In order to jump start with your meal planning, we must know the macros by heart. Say hello to your:
Carbohydrates (4 cal per gram) – when I say carbs, I mean green leafy vegetables!
Eat leafy greens to your heart’s desire. Limit other carbohydrates to less than 50 grams.
Proteins (4 cal per gram) – Broken down into amino acids that help regenerate cells.
For someone who’s goal is to gain muscle, protein intake must be at least 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight, 0.8 grams if otherwise.
Fats (9 cal per gram) – Helps with vitamin absorption and hormone production. Food for the brain.
I advocate leaning towards healthy fats rather than starchy/processed carbohydrates. Recent studies claim that carbs are not required in order for us to live, but we need good fats in order to function optimally.
Alcohol (7 cal per gram) – metabolized in the liver as “toxic substance”.
Drinking alcohol does not make you fat. Instead, it stops the metabolism of the other macros leading to fat gain. Accumulative alcohol and food intake can result to your “beer belly”. One glass of red wine is okay.
Basically, to achieve your total health transformation. You should be more knowledgeable in what you are putting in your body.
No, I don’t advise counting calories nor starving yourself to death. It’s a matter of the food choices that you make rather than calorie counting. Yes, weight loss is all about having a calorie deficit, but did you even consider having an optimized micro-nutrient number or having targeted macros to achieve your goals? My advice is plain and simple, cut down on the sugar, eat more healthy fats, avoid gluten containing food.
