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If you have started your fitness journey, then you probably understand how big of a role nutrition plays. Caloric consumption is important to monitor; the most efficient way to monitor intake is but keep a food journal (online app or handwritten). I see many people making an effort to track their food, but there are several mistakes people make when tracking that can halt progress. Research shows the average person under-reports their calorie intake by up to 50%. That is a huge discrepancy. The number one mistake I see is not weighing your food. If you aren’t weighing your food, you do not know how much to log. If you are not entering the correct portions, your food journal and actual calories consumed are going to be very different. And most people, especially beginners, are not very good at guessing their portion sizes. Do yourself a favor and take two minutes to weigh your food. This brings me to the second most common error… weighing incorrectly. You want to be sure to weigh all solid foods on a food scale and only use measure cups for liquids. When you weigh out your food, it should be weighed dry/raw/as packaged. For example, if you are cooking pasta or rice, weigh before cooking while they are dry. Once you cook them, the calories remain the same but it will weigh more due to added water. Also meats, vegetables, etc. should be weighed raw. Meats will lose water as they cook so if you weigh afterwards, you will be unknowingly consuming excess calories. Now, if you have packaged foods like pre-cooked chicken, then you weigh as it comes. The nutrition labels for foods are for as packaged.  Another common issue, whether intentional or not, is not tracking everything you eat. Snacks and nibbles here and there add up. You should be tracking everything you consume. This includes drinks, condiments, oils, etc. Oftentimes people get frustrated because according to their food journal, they are meeting their calorie goals; however, your body tracks everything, even if you don’t. Eating a few Hershey Nuggets of your bosses desk (50 calories each!), taking several bites of food while cooking, eating a spoonful of peanut butter (100-200 calories, yikes!)…. throughout the day, you could easily be adding hundreds of calories. So track every bite.
Something else that can cause errors in your food log is incorrect entries if you are using an app. Users can add foods; this means there is more room for entries to be wrong. I recommend scanning the barcode directly from your package into your app and verifying entries match the nutrition label. Track your food. Weigh everything and log it all. Verify entries are correct. By logging correctly, it is easier to decide if adjustments are necessary. Accuracy can make your fitness journey much smoother and keep your progress moving!
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 Oftentimes when people want to take steps to get in shape, they'll hire a coach to guide and hold them accountable- which is smart, especially for beginners.
 Nowadays, it is trendy to do keto for fat loss. All the magazines, fitness “gurus”, and celebrities are all about it so you may be wondering if you should give it a go. Let’s first discuss what keto is and how it works.
Keto is a very low carb, high fat diet with a majority of calories coming from fat. Usually less than 20 to 30g of carbs will be consumed daily in order to put you in ketosis. Ketosis means that your body will use its secondary fuel source, fat, for energy. Oftentimes, you’ll hear people brag that because they’re doing keto, they are using fat for fuel and therefore have become a lean, mean, fat burning machine! What people fail to keep in mind is that on keto, you're consuming large amounts of fat so your body will be burning dietary fat- not necessarily body fat. In order to lose body fat, a calorie deficit is still required. Does keto work for fat loss? Absolutely. Does keto work better for fat loss? Absolutely not. Can you gain weight on keto? For sure. All depends on your calorie intake. So what do I think of keto? Personally, I am not a fan for several reasons. 1. Carbs are your body's preferred source of energy. Lack of carbs can cause many people to become fatigued and lethargic. Food is fuel. Eat to perform. 2. I enjoy eating carbs. If you can achieve your goals without being completely miserable, then why not? If you equate fat loss to needing to be miserable, you are doing it all wrong. 3. I believe having a balanced diet is the healthiest. By cutting out carbs, you're cutting out a large variety of foods including nutrient rich foods. Remember, fruits, veggies, and grains are all carbs. Many people think of chocolate, cakes, cookies, etc when talking about carbs; what most fail to realize is those things are also half fats, not just carbs. 4. For me personally, keto (yes, I tried it in the past) is not satiating at all. Many carbs like rice, starchy veggies, or pasta keep me nice and full because they're pretty high volume and only 4 calories per gram. Fatty foods are 9 calories per gram and tend to be low volume. For example, 100g of dry rice is 365 calories and 100g of butter is 717 calories. Big difference. You may be thinking, “well what if I have a medical condition?” Ketosis has been beneficial for some people with epilepsy. Other conditions such as PCOS, insulin resistance, hyperthyroid, etc. do not need to be accompanied by a keto diet to improve symptoms. Now, this is not to say that a diet lower in carbs is not more beneficial to these conditions, because it can be, but extremely low carb intake or keto is not at all necessary. The aforementioned conditions can be improved by caloric restriction and exercise. I have had many clients with hyperthyroid, PCOS, insulin resistance, or that were peri-menopausal. These clients all had weight loss success and improved health markers by increasing activity and lowering caloric consumption. Keto is not going to create any faster fat loss than other diet. You might initially drop more water weight, but that'll soon even out. Time and time again, it's been proven that keto is neither superior for fat loss nor health. If you like it, do it! But if you have a hard time adhering to it, don't do it. Go with your preference. References Low Fat vs Low Carb for Fat Loss https://examine.com/nu…/low-fat-vs-low-carb-for-weight-loss/ Low Fat vs Low Carb comparison with matched protein https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15601961 Comparison of weight loss diets https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2763382/ Dangers of low carb https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14672862 Keto has no metabolic advantage http://m.ajcn.nutrition.org/content/83/5/1055.full (Summary) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16685046 Fat loss depends on energy deficit https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18025815  IIFYM or "if it fits your macros" is a flexible dieting style that allows for eating the foods you enjoy and still progressing with your fitness goals, whether that's fat loss or muscle gain. Basically you can eat whatever you'd like- in moderation of course.
In order to meet your macro goals, you still will have to eat whole foods. More than likely, it would be difficult to meet your macros without eating whole foods. This is not a junk food diet, but it does allow for treats in your diet. The point of IIFYM is to avoid food restrictions. Restricting certain food groups is unnecessary and what often causes people to lose control and binge once their "diet" is over. IIFYM is more sustainable for most people. It is recommended that at least 80 percent of your consumption come from whole foods. Macros (short for macronutrients) are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats; you track your intake of macros while following IIFYM. Eating enough protein preserves muscle mass, fat assists with hormonal health, and carbs are used for performance and energy. Macros makeup calories, so tracking your macros is just advanced calorie counting. You can achieve weight loss by caloric deficit alone, but tracking macros can help achieve better body composition and increased energy. Low carb is not necessary to achieve fat loss. Neither is avoiding certain foods. Yes, you can have bread, white rice, white potatoes. Just meet your macros. Using an app like MyFitness Pal will be very helpful. Weigh your food on a food scale (this is important) and enter your portions into MyFitness Pal. The app shows you exactly how many grams of each macro you have eaten. Make sure to look at the grams NOT percentages. Planning ahead is very important. Planning your meals ahead of time will help keep you on track and consistent. 🔹I created a meal planning guide to help macro newbies- if you want a copy, subscribe to my blog and I'll send it to you.🔹 Focus on the basics and remain consistent. Hit your macros and exercise. It does not matter how many times a day you eat. Doesn't really matter when you workout. Preference and adherence is what matters! Need your macros calculated? Get them here. Be sure to join my free Intermittent Fasting & Flexible Dieting Facebook Group! I often have people who are struggling to achieve the body they want ask how to lose fat. These are the five most important things you want to focus on when trying to lose fat: 1. Calorie Deficit. You will NOT lose weight without a calorie deficit. You must burn more calories than you consume. People often ask what they should eat to lose weight. Well it really doesn't matter too much. What people should be asking is how much they should be eating. Eat whatever fits your preferences, as long as it keeps you in a deficit. 2. Adequate Protein. Calorie deficit is the number one thing to focus on for weight loss. The thing is, weight includes water, fat, and muscle. To preserve as much muscle as possible and lose more fat, you need to consume sufficient protein. You want to be sure you eat enough protein, especially while in a calorie deficit. 3. Strength Training. Strength Training is important, even during the fat loss phase, because it helps maintain muscle mass. There's no such thing as "tone"; "tone" is muscle. Unless you want to achieve a skinny fat look, keep lifting those weights. 4. High NEAT or Some Cardio. What is NEAT? It stands for Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. To achieve high NEAT, you just need to keep moving: take the stairs instead of elevator, bike instead of drive, daily step goal, etc. This will keep you burning more calories through the day. Walking on the treadmill after lifting or doing some form of cardio will help increase calories out also. Is cardio necessary? No. However, in addition to increasing calorie burn, it's also good to do some cardio for general health. 5. Overall Consistency. You have to continue doing these things consistently to achieve results. Don't give up after a week. Progress takes time. Do you have to be perfect? Nope. But you want to stay on track a majority of the time and eventually the changes will come! Now, if you want to know some things that AREN'T necessary for fat loss, read this ➡ http://ariellecrumblefitness.com/…/weight-loss-advice-you-can…   Whether somewhere on the internet, at the gym, or in a supplement store, I'm sure you've heard someone raving about their BCAA supplement. But what does science say about the usefulness of BCAAs? Well first, lets talk briefly about what BCAAs are. Protein is made up of amino acids. BCAA stands for branched chain amino acids. There are 9 essential amino acids, but BCAA refers to the three amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Since your body cannot produce BCAAs on its own, yes, you do need to consume them; HOWEVER, that does not mean you need to purchase supplements. BCAAs are found in foods such as chicken, fish, eggs, lentils... pretty much most protein sources. As long as you're getting adequate protein, you're getting enough BCAAs. So you may be thinking, "what if I don't get adequate protein?" My suggestion for that is to supplement with whey protein. Whey protein provides all 9 essential amino acids, therefore, would be the more optimal choice [1.]. What about the other benefits of BCAA powders though? The other fabulous things you've heard that BCAA supplement powders can do are probably false or exaggerated.. 1. Some people think they are useful while fasted or while doing fasted training. Sorry, but they aren't. Many people who do Intermittent Fasting believe they are going to lose muscle if they don't take BCAAs. Skipping a meal isn't going to kill your gains. Again, get in your protein in your eating window and you will be fine- No BCAAs necessary. Whether you train fasted or not makes no difference in body composition; you still don't need the BCAAs. [2,3,6,7} 2. Oh, by the way, if you are supplementing with BCAAs, you aren't fasting. For some odd reason, it is believed that BCAAs are calorie free, which is NOT the case. So for those of who chug these gallon jugs with BCAAs while "fasted"... yea, you're not fasted. BCAAs actually have around 6 calories per gram [4]. So for one scoop of BCAA powder, you're consuming approximately 60 calories (even though your nutrition label most likely says 0, or negligible calories). Loopholes in the FDA regulations allow manufacturers to list BCAAs as zero calories [5].  3. Another reason some people take them is because they believe taking them while training is beneficial and can improve performance. There is no scientific evidence that supports this claim. BCAA supplementation does not increase performance, strength, or athletic ability in any way. [6,8,9]
4.. A lot of people take BCAAs thinking it will cause fat loss, while some think it will promote extra muscle growth. The only way to lose fat is with a caloric deficit. Ingesting additional calories isn't going to magically make you lose extra fat. To build muscle, yes protein plays a major role; but science does not support the claim that BCAAs increase or speed up muscle gain. [7,10,11] The Bottom Line To put it simply just consume adequate protein daily. If you need to supplement to get sufficient protein, use a complete source such as whey. Science says there is no added benefit to taking a BCAA supplement when you hit your protein goal. Save that money and use towards your grocery bill. References 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22451437 2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27175106 3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25429252/ 4. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/52/5/770.abstract 5. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.36 6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15930475 7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20110810 8. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/5/2/36 9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18974721 10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28444456 11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18025815  When trying to lose weight, you may come across a lot of information online or from friends telling you the "fastest and best" way to lose weight and get shredded. They'll say "x" method is better and burns more fat or that you must eat "x" to lose weight.
But which information is useful and which isn't? Sometimes having too much info can be confusing and overwhelming. Since it can be difficult to weed out unnecessary information, I'll tell you right here what you can ignore and why. 1. "Do fasted cardio. It burns more fat!" No. It. Does. Not. Fasted cardio does not burn more fat nor is it more advantageous than fed cardio. There is nothing wrong with performing fasted cardio; I like fasted cardio personally. However, there is no research that concludes it is better. Some people have better performance and a more intense workout when they are fed. If this is the case and you feel worse working out fasted, you may actually expend fewer calories by doing so. For this reason, it IS recommended to do cardio whichever way your prefer: fasted or fed. [1] 2. "You should cut out carbs because they make you fat." Cutting out carbs is completely unnecessary. Carbs do not make you fat, excess calories do [2]. If you are eating in a caloric deficit, you will lose fat whether your carbs are low or high. There is no possible way you will gain fat, in a caloric deficit. That would defy the Laws of Thermodynamics. Low carb will not cause any faster or additional fat loss [3]. If low carb is your preference, then by all means, go for it. But if the thought of giving up carbs makes you cringe, then don't. Stick to a caloric deficit, get enough protein, and you will progress. It's unnecessary to restrict specific foods. It's the quantity of food that matters. You can gain weight eating low carb, or even eating only "clean" foods if you're eating too much. A sustainable plan is best because adherence and consistency is what produces results. I prefer a flexible dieting approach. You can get your macros to start flexible dieting, or IIFYM, here. 3. "Try to keep your insulin low. If it spikes, you can't burn fat!" This is so false, it makes me cringe. Your body only stores fat in a caloric surplus. If you eat in a caloric deficit, you will lose fat regardless of insulin levels [4]. One can have low levels of insulin and gain fat or high levels of insulin and lose fat. Insulin does not inhibit fat burning. Your insulin will pretty much spike any time you eat. Most people know that carbs will spike insulin, but protein is actually responsible for higher insulin levels. People will recommend eating foods lower on the Glycemic Index [5], but it's really irrelevant. Deficit = weight loss. 4. "You should carb cycle, it'll really shred fat!" While you can effectively lose fat while carb cycling, it isn't a necessity. It won't speed up fat loss. Carb cycling may be beneficial for those who want to eat more on training days and don't mind eating less on rest days. For beginners, carb cycling may be confusing and frustrating. Some people may enjoy a more simplistic, yet effective approach, You can achieve the same results with consistent macros that don't cycle. How, you ask? Well if you keep macros the same, lets say you eat 200g daily, then at the end of the week you will have eaten 1400g of carbs. Now lets say you carb cycle and eat 300g three times a week, 100g three times a week, and 200g once a week. That's still 1400g carbs per week. This is why results will be the same. Either way works, so do what you prefer. 5. "Eat this, take this- it'll burn belly fat!" Sorry, no specific food or pill will target and burn fat. Also detoxes are scams (unless you don't have a functioning liver) and do not cause weight loss [6]. Not much else to say in regards to that... 6. "You should eat every 3 hours to speed up your metabolism." Your metabolism doesn't work that way. Meal timing or meal frequency over the course of a day isn't going to change your metabolism. It does not matter if you eat once a day or six times a day. Eating more often will not induce additional fat burning or faster metabolism. This is why people are able to lose weight while doing intermittent fasting. [7] To achieve weight loss, the following should be your primary focus: a. Eat less calories than you burn. About 20-25% below your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is sufficient. b. Exercise. Do you have to exercise to lose weight? No. But you should. Great for your health and will help achieve your physique goals. c. Move more often. Take the stairs, take your kids to the park, walk on your lunch break. This will help burn a few more calories through the day. There's really no other tricks or secrets to weight loss. Just have to be consistent in your efforts and the results will come. References 1. Schoenfeld, B. J., Aragon, A. A., Wilborn, C. D., Krieger, J. W., & Sonmez, G. T. (2014). Body composition changes associated with fasted versus non-fasted aerobic exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 11, 54. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-014-0054-7 2. Strasser, B., Spreitzer, A., & Haber, P. (2007). Fat loss depends on energy deficit only, independently of the method for weight loss. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 51(5), 428-432. 3. Sacks, F. M., Bray, G. A., Carey, V. J., Smith, S. R., Ryan, D. H., Anton, S. D., … Williamson, D. A. (2009). Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates. The New England Journal of Medicine, 360(9), 859–873. http://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa0804748 4.http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/index.php/free-content/free-content/volume-1-issue-7-insulin-and-thinking-better/insulin-an-undeserved-bad-reputation/ 5. Raatz, S. K., Torkelson, C. J., Redmon, J. B., Reck, K. P., Kwong, C. A., Swanson, J. E., ... & Bantle, J. P. (2005). Reduced glycemic index and glycemic load diets do not increase the effects of energy restriction on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in obese men and women. The Journal of nutrition, 135(10), 2387-2391. 6. https://examine.com/nutrition/detoxes-an-undefined-scam/ 7. Bellisle, F., McDevitt, R. and Prentice, A.M. (1997) ‘Meal frequency and energy balance’, British Journal of Nutrition, 77(S1), pp. S57–S70. doi: 10.1079/BJN19970104.  Intermittent Fasting, or IF, is becoming more and more popular. IF is when you only eat within a 10 hour or less eating window through the day. During the other 14+ hours, you do not eat or drink any calories. You can choose whatever time frame and time of day that is convenient for you. Many choose to do at least 16:8 (16 fasting hour, 8 eating hours). Also commonly used is 14:10, 18:6, 20:4, and 23:1.
There is also alternate day fasting, or ADF, which can consist of 5:2 (5 days of maintenance calories and 2 very low calories fasting days) or 4:3 (4 maintenance days and 3 very low calorie days). Generally, low calorie days consist of 500-600 calories. Ideally, you should stick to the same time of day so that you can adapt to fasting. Overtime, your ghrelin (hunger hormone) will adjust and you will not have as much of an appetite outside of your eating window. Choose the time frame that works best for you. I prefer to eat from noon to 8pm; I skip breakfast, eat lunch, and eat a big meal with lots of carbs prior to bed to fuel my workouts in the morning since I workout fasted. (No, it is not necessary or better to workout fasted (1) and carbs at night don't make you fat (2)). During your fasting hours, zero calories should be consumed. Calories break your fast. You can, however, have water and other zero calorie drinks such as black coffee (NOT bulletproof, as it contains hundreds of calories), diet soda (no, it won’t make you fat or sick (3,4), tea, and sparkling water. You can add zero calorie sweeteners to your beverages, if needed. Do not drink BCAAs during your fast. They are NOT calorie free. Yes, your label is wrong. BCAAs are approximately 6 calories per gram which can equate to about 55 to 65 calories per scoop. Not only do they break your fast, they are unnecessary. Eating adequate protein during your eating window will provide you all the BCAAs you need (5.6) IF does not work on its own for weight loss. There is no extra fat burning component. If you eat 1500 calories while IF, you will get the same results as if you ate 1500 without IF. It is simply a tool used for adherence to your calorie goals. If your goal is weight loss, you must eat in a caloric deficit (7). If you want to gain weight/muscle, you need to be in a caloric surplus. This is why I practice IIFYM in conjunction with IF. So what are the benefits of IF you ask? For me there are quite a few:
For those who are overweight, IF tends to help with staying in a caloric deficit; caloric restriction causes weight loss which improves health markers. Caloric deficit will result in autophagy, improved insulin sensitivity, and fat loss. Other than health benefits derived from caloric restriction, there are no other proven health benefits- at least none in humans yet. But is IF harmful? No (8). Unless you are consistently under eating for extended periods, there should be no adverse effects on health or hormones. You’re probably wondering if your metabolism will slow since you won’t be eating every 2 to 3 hours. No, it won’t. That is another myth. You don’t boost your metabolism by eating more often and it won’t slow down by eating less often. Meal timing/frequency does not affect metabolism (2). Some may be wondering about the effects IF may have on muscle retention or growth. You can build muscle with IF. As long as you get adequate protein and do some strength training, you can preserve or grow muscle. I get all of my protein in two meals. Don’t worry about protein being discarded if in excess of 30g in one sitting; this is another myth (9). IF is a great tool to have in your arsenal. Personally, I do 16:8 daily and believe it is great to use in combination with IIFYM. For more info or support, join the official IF & Flexible Dieting Facebook group --> https://www.facebook.com/groups/IFandIIFYM References 1. Schoenfeld, B. J., Aragon, A. A., Wilborn, C. D., Krieger, J. W., & Sonmez, G. T. (2014). Body composition changes associated with fasted versus non-fasted aerobic exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 11, 54. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-014-0054-7 2. Bellisle, F., McDevitt, R. and Prentice, A.M. (1997) ‘Meal frequency and energy balance’, British Journal of Nutrition, 77(S1), pp. S57–S70. doi: 10.1079/BJN19970104. 3. Grotz VL and Munro IC (2009). An overview of the safety of sucralose. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19464334 4. Marjorie L McCullough,* Lauren R Teras, Roma Shah, W Ryan Diver, Mia M Gaudet, and Susan M Gapstur. Artificially and Sugar-Sweetened Carbonated Beverage Consumption Is Not Associated with Risk of Lymphoid Neoplasms in Older Men and Women 1–3. The Journal of Nutrition. October 2014. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25342696 5. Dieter, B. P., Schoenfeld, B. J., & Aragon, A. A. (2016). The data do not seem to support a benefit to BCAA supplementation during periods of caloric restriction. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 13, 21. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-016-0128-9 6. Balage M, and Dardevet D. (2010). Long-term effects of leucine supplementation on body composition. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20110810 7. Strasser, B., Spreitzer, A., & Haber, P. (2007). Fat loss depends on energy deficit only, independently of the method for weight loss. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 51(5), 428-432. 8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26384657 9. https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-can-i-eat-in-one-sitting/ |
AuthorArielle is a certified fitness trainer, certified sports nutritionist, fitness enthusiast, and bikini competitor who has been involved in fitness since 2011. She also is studying for her Doctorate of Health Science in Nutrition and Exercise Science. Archives
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