Why you should focus on timing of nutrients over calories and grams
It's pretty common as a dietitian to get asked "what is my upper calorie limit? Tell me how much food I am allowed to have with the amount of exercise I am doing." The answer to this seems like a simple calculation. Traditionally, it has been. I want to detract a little from numbers and precision, and get back to the big picture. Let's have a chat about carbohydrates, protein and fat in a whole day's context including a 45 minute resistance training session, and why this matters more than getting the numbers right.
It's really easy to get caught up in fat, protein and carbs, the ratios of all of them and how much is too much or not enough. And to be honest, the majority of people I see aren't eating enough carbohydrates, and are eating way too much protein, despite the perception that carbs are the devil and 'the more protein I eat, the more fat I'll lose and more muscle i'll gain', kind of mentality. If this resonates with you, then keep reading. Better yet, come in for a nutrition chat, and let's get you on the track to improving fitness and strength.
If I've said it 10 times, I'll say it 100 more, just counting your macros and having them fit in your day is not the answer. Do I want you to eat all three macros? Yes. Yes I do. But it's less about making sure they all add up and more about having those nutrients fuel your body for what you are going to put it through during the day. Just to be clear, I still want you to eat during your off days, holidays, rainy days, moving house days, and work days. Restricting your calories based on the previous day's meals or because of what's about to happen later on tonight is not a behaviour that will end up getting you results in the long term. If this is something you find yourself getting caught up in frequently and finding it affects your mood and thoughts, let's talk about it.
Ok, so let's look at why timing is more important than tracking the amount. Our muscles go through a constant cycle of anabolism and catabolism. That's a fancy way of saying our muscles are in periods of building up and breaking down. With each meal that we eat, there will be a spike of anabolism or building up. This is good, because it gives us a chance to replenish, restore, and refuel are muscles, and cells. Our body also releases insulin in response to carbohydrates. This is not a bad thing, like it's sometimes made out to be. The goal is to have a combination of the macro-nutrients throughout the day to aid in keeping blood sugars steady throughout the day, and maintain muscle maintenance and ideally promote muscle growth. Fat is also necessary because it helps carry other nutrients in the body. It's also responsible for hormone production, organ protection and keeps us warm. When we consider resistance training, which is a major stimulus that would make the muscles break down, this is a prime and necessary opportunity to give them protein AND carbs to prevent any muscle breakdown further than intended when you walked into the gym in the first place. The amount of protein for muscle growth in one hit isn't your 40g protein shake that are promoted without any evidence to support it.
After a stimulus from resistance training is achieved, you are burning fuel up to 3x longer after your session than doing cardio, This means we want to support muscle growth hours after your session. This is why I always recommend dairy before bed. The composition of dairy (carbs + protein + fat) is superior in MPS (muscle protein synthesis) and will help keep you muscles from breaking down while you sleep, and in fact will contribute to greater muscle mass in the long term.
So rather than thinking about how much, think about when. Eat regularly throughout the day, more carbs before training, and carbs and protein after training and again at the following meals following training to support muscle growth, and prevent any binge eating that can occur if you aren't eating enough at other times of the day.