A couple small changes to be ripped for life :)

The average American has 6-11 caloric containing events per day(1). Studies show eating more than three times per day, usually increases hunger(2). A high eating frequency program was put in place by high-level athletes. These people are large, muscular and move/workout all day long and require a high eating frequency to meet energy demands. How does this apply to the normal sedentary American? What could be fueling the all-day graze is the fact that we get 60% of our calories from ultra-processed foods, which ramp up hunger(3). On top of this “how we eat” matters too. Eating speed affects how much we eat. People who eat fast, on the go, in a rushed/stressed manner, eat more food(4). People who slow down their rate of eating, naturally eat less(4). High eating frequency, ultra-processed foods, a fast eating style… it’s all suspect..and there is probably a synergistic effect here. This and a slew of other factors are all part of the America stew of 3,641 calories per day(7). We’ve heard “you can’t out-run a bad diet” and you definitely can’t if you’re the average American. The average American does zero minutes per day of vigorous activity and has a step count of 4,774(8). This is less than half the recommended amount of 10,000.

Where to begin? It’s pretty clear most of us need to “eat less” and “move more” but simply telling yourself to do that is similar to yelling at a bum to make more money. You have to understand why you’re living the lifestyle you’re living and come up with small sustainable changes.

Small changes that help. In particular, two small changes...

1) Have a moderate reduction in carbs, fats or both (and replace with protein):

“if the protein % was increased from 15% to 25% of energy intake in an obese individual, this would be expected to be associated with a decrease in energy intake of 438 calories (if substituted for carbohydrates) or 620 calories (if substituted for fat)”(9)

The average American is eating 13% of their calories from protein, while our ancestors ate a 33% protein diet. They created a thermal map of 116 diets of varying macronutrient compositions.  The lowest intake of energy was when protein was very high (40-50% of calories) and HIGHEST energy intake was when protein was very low(10).  So in short, if you want to EAT LESS, increase the protein percentage of your diet!

What I really like about this is it sustainable and doesn’t have to be restrictive. If you read carefully above, if you replaced carbohydrate OR fat calories with protein even in just a 1% increment, you’d naturally eat less. Unfortunately, some will read this article and feel the need to be 100% protein. In reality, you may only need to swap out 5-10% of your carb or fat calories with protein, to naturally eat less and reach a body fat setpoint you’re content with. If you were looking to lose weight in a hurry the research shows a 40-50% protein diet would do that for you. However, considering sustainability I like getting 1/3 of your calories from protein (33%) as it’s very doable and allows for the person to get 66% of their calories from carbs/fats in a manner that works for them.

Some will do better, reducing fats, other carbs. Which one you do, is on you. I will say this, personally I find removing “added fats” easier than removing carbohydrates because I do a lot of intense exercises. Meaning, I have no problem using less butter, olive oil, coconut oil, and ghee. For me, that’s the easiest way to stay ripped year-round… reducing “added fats”. However, I do not follow a low-fat diet as I eat plenty of steaks, eggs, fish and greek yogurt (all which contain fat). I’d rather give up olive oil and coconut oil instead of beans, lentils, and potatoes.

Let me just do a simple example. If you eat eggs in the morning. Eggs are 65% fat. So by using zero butter, you aren’t “low fat” you’re just not using additional fat. Butter is 0% protein. The same goes for olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, and all other “added fats” for the most part. Even superfoods such as avocado and nuts are very low in protein and don’t fill us up as much as people claim. Keep a big can of salted nuts next to your desk and see how easily your caloric intake climbs. Start adding avocado to everything and watch how easily caloric intake climbs. Don’t be fooled by superfoods, you can get fat off of anything if you overeat it. Now that I’m done “bashing” added fats.. let’s talk about starches.

For others, you may do better giving up some starches in place of protein. For some people, carbohydrates cause biphasic hunger and they never are fully satisfied. Notice I said SOME, not all. For others, they are NEVER satisfied without some carbs in the diet. So do what works for you. Most of us can probably do better without refined grains and added sugars. In particular, CARB+FAT combos might be the worst for satiety.. donuts, pastries, ice cream, pizza, etc.

Final Note: The point is if you are overweight you will have to eat fewer carbs, fats or both. You don’t have to choose one or the other, so figure out a mix that works for you. When we eat a higher percentage of calories from protein, we naturally eat fewer fats and carbs, so this may happen naturally with just a protein emphasis.

AS PROTEIN GOES UP, FATS+CARBS SHOULD GO DOWN

However, this is not guaranteed…

So you might just have to MINDFULLY REDUCE ADDED FATS AND CARBS that you really don’t need. Do you really need all that butter and olive oil? Maybe 2 cups of rice instead of four will do. Maybe you could have had 2 slices of bread, not six with dinner. Are you eating all of this added fat and starch because of a lack of protein-rich foods? Maybe it’s a volume problem, and you need more vegetables to fill up? All things need to be considered.

Now that we’ve cleared diet up…

2) Move throughout your day

Going for random walks, getting out in nature or by the ocean can help you take food off its high pedestal. Moving multiple times per day has been shown to be healthy, drives up adherence and drives down body fat(5,6). It doesn’t have to be complicated either.. a morning walk with coffee, calisthenics at lunch and surfing or skimboarding after work.

TWO SIMPLE CHANGES:

Eating- Increase the protein percentage in small increments. This can be done be seeking out protein-rich foods or reducing added fats or carbs (as this drives up the protein percentage). For example, using less butter with your omelet drives up the protein percentage. Not using mayo with your hero, drives up the protein percentage. Not using copious amounts of olive oil with your dinner vegetables drives up the protein percentage. You also can reduce added starches/sugars. Don’t add sugar to your coffee, eat an extra egg or two instead of a bagel. Eat half of your lunch hero, and put all the meat on to that half. There aren’t any set rules here, get creative as to how you can make small changes to drive down carbs, fats or both while slightly increasing protein. Have fun with it and experiment. Also remember, this is NOT a 100% protein diet. Even if you eat 5% less carbs+Fats and 5% more protein, you’ll see positive results. A nice sweet spot may be 30-33% protein and then splitting carbs/fats in a way that works for you. Some do better low-carb, other low-fat, others a mix of the two. Once again, experiment and see how you feel and have fun with it.

Movement- move more throughout the day in a way you find fun. Come up with three separate bouts of movement that work for you every day. Morning walk with coffee? Calisthenics at lunch? Walk, surf or skimboard after work? There aren’t any set rules here either. If you want to do three separate walks per day, that’s great. If you want to do pushups and air squats three times a day, that’s great too. By getting in “some activity” three times a day we create a system that channels the nutrients in a way that creates a lean-jacked physique. Just remember, our diet can only do so much without the anabolic stimulus of exercise. If you spend your whole life on the couch, you will not look great, if you don’t train. Start out with three 5-15 minute bouts per day and then tinker around with movements, time frames, etc until you find a sweet spot where you are strong, lean and ready to go at any moment. For me, that seemed to happen with a morning walk (20 minutes), lunchtime calisthenics til failure (15 minutes) and post-work skimboarding (45-60 minutes), or if it is dark and rainy I might hit the gym for some weight training. On days when I’m feeling a little depleted, I might just do three short walks of 15 minutes and that’s it around mealtimes. The point of the exercise isn’t to just beat yourself up but also be mindful of what you can handle on any given day of the week and tailor your program from there. That, and being outside or movement, in general, is great for your mood too.

Make it work for you,

Basically, eat a little more protein (and a little fewer carbs+ fats)

and move a little more throughout the day (ideally split into three separate bouts)

:)

John

References:

(1) Gill, Shubhroz, and Satchidananda Panda. "A smartphone app reveals erratic diurnal eating patterns in humans that can be modulated for health benefits." Cell metabolism 22.5 (2015): 789-798.

(2) Ohkawara, Kazunori, et al. "Effects of increased meal frequency on fat oxidation and perceived hunger." Obesity 21.2 (2013): 336-343.

(3) Hall, Kevin D., et al. "Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: an inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake." Cell metabolism (2019).

(4) Robinson E, Almiron-Roig E, Rutters F, de Graaf C, Forde CG, Tudur Smith C, Nolan SJ, Jebb SA. A systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effect of eating rate on energy intake and hunger. Am J Clin Nutr 2014; 100(1):123-51. Doi: 10.3945/ajcn.113.08174

(5) Jakicic, Jonn M., et al. "Prescribing exercise in multiple short bouts versus one continuous bout: effects on adherence, cardiorespiratory fitness, and weight loss in overweight women." International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders: journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 19.12 (1995): 893-901

(6)  Drenowatz, C., et al. "Prospective association between body composition, physical activity and energy intake in young adults." European journal of clinical nutrition 70.4 (2016): 482-487.

(7) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/what-the-world-eats/

(8) Althoff, Tim, et al. "Large-scale physical activity data reveal worldwide activity inequality." Nature 547.7663 (2017): 336.

(9) Austin, Gregory L., Lorraine G. Ogden, and James O. Hill. "Trends in carbohydrate, fat, and protein intakes and association with energy intake in normal-weight, overweight, and obese individuals: 1971–2006." The American journal of clinical nutrition 93.4 (2011): 836-843.

(10) Raubenheimer, David, et al. "Nutritional ecology of obesity: from humans to companion animals." British Journal of Nutrition 113.S1 (2015): S26-S39.

Topics covered:

#weightloss #fatloss #proteinpercentage #dailymovement #eatingfrequency #smallchanges