Nutrition help??

[hooch110]

Ok, I just found this app about a week ago now and I have been using it for a week and a half as part of my routine. I am trying to make it work for me however I have many questions regarding nutrition as well how my eating and workouts work together. First let me say this I am a cook and work with fresh healthy ingredients every day, I workout everyday as well. I understand the basics and some details on nutrition from culinary school but my real question is, it seems as though it makes no difference as to what I eat. In the past and currently I see no changes. I am not sure I understand what i am doing wrong. Let me explain my position if I can.

If my body requires a specific amount of calories everyday in order to just survive (Basil Metabolic Rate) than a calorie consumed is a calorie burned regardless of where the calorie comes from. In other words if my BMR is 2198; which it is, if I wanted to remain constant, and sustain my current condition than I would have to consume 2198 calories everyday. No more no less regardless of the origin. Now if I consume 500 calories less everyday than my body would require its self to dip into its stores of calories (Fat) for energy, there for I would be burning 500 calories a day without lifting a finger. Again, if a calorie is a calorie burned what does it matter, then, where it comes from.

Outside the facts of macro and micro nutrient necessity, why is the emphasis on all nutrition and eating plans based on concepts of only consuming these macro-nutrient rich foods? If I only need to consume less calories than what my body requires.

[OptikaNET]

Mostly what you say is true, but as with anything else, it's not always that simple.

For example; the body prefers to burn carbohydrate, lacking this it will burn fat. In extremis it will burn protein. Some level of metabolism of all three of these is going on all the time. Part of the reason weight Trainers maximise the amount of protein they consume is to ensure that protein is available in excess.

Now, during weight training, damage is done to the muscle fibres and this kick-starts the process of repairing and strengthening those fibres. This is what causes muscles to grow. The presence of an excess of protein helps amplify this process so that that growth is maximal, given the stimulus. However, if the diet is poor in carbohydrates and great demand is put on the body (ie during exercise) then the body must meet that energy demand and if it can't do so with carbohydrates it must do so from fat reserves and from protein. If protein levels are not in excess then this can interfere with the growth process.

There is evidence that by ensuring most energy calories come from fat, this puts the body into a fat-burning "zone" where body fat will be consumed. Restricting carbs helps ensure that the body stays there. This is the basis of Ketosis diets and the "Atkins" diet, although there is some evidence that this only works in the short term.

The whole system is complex and what you need to remember is that different macronutrient ratios have an effect on the body's hormones. For example; eating a carbohydrate rich meal stimulates the production of Insulin which is responsible for regulating the blood sugar. Lots of carbs means high-blood-sugar, so Insulin spikes to mop this up. On the one hand this can be problematic since this can cause blood-sugar to temporarily "crash" causing early-exhaustion during exercise, however Insulin also has muscle-building properties.

By preference, the body will store fat rather than burning it. If calories are in excess then the carbs will be used for energy and the fat simply stored.

So if you are trying to build bulk, then you want an excess of protein and an excess of calories; but if that excess is in the form of fat then you will simply become fat. If the excess is in the form of carbs then the excess will still be stored in the form of fat, but because it takes energy to convert carbs to fat, you will store less fat than if the calories were in the form of fat to begin with.

I am grossly oversimplifying in all of this, but I'm just trying to illustrate why the ratios can be important and why a calorie is just a calorie - except when it isn't!!!

As a rule of thumb, though, if you are trying to lose weight and if your calories are in deficit then you can expect to burn them regardless of whether they are in the form of fat or carbs. It is preferable not to push the body into burning protein as this can hinder muscular development.

Kind Regards
Dave

PS... I have the feeling that this post is hideously un-scientific but I don't have the time just now to make it more accurate!!!