How Should Your Fitness Goals Drive Your Nutrition?

The 90 Day Summer Challenge is underway! As I mentioned in an earlier post, JT of Entice and I are embarking on this thing together and have some slight differences in our goals for the 90 days. So how should your specific goals drive your nutrition?  That is a really good question! You see many people believe, and naturally so, that if they want to be fit they need to eat less and workout more. People also believe that all they really need to do is count calories and as long as they stay below their burn rate and as low as possible, they will loose weight.  Unfortunately this is not exactly true or the equation for success.

I spent years limiting food, counting calories, and doing a fairly large amount of cardio only to watch my body composition slowly and continuously erode. Blah Blah Blah, so what's the secret you ask.  Well before I get down to it, we need to figure out your goals.  This is the hard part because you really have to be really honest with yourself and that can be challenging.

Are you trying to get lean or are you trying to get mean?
Do you really want to gain muscle or loose fat?  Many people will say they want both, JT falls into this category.  If you are fairly fit, already working out, and eating well then choosing a hybrid is OK.  There is however a trade off in doing so. How you eat and workout for these two different trajectories can be a bit different and trying to balance both means a little inconsistency from day to day.

Getting Lean is the Goal
For someone that has not been Paleo or on the fitness band wagon for a while, their goal should probably be to get lean.  This is really a whole lot easier than you might think.  Part of the reason Paleo works is because the whole natural foods you are eating are nutrient dense giving your body the essentials it needs to regulate hormones, generate energy, and function as nature intended.  The following are a few extra guidelines that can help you ensure a successful challenge.

• Eat strict Paleo for the first 30 days and the whole 90 if you can, check out My Paleo Philosophy it will give you some good initial lanes in the road.
• Keep cheats to a minimum. If you are just starting out a couple cheats a week are just the thing to keep you from quitting but once you have the hang of things try to avoid cheat meals as much as possible. When I first started Paleo, a few cheats on the weekend translated into a full week pause on my progress.
• Don't eat too little or too much - Count your calories for a day or two to get an idea if you are in the general range for your sex and weight.  I have used caloriecount.about.com for this, it has tons of foods and is easy to get fairly accurate numbers. Don't go more than a couple hundred calories under your estimated burn rate. If you are under fed your body's stress response will cause you to store fat and feel sluggish.  If you are eating too much then bring your calories down to a reasonable level to start burning into the fat.  
• Watch the fruits and treats - Paleo is a carb agnostic diet but if you are new to Paleo you will likely be eating significantly less carbs. You will need to find foods to snack on and since your old snacks are off limits inevitably you will begin to explore the realm of Paleo treats. Just because it is Paleo does not mean that you can eat as much as you want. Don't eat 5 bananas a day. Don't eat 5 Lara bars a day or even 1. Be smart about the treats and avoid the "It's Paleo so I can eat as much as I want" syndrome that many fall into.
• Cardio Fueling - Cardio that is not overdone, along side weight lifting, and a strict Paleo diet can produce spectacular results.  However, if you are under fed then cardio sessions can cause additional unnecessary stress that can sabotage your progress.  Make sure you are eating enough and giving yourself adequate post workout nutrition if you are doing any significant cardio.
• Keep your fridge stocked - There is nothing worse than getting a week or two into Paleo and not having enough food.  This is a recipe for, order a pizza it's going to be a cheat day.  Get extra veggies, eggs, and high quality meat.  If you find yourself weak, fry a quick egg, or make a salad.

Getting Mean is the Goal
I have been Paleo for 9 months and during that time I have leaned out pretty substantially.  So the next 90 days for me is to get mean and add some muscle.

• Don't worry about body fat - If you really want to gain mass you will be gaining some fat on the way. If this makes you uncomfortable you should probably reconsider your goal.....I am beginning to reconsider my goal. 
• Eat more protein, be sure to get between 1 and 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight
• Spike insulin post workout and time your carbs to post workout and evening meals
• Eat more - Most people on Paleo especially those in their first month or two tend to under eat. Count your calories for a day or two and see where you're at.  I have used caloriecount.about.com for this, it has tons of foods and is easy to get fairly accurate numbers.  If you are going to gain muscle you have to take in some excess calories to build that muscle.
• Keep it clean and under control - While you are in the process of eating more be honest with yourself and don't let things get away from you.  If your lifting schedule is lax then dial back the calories a bit.  Just because you are eating more doesn't mean you should fill up on Paleo, or worse non-Paleo, treats.
• Cardio Fueling - If you are doing cardio in addition to lifting then you should limit the cardio as much as possible to avoid eating into your muscle gains. Be sure to up your carbs to cover those cardio sessions.
• Lift heavy - enough said lift heavy weights

Give me the Best of Both Worlds

If you are trying to gain muscle mass and lean out then you have your work cut out for you.  While there are a lot of similarities the primary difference in the two is how much to eat.  You will need to find a balance between ramping up calories for muscle gain and keeping calories in check for leaning out.  One can easily compromise the other. You will need to watch your food much more closely then if you were going one way or the other and timing your foods will be important.

A Few Must Do's for Everyone

• Take Pictures of yourself.  Pictures will give you the best indicator of your progress.  Try to wear the same thing and take the picture in the same location.  Take a side and front shot every week or two. You may not see changes during the first couple weeks but I bet you do after the first 30.
• Take Body Measurements.  A full set of body measurements are another great indicator of progress. Measurements can require a little interpretation since some may be increasing due to muscle gain while others may be decreasing.
• Don't worry about the Scale. If you have extra body fat you are likely to see significant drops on the scale but that won't be the case for everyone.  Some will lose slower and some will gain muscle quickly effecting the bottom line on the scale.  This is why the pictures and measurements are important, the three taken together will give you a good idea of what's going on.
• Get body fat measurements - Getting a body fat measurement at the start and end will give you something solid to measure your success.  Don't rely on your scales body fat function, they are terribly inaccurate. Try to find a bodpod in the area or someone that does caliper measurements. ACAC and  UVA's Exercise Physiology Lab have bodpods and will take your measurement for a fee.  The bodpod is great because it gives you a lot of additional information. UVA's Exercise Physiology Lab has additional services as well, check this post on my visit there.

If you are in good health and want to drop some fat or gain some muscle a Paleo program is a great way to get you there.  Paleo has not only worked for me and my family but now I have seen it work for many other people I know personally.  Don't forget to get a thumbs up from your doctor before making any major shift in your diet or fitness program and please don't hesitate to ask me any questions while you are on your way to tackling your goals!

Thanks!

Chuck