Flexible Dieting & Metabolic Adaption
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Do you ‘Flexible Diet’? Or ‘IIFYM’ – “If it Fits Your Macros”?
Flexible Dieting, or IIFYM, is a great way to not feel restricted with your food.
You can be ‘Flexible’ with the food you eat.You can eat foods you enjoy!
But it doesn’t mean all you do is track your Calorie, or even Macro targets.
It doesn’t mean all you eat is Chocolate, Donuts, Burgers, chips, ice cream ‘as long as it fits your Macros’.
You need to still make sure you are eating a variety of foods, and making sure you’re getting your Micronutrients in as well as your Macronutrients!
Your overall ‘Diet’ should also include Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Nuts etc.
Why do I choose Flexible Dieting?
I don’t believe in demonizing food.
There is no ‘Bad Food or Good Food’.
It’s all just food.
It’s Just the QUANTITY of each types of food that you need to focus a bit on!
Metabolic Adaption
Metabolic Adaptation – This occurs when our bodies down-regulate certain metabolic processes (mostly in regards to our Energy Output).
When we are in a calorie deficit, our bodies try to preserve more Energy by not expending as much, or burning as much, energy throughout the day.
So let’s say for example, your maintenance calories are 2,000.
So for you to maintain your current body composition (To not gain, or lose any weight), you would need to consume 2,000 calories.
So to lose weight, you reduce your calories to say 1,700 and sit there for a few weeks until you notice that you’re not losing weight anymore.
Within that time frame, your body has down regulated.
You have stopped fidgeting as much, you have stopped blinking as much, you are subconsciously not moving as much.
This is your body’s way of preserving energy, until the point where now 1,700 Calories has you in not as much of a deficit anymore, or could be now your New maintenance calories.
So, you can now either increase your energy output (For example increasing Steps, introducing cardio), or you can reduce calories again.
Ideally, you do not want to play all of your cards at once and add in an hour of cardio each day, increase your steps and reduce your calories by 200-300.
Instead of taking that aggressive approach, try to stay ahead of your metabolism and slowly manipulate these variables to allow for not only a better body composition result, but also a sustainable result that isn’t going to affect your health and metabolism for the long term!
Article by Amanda Martin – www.amandamartinfitness.com.au
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Myth Regarding Carbohydrates
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Can I have Carbs after 6pm?
An old myth that is still believed in this day and age (as I am asked this question more times than I thought possible), is that eating carbs past a certain time will ‘make you store more fat’, or ‘not lose weight’, and this is simply not true!
Weather you eat a bowl of Pasta that is 300 Calories at 6am, or 6pm, it is still 300 Calories.
Firstly, Carbs are not bad for you!
If your goal is weight loss, you do not have to avoid carbs.
Just make sure that your total Calories have you in a deficit, because at the end of the day, the total Calories you consume will dictate if you lose weight.
The Macro breakdown will just determine how you feel on said Calories.
Please remember this.
The caloric value of Carbohydrate dense foods does not change because it is past a certain time of day.
As long as those carbs you are consuming past 6pm are totalled in to your daily Calories and you’re not consuming over them, then go nuts.
Have that bowl of pasta!
Article by Amanda Martin – www.amandamartinfitness.com.au
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What Are Macros?
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There are three Macronutrients and each of them play an important role within our bodies.
These are:
- Protein
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
Protein and Carbohydrates both have 4 Calories per 1 Gram.
Fat has 9 Calories per 1 Gram.
The three Macronutrients when added together provide the total amount of Calories we consume.
For example, let’s take a random person. To maintain their body shape, they need to consume 2,000 Calories per day.
And their Macro Split looked like this :
• 120g Protein
• 254g Carbohydrates
• 56g Fat
• 120g Protein x 4 Calories = 480 Calories
• 254g Carbs x 4 Calories = 1,016 Calories
• 56g Fat x 9 Calories = 504 Calories
If we take the above Calorie totals and add them up, you will find they equal 2,000 Calories.
* Please remember the above figures are not specific to anyone, and each person requires a different value dependent on their Age, weight, goals etc.
Article by Amanda Martin – www.amandamartinfitness.com.au
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