I completed all of my homework for the day much earlier than I anticipated, so now I'm sitting here waiting for Erica to finish with her classes so we can go to the gym.
I've wanted to do a write up like this for a while, and now the time seems right. This isn't meant to be all inclusive, but a general overview of where we are currently at for a natural weight lifter. This article is about essentials rather than an exhaustive list.
This is my evaluation of the optimal diet, where the health and fitness field is, and developing the diet that is best for each individual. To preface this, I'm not suggesting that everyone is a unique butterfly and needs a totally different diet from everyone else. We all need water, carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, and various other micronutrients for optimal functioning.And, if we miss certain micronutrients certain days, our muscles won't dissolve and we won't destroy our metabolism. If this was the case, our ancestors would have died off long ago. The human body evolved with periods where certain micronutrients weren't available, and even in environments where certain macronutrients weren't available in optimal quantities. Micronutrients are important, but if you aren't always perfect with them, it's likely to have a negligible effect on your health and gainz. There are however subtle differences among people, and most pertain to diet adherence.
Next. For the most part, our population (weight-lifters) benefits most from around 1g/lbBW of protein. Recently there have been studies suggesting slightly higher intakes may be beneficial, but this hasn't been substantiated yet. As far as MPS (Muscle Protein synthesis) goes, this is the number for most natural lifters, but there are other factors to consider besides MPS when developing your diet. Surprisingly, fat intake has less evidence of optimal amounts for the weight lifter, however, the evidence that exists suggests that about 30% of total daily caloric intake should come from fats. This leaves the rest of our caloric intake to carbohydrates. Even though carbohydrate composition is VERY secondary to mass or strength goals, it does have some effects on health. One should consume roughly 15g of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed, more is fine, less should be avoided, but again, consuming less will not be detrimental if it happens every now and then. IF you are gravely concerned about your micronutrients, feel free to take a multivitamin everyday, even though current studies don't suggest much of a benefit when there aren't demonstrated deficiencies. One way to think about a multivitamin is that it is cheap insurance, but either way, it probably won't make or break you.
Why IIFYM is retarded
The concept of If It fits Your Macros itself isn't retarded at all. In fact, it is well grounded in current research. What it states is that body composition is largely dictated by macro partitions and energy balance is the sole dictator of weight loss or gain. However, IIFYM is no longer understood in this way by most people. IIFYM is now understood as a diet you can adhere to that will deliver you optimal health and perfect diet guidelines from super fat all the way to competition time, and this just isn't the case. Most pro-IIFYM'ers that decide to debate "clean eaters" suggest that a clean eaters obsession with clean foods is unhealthy, but I'd suggest that obsession with perfectly hitting macros every day is just as unhealthy. I see people skipping out on friends restaurant invitations because they wouldn't be able to measure their macros, or people obsessing over perfectly hitting fat and protein. This is just as bad as clean eaters, and may detract from someones general goals of health.
The optimal path to take for dieting is that of Flexible Dieting backed with research. Perhaps having a 100% consistent daily macronutrient intake creates optimal conditions within the body for progress, but if it has the effect ruining adherence like clean eating often does, then it obviously isn't the best option. True flexible dieting should include occasionally messing up your daily macros, it should include accepting invites to go out to eat with friends, and it should include never barring a food as a possibility for consumption based on perceived clean or dirtiness. However, you can be a flexible dieter and still bar foods from consumption on other grounds. If, for example, you know that eating sugary breakfast cereal is going to make you ravenous in an hours time, you should probably stop eating sugary breakfast cereal and replace it with a more protein/fat rich alternative. If binging on veggies or chicken breast all afternoon makes you far too full to eat anymore food come night time, and you far undershot your daily calorie quota, then you may need to cut back on the mid day veggie and chicken consumption.
Most people have heard many meal timing myths. There is some evidence of benefits to meal timing, but most are irrelevant to us. Meal timing and number of daily meals has no effect on BMR. Meal timing CAN effect hormones controlling satiety and appetite. Meal timing may have MINOR effects when centered around training sessions for the average weight-lifter. Adhering to daily macronutrient quotas is far more important than ensuring you have a meal around training time.
For the average weight-lifter, these suggestions should be adequate. When we are dealing with the severely obese, or people in contest mode, these suggestions can change...A LOT. When considering your diet, make sure it is one that can fit your lifestyle. If you know that you will way overdo your carbs if you don't plan your daily meals out, then you need to start planning your meals out ahead of time. If you know that you tend to run out of time to eat at night, you need to start eating a greater percentage of your calories earlier in the day. Most importantly, the optimal diet is the one that you can stick to, and if that means being flexible with any of suggestions I gave, than so be it. And most most importantly, your daily exercise is FAR more important than your food choices, and is far more important than perfect adherence to your macros.
Anything I missed, anything you want to know. post it up.