, and your goals. Athletes, for example, need higher carb intakes to fuel high-intensity training and competition. In either instance, though, it is not recommended that you exclude any particular macronutrient group from your diet, as this creates deficits and is unhealthy and unsustainable.
When your aim is to lose weight, some people tend to focus solely on the calorie counting aspect of dieting. It is basic mathematics that if you burn more calories than you consume, regardless of the quality of the calories or the macronutrient ratios that comprise those calories, you will lose some weight, at least initially. However, the energy balance approach to eating and training fails to take into account the complex interrelationship that exists within our bodies with regard to how our food intake (or lack thereof), the quality of the food we eat, and meal composition influence our hormonal response. For this reason, over time a simple calorie deficit will become less and less effective unless other variables are manipulated. Accordingly, a focus on both the degree of your calorie deficit and the composition and quality of your macronutrient ratios will ultimately yield the best results.
More specifically, an inadequate protein intake during a calorie deficit will cause you to lose muscle, which lowers your metabolism. This means you end up burning fewer total calories each day the more metabolically active muscle tissue you lose. An inadequate fat intake, however, will negatively affect many of the hormones that aid weight loss and regulate your metabolism. Similarly, an extreme low-carbohydrate approach to dieting can also wreak havoc with your hormonal system and may also negatively impact your training performance. If this happens, you won’t be able to train at the intensity you need to in order to burn the most calories possible. So, while you can drop weight by counting calories, I really wouldn’t suggest it as the only dietary approach you employ. I would suggest you first strive to attain a healthy and balanced diet by focusing on consuming natural whole foods and omitting processed food items and manufactured foods from your eating plan. Once you have rid your diet of the poor quality food sources you can start to manipulate your macronutrient ratios to see how your body responds. Just remember to give each approach enough time to have an effect on your weight.
STRIVE TO ATTAIN A HEALTHY AND BALANCED DIET BY FOCUSING ON CONSUMING NATURAL WHOLE FOODS, AND OMITTING PROCESSED FOOD ITEMS AND MANUFACTURED FOODS FROM YOUR EATING PLAN.
As an an example, if you weigh 65 kilograms and you carry 20% body fat (65 x 20%), your lean body mass is 52 kilograms. So, if you were to consume 0.8g of protein per kilogram per day it would equate to 42g (52 x 0.8).
RID YOUR DIET OF POOR-QUALITY FOOD SOURCES AND THEN START TO MANIPULATE YOUR MACRONUTRIENT RATIOS TO SEE HOW YOUR BODY RESPONDS.