My Daily Diet

One thing that I've always hated about losing weight is that folks always ask, "What do you eat?". The reason I feel this way is because I know that inevitably they will think that if they eat either what or like I do, then they will achieve the same results. Well, on the surface, this seems logical, but it's really not.

Learn the rules of the nutrition game and create your own eating plan. We all have different taste and likes. For instance, I like mayo and salsa on my eggs, and I use this same combination as my salad dressing! I'm sure some people will find this pretty disgusting, but I absolutely love it! So, this is why I seldom tell folks what I eat; however, I will tell you approximately how many calories I'm consuming and the macronutrient breakdown.

OK, to calculate my Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), I used the Katch-McArdle formula that uses a person's lean body mass to determine how many calories I require to stay at my current weight. So, I stand at 5'11 1/2'', weighing in at @ 190lbs, with a body fat % of 8%. My lean body mass (LBM) in kg is 79kg. Once this is plugged into the Katch-McArdle formula, my Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is calculated at 2,228 kcals.

Now, keep in mind that RMR is just one part of your TDEE. In addition to RMR, there is the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), or the calories it takes to digest the food that you eat, and your Physical Activity Level (PAL). Since your TEF only accounts for no more than 10% of your TDEE, it's safe to overlook it as it doesn't make that much difference in your overall weight loss.

To arrive at a good esitmate of my TDEE, I multiplied my RMR x a PAL of 1.55, which gives me a total of 3453 kcals. To reach my goal of getting lean (5% BF), I'm going to cut no more than 500 calories and look to burn no more than the same working out 5 days a week. So, I plan on taking in approximately 2800-2900 calories a day.

To figure out my daily macronutrients requirements, I used the formulas outlined in Anthony Colpo's Fat Loss Bible. So, I started with calculating my daily protein requirement by multiplying my LBM (79 kg) x 2.75 which gave me a total of 217 grams of protein daily. As far as my daily carb intake is concerned, I've decided to take in no less than 60g. and no more than 100g. a day. Now, this does not include the @ 55g. of Post-workout (PWO) carbs that I take in and don't count in my daily carb count. I know it sounds like I'm committing low carb heresy, but I believe my results will speak for themselves. So, what about fat? Well, I'll determine that after I figure out exactly how many calories my above protein and carb intake translate to.

Alright, so to figure out how many calories of protein and carbs I'll eat a day, I simply multiply the above number of grams times 4 since 1 gram of protein (and carb) equals 4 calories. Therefore, out of the 2900 cals. I'm going to eat here's the breakdown:

• Protein - 217 grams x 4 = 868 calories/day
• Carb - 60 grams x 4 = 240 calories/day

This gives me a total of 1108 calories. Now, the rest of my calories will come from Fat. So, I will consume 1792 calories from fat, which is approximately 199 grams. To get the number of grams, all you have to do is divide 1792 by 9 since 1 gram of fat = 9 calories. Here is how all my macronutrients stack up and what percentage of my diet they make up:

• Protein - 217 grams x 4 = 868 calories/day (29%)
  
• Carb - 60 grams x 4 = 240 calories/day (10%)
  
• Fat - 199 grams x 9 = 1792 calories/day (61%)

Well there you have it fellas. It may seem technical, but it's really not. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.