Macro Nutrients Explained...

RossMcallister94

PROTEIN:

Protein is required in order to grow new tissue and maintain existing tissue. Aside from water, protein is the most abundant molecule found in the human body. It comes from the Greek word "proteios" which means "of first rank importance". Protein exists in all cells of the body and is the major structural component for all cells found in the body, particularly muscle. This fact also extends to include body organs, hair and skin. Protein is also used in membranes such as glycoproteins. Once they have been broken down into amino acids, they are used as precursors to nucleic acid and vitamins. Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are involved in every biological process in the body. Hormones and enzymes are also formed from amino acids which are then used to help regulate metabolism, support the immune system and regulate other body functions.

Finally, the formation of blood cells also requires protein. For all these reasons, maintaining the required amount of protein to cater to your needs is crucial. As you can see, a protein deficiency will not only affect your ability to maintain/grow muscle tissue, but if not properly supplied, your body will be forced to pull the necessary protein-related nutrients from your vital organs, blood, muscle, etc.

CARBOHYDRATES:

Carbohydrates are basically sugars and starches. The body breaks carbs down into glucose molecules through digestion. Once broken down they can be used as energy (glucose) and fuel your brain and muscles. If the body is not currently doing physical work and has no significant need for glucose, it is then converted into glycogen and stored in the liver and muscles as an energy reserve. The body can store enough glycogen to last the average person about half a day. If the body has more glucose than it is able to use for energy as well as too much to convert to glycogen, the excess is converted to fat.

Carbohydrates, though not needed by the body, are the preferred fuel for the brain, nervous system and skeletal muscle. There are three major classes of carbohydrates: monosaccharides (simple sugars), disaccharides (two bonded monosaccharides) / oligosaccharides (more than two simple sugars) and polysaccharides (the most complex carbs).

FATS:
Also known as lipids, provides energy for the body as well. It also supports every important process occurring in the body from building new cells to regulating hormone production. There are three groups of fat: saturated fat, unsaturated fat and trans-fatty acids. Unsaturated fat can be broken down further into monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat.

Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble, meaning they can only be digested, absorbed and transported in conjunction with fats. Fats are also sources of essential fatty acids, an important dietary requirement.

19juanita72

Thanks for the info. Very informative. Maybe you can help me with a question I have. Is it a bad idea to workout before I eat breakfast?

belimawr

Thanks for the info dude, very helpful.

ReformedFatty2015

Thanks for the info. What would be the best balance/combination across Protein/Carb/Fat for those of us looking to lose weight?

I've read and been told advice about lowering carb intake and upping protein. I think I read that you should aim for 2g of Protein for every pound of your over all body weight.

Sadly, I'm not very well informed or experience about health - only started taking an interest in eating better this year - so I could be getting confused. I think the equation suggests you also need to take into account your lean body mass or was it your total body fat percentage?!

Anyhow, somehow or other you can get a good starting figure of how much protein you need per day. Wish I could work it out for my personal needs - ditto how many grams of Fat or Carbs I should consume alongside the Protein figure.

Sorry, I'm rambling. Thanks again for the info

RossMcallister94

Actually, @19juanita72‌

Fasted cardio in the morning is effective because as you sleep and fast overnight your body conserves its precious carb stores and leans toward mobilizing fat for fuel. However. Your body also breaks down amino acids into glucose overnight, so fasted morning cardio mobilizes more fat and potentially more amino acids for fuel, which isn't ideal if building muscle is your primary goal. This isn't a huge problem as long as you consume a fast-digesting protein like whey, along with some slow-digesting casein, after your cardio.

And personally I do Lean Gains 18/6 Intermittent Fasting.

RossMcallister94

@ReformedFatty2015‌

Sorry, I'm no Nutritionist. So i can only let you know about MY personal experiences, I believe everyone is different in what there body can process, I have close friends i know are also natural who can eat what ever they want. And still look great! They have great genetic i suppose and some how manage to use more OR maintain Kcal than the amount they eat.

Ive lowered my Carbs before but like everyone else im human and my body started to crave them, i think the best starting point is first of all finding out how many calories YOUR body needs to maintain, you find great calculators online. And set your macros between 30/40/30 to 40/40/20 Carbs/Protein/Fats. Take note of your weights, stick to this religiously for 2 weeks then weight yourself again to see if you have maintained, lowered or gained. If you have gained or maintained drop your Kcal slightly say 200 and re evaluate after another 2 weeks. I believe in eating balanced meals and not falling for any fad diets or ways of eating. play around with your macros and find out what works for YOU!

The protein GDA for a male i think is 55g per day.
I eat alot more than that, i usually eat between 180g - 200g, I think to gain or maintain muscle you need around 1g/lb total body weight is recommended, BUT maybe this works for me and not you, play around!

Through experience, what works for me is a slight deficit, balanced diet, CLA and exercise, i also do IF sometimes

ReformedFatty2015

Plenty for me to think about there and yes, I too advocate trial and error to see what works best for me. Thanks you again