No DIET Weight And Keep It Off DIET - The Simple Way to Lose - Nathalia Melo Fit
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COM
Breaking Free From
The Diet Cycle
T h e
No DIET
DIET
The Simple Way to Lose
Weight And Keep It Off
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER
WWW.NATHALIAMELOFIT.COM
© 2020 Nathalia Melo
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher, except as
permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:
nathaliamelofit@gmail.com
BREAK FREE FROM THE DIET CYCLE | NATHALIAMELOFIT.COM
TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION 01
WHAT IS NUTRITION? 02
WHAT ARE CALORIES? 03
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EATING 05
HEALTHILY AND LOSING FAT
WHAT ARE MACRONUTRIENTS? 06
TRACKING YOUR CALORIES 09
TROUBLESHOOTING CALORIES ISSUES 17
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU ADJUST 21
YOUR CALORIES/MICROS
WHAT ARE MICRONUTRIENTS? 22
TDEE, BMR AND NEAT 24
CHEAT MEALS VS REFEED 27
BREAK FREE FROM THE DIET CYCLE | NATHALIAMELOFIT.COM
Hi There…NATHALIA HERE!
Thanks for stopping by and reading this bio to learn a little bit about me. I promise I
will try my best to not make this a long and dreary bio full of information you
probably don’t care to know. Hahaha
I started training at a very young age, and I’ve always been passionate about
everything related to staying fit and healthy. That passion has landed me several
magazine/newspapers covers and articles like for: Cosmopolitan, Muscle and Fitness
Hers, Oxygen, Fitness RX, Muscular Development, The Daily Mail, to name a few.
Therefore, the commitment and discipline to my fitness regiment has also won me
big awards like the prestigious Olympia competition, where I took the first place
trophy in the Bikini division.
It is fair to say that for most of my life, I had a good grip on my training regimen…until
I found out I was pregnant.
Learning to adapt my training during and after pregnancy was overwhelming, so I
dove into countless articles, books, and research papers about training and nutrition.
Ultimately, I decided to further my education and become a Pre and Postnatal
Certified Trainer, to help me refine my understanding of how the body changes
during these stages of women’s lives.
As a mother of two and someone who is incredibly devoted to this lifestyle not only
for our bodies, but also for our minds, I have made it my personal mission to
empower and help women to live a fitter and healthier lifestyle in ALL stages of
their life!
CONNECT WITH ME
What is Nutrition?
Nutrition is a complex process of the body where the food we consume
is used for growth, metabolism, and repair. Our body relies on both
macronutrients and micronutrients found in our food (i.e. vitamins,
minerals, carbohydrates, protein, and fat). Adults also rely on nutrients
from food for energy, cognitive function, cell growth, tissue repair, and lean
muscle development. Ideally, our nutritional needs should be met through
food but supplementation could be necessary in certain situations (i.e.
vitamin deficiency, pregnancy, after vigorous physical activity).
PAGE 2 | BREAK FREE FROM THE DIET CYCLE | NATHALIAMELOFIT.COM
What ARE CALORIES?
Calories are units of energy, and they are used to
measure the amount of energy contained within food.
The calories in food provide energy in the form of heat so
our bodies can function.
We all need a certain number of calories in a day to
function optimally and bring a number of negative
consequences, which include:
• Loss of muscle mass
• Loss of concentration
• Fatigue
• Sleep Issues
• Irritability
HOW MANY CALORIES SHOULD YOU BE EATING
IN A DAY?
Women generally have different caloric requirements to men.
Men usually have more muscle and less fat on their bodies –
meaning they burn a higher number of calories to keep their
bodies functioning. This also means they can consume more
calories from food or drinks.
Our caloric consumption depends on numerous factors,
including: gender, physical activity demands, occupation,
weight, height, and age.For example, a 6ft tall, 25-year-old
professional tennis player would obviously need more calories
than a 5ft 4ins sedentary woman aged 75.
Our daily energy needs are calculated by noting the amount
of calories our body needs after taking into account our Basal
Metabolic Rate (BMR- we will be talking more about BMR later
in this training) and the amount of calories we use to carry all
our daily activities.
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MAINTENANCE CALORIES
Maintenance calories refer to when
the amount of calories coming
in (eating) and going out (energy
expenditure) are equal, meaning
your body is at homeostasis. You will
not gain or lose any weight at these
calories.
CALORIE DEFICIT
A calorie deficit refers to the negative
energy gap that results from
expending MORE calories than you
take in from food. A calorie deficit is
THE ONLY way to fat loss.
CALORIE SURPLUS
A calorie surplus refers to the
positive energy gap that results from
expending LESS calories than you
take in from food. A calorie surplus
is the opposite from a calorie deficit,
which means that when someone is
in a calorie surplus they WILL gain
weight.
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What is the difference between
eating healthy and to lose body fat?
The term ‘’clean eating’’ has been
widely advertised as the way to fat loss
but what many fitness and nutrition
activists forget to mention is eating too
CLEAN EATING much of the right food can also result
in weight gain if you are in a calorie
IS A ‘’HEALTHY’’
surplus.
DIET FILLED
Now, let’s use almonds as an example
of healthy food. One handful of
WITH NUTRITIOUS
almonds has approximately 162kcal.
It is important to note that foods high
in fat (i.e. almonds, cashews, walnuts,
FOOD, MINIMALLY avocado) will be much higher in
calories (1g of fat = 9kcal).
REFINED AND It is easy to eat a bit more than you
PROCESSED.
are tracking, and if you are eating over
the calorie deficit number you have
set for yourself, or even above your
maintenance calorie , you will at best
maintain and at worse gain weight
(given the goal is fat loss) even when
eating healthy food items.
Always remember too much of a good
thing can be a bad thing!
To clarify, I am in no way suggesting
you should only focus on calories and
forget about nutrition; however, it
is important to understand that just
eating ‘’healthy’’ will not make you to
lose body fat. You must be in a calorie
deficit to lose body fat.
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Macronutrients
If you’ve read any health article, I’m sure you’ve heard of macros. You know
you need them, you know you should count them, but what are they? A new
type of health food? Nope. A kind of protein supplement? You’re getting
warmer. Before you start counting macros, let’s talk a little about what they
are so that you know what they can do for you and how many you need
each day.
WHAT ARE MACRONUTRIENTS?
“Macro”- means large, macronutrients
are those compounds that provide the
majority of the energy and nutrients in
the diet. These nutrients are essential
to the body for proper growth and
development. Types of macronutrients
include:
• Carbohydrates
• Fats
• Proteins
These are different from micronutrients,
which are needed in smaller amounts
in the diet, and we will also be talking
about them in this training.
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HOW MUCH OF EACH MACRONUTRIENT DO I NEED EACH DAY?
This question is going to have a workout-related energy expenditure.
different answer for just about Depending on how often and how
everyone since the number of hard you exercise, you will need
macros you need each day will enough energy intake to support
depend on a variety of factors. your workouts.
• What are your daily calorie needs? Once you know how many calories
you need each day, you will need
• How often do you exercise and at to ask yourself what your health
what intensity? and fitness goals are. If you want
to gain muscle mass, then you will
• How active are you in non- want to make sure you eat enough
exercise-related activities? protein each day as well as extra
calories to support that goal. If you
• What are your health goals?
are training for a long-distance event
like a marathon, then you will want
The first thing you will need to
to make sure you consume enough
do is calculate your total energy
carbohydrates and slightly more
expenditure, or TDEE (We will be
calories to support your training.
going into more details for TDEE
later in this training). This will help
Finally, once you figure out your
you figure out how many calories
goals, then you can start figuring out
you burn each day, so you know how
how much of each macronutrient you
many calories you need to maintain
will need to consume each day. The
weight. This number will take into
percentage of each macronutrient
account your BMR, your non-related
you should consume each day will
exercise activity, as well as your
depend on your health goals.
PAGE 7 | BREAK FREE FROM THE DIET CYCLE | NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMI personally prefer mapping out the macronutrient split, by starting with
protein, which I recommend 1.5-2.2grams/kg of body weight. Depending on
your fitness and health goals as well as you food preferences, you can play
around with your Carbohydrates and Protein intake, but as a rule of thumb
and a starting point my suggestion is:
60% Carbohydrates* 40% Fats*
*These percentages are for the remaining calories AFTER you remove the protein.
It is also important to remember that these percentages are not going to
be found on nutrition labels, so you will need to know a few facts about
macronutrients to help you convert this percentage to grams of nutrients.
Carbohydrates and protein are Fat contains 9 calories per gram.
about 4 calories per gram. What So, if something has 10 grams of
this means is that you take a Fat, it will have a total of 90calories
food that has 7 grams of protein, (10 grams X 9 calories per gram =
multiply that by 4, and you will see 90 calories )
that this food contains 28 calories
from protein. (7grams of protein X
4 calories per gram= 28calories)
The ratio is something I encourage you to play around with to find the ratio
that works best for you and your health goals. Tracking your macros and
calories each day will be helpful during this process.
PAGE 8 | BREAK FREE FROM THE DIET CYCLE | NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMDO I NEED ALL THE
MACRONUTRIENTS IN MY DIET?
When you adhere to diets that cut out
entire food groups or restrict certain
macros, it makes you aware of your
food choices more. Ultimately, this
will lead to caloric deficits that is how
fat loss happens. However, diets that
cut out entire food groups are often
NOT sustainable, and it is important
to remember that all macros have
their importance in the health of your
body, so for long term success on your
fitness and fat loss journey, it is NOT
recommended that you remove entire
food groups from your diet.
PAGE 8 | BREAK FREE FROM THE DIET CYCLE | NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMTracking your calories
HOW TO USE APP CALLED MYFITNESSPAL OR MYMACROS
DOWNLOAD A FOOD
TRACKING APP LIKE PURCHASE
MYFITNESSPAL AND A FOOD SCALE
MYMACROS
ADJUST THE DAILY MACRONUTRIENT SETTING
TO FIT YOUR PERSONAL GOALS (I.E. 1875
CALORIES, 130 GRAMS PROTEIN, 170 GRAMS
CARBS, 75 GRAMS FAT)
In the MyFitnessPal app under the “more” page you
can adjust your daily macro and calorie targets by
going to Goals then onto the Nutrition Goals section.
PAGE 9 | BREAK FREE FROM THE DIET CYCLE | NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMBEGIN INPUTTING YOUR FOOD INTAKE
Search the database in the application or
scanning the barcode of the food item.
When cooking remember to account for any
oils or added ingredients as they can be very
calorie dense.
WEIGH YOUR FOOD
When logging your meals weigh your food on
your scale and adjust the weight of the food
in the app (i.e. 4 ounces of turkey, 2/3 cup of
white rice, 2.5 ounces of broccoli).
You will then see your macronutrients for
the day adjust based on what you have
consumed. Example here is showing 95 grams
of carbs, 47 grams of fat, 60 grams of protein,
and a total of 1,061 calories left to consume
for the day.
PAGE 10 | BREAK FREE FROM THE DIET CYCLE | NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMREAD LABELS
Ensure you are reading labels of the food
items you are inputting into your tracker as
serving sizes may need to be adjusted to
meet your needs. The example below shows
the serving size of Justin’s Classic Almond
Butter to be 2 TB and when the barcode is
scanned into your tracker it will default to
2 TB but if you only consume 1TB you will
need to adjust it so your consumption will be
accurate.
PAGE 11 | BREAK FREE FROM THE DIET CYCLE | NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMFOOD LABEL BASICS
Attempting to decode the information on food labels
can be overwhelming. You know that the nutrition panel
contains clues to whether the food is a healthy choice
or not, so learning how to read food labels is a skill you
should have for your own wellbeing. Legislation for food
labeling varies from country to country but there are
some basics that are globally relevant.
Your aim should be to understand the basics first and
then, as you become more proficient, dig deeper into the
nutritional information. Most people are happy being
able to identify the major contents of the foodstuff and
the key nutrients, but when you know there are at least
60 alternative names for sugar on food labels, you can
see there is a lot of information to digest.
Most food packaging contains various labels or panels
within labels sectioning off the information.
The basic information is found on the back or side label.
Usually in the form of tables or grids, the info includes
the serving size, the number of servings in the package
and the number of calories each serving contains. If
you’re counting calories, this is a great place to start.
You’ll also see the total fat content and the saturated fat
content here.
These sections also contain information on the protein,
carb, sugar and salt content of the food.
It’s important to limit your salt and sugar intake because
a diet too high in either can affect your health. If you
want to keep tabs of your macronutrients intake, this is
the section you must check out.
You will see how much of each item is in the food, along
with the percentage of the daily intake recommendations,
known as RDA.
Some labels, below the main panel, provide a table of the
key nutrients (vitamins, minerals and trace elements) in
terms of the % of the RDA a serving contains.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMMost foods now contain a quick reference guide on the
front of the package. With just a glance you can see how
many calories are in a serving, as well as the amount of
total fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar. This is handy when
you’re buying something you’ve never purchased or are
working within strict guidelines regarding your intake of
certain nutrients.
You might notice that labels have a color-coded system. It
is a legal requirement in the UK but optional in the USA.
The system uses red, amber and green. A food that lists
its nutritional information in a red box is high in fat, salt
and sugar. Amber refers to foods that have a moderate
content, while green foods are those that are low in
calories, fat, salt and sugar. The more green you see, the
more diet friendly the food is.
Another important part of the packaging to look at is
the ingredients list. There’s a simple rule at work here in
that the ingredients are listed in order of their highest
concentration in the product. Also, you will find that
less processed foods have a shorter list, while more
processed foods have a longer one.
LABEL CLAIMS
You are bound to see certain terms on food labels that
may trick you into thinking they are a great choice. For
example, something may be labeled high protein. Yes,
protein is important, but that same item could also be
high in simple carbs or salt, neither of which too much of
are healthy.
Likewise, a gluten-free item might sound like the healthier
choice, but many such foods are filled with replacements
for the gluten that are not good for your body nor your
fitness goals. The same goes for foods labeled as high in
calcium, low in fat or fat-free.
Your best bet is to do some research. Read through
the ingredients list and the nutritional panel for the
information that can give you clues as to whether the
food fits around your goals or not.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMSCALE VS CUP VS EYEBALLING
When you are first starting your macro tracking journey, I highly encourage
you to be incredibly diligent with your measurements. In my personal
opinion and experience as a coach, the way to be the most precise with
your measurements is by using a food scale.
Don’t get scared yet! I know many of you may think I have lost my mind and
might be thinking, “Nathalia, I am busy! I don’t have time for this!” You have
to trust me! This is not rocket science and it really is much simpler than
it sounds. I have many clients that felt overwhelmed in the beginning but
after sticking with it for a few weeks they realized it’s about a 10 minute
daily commitment. Tracking your caloric intake by measuring and logging
your food is the single greatest way to bring awareness to how much you are
consuming.
When using cups and spoons as measuring tools it is very easy to add extra
calories. The difference between a tablespoon and a heaping tablespoon
could vary considerably. Make sure to level off your cup and spoon
measures for more accuracy.
Once you have logged your intake for a while you will become familiar with
portion sizes and more specifically what YOUR portion sizes should be!
Remember, everyone is different! The ultimate goal is for you to be able to
“eyeball” your food and be able to maintain or achieve your fitness goal for
years to come!
The Mother Strong League (MSL) is my beloved training program catered
specifically to moms. The ladies in the MSL spend half of the program
learning measurements and the other half learning how to eat intuitively.
To sum it up, if you are someone new to tracking food, eyeballing should
not be your measuring tool. I highly recommend starting with a food scale.
Food scales can be found at any grocery store and are rather inexpensive.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMTRACKING FOOD RAW VS COOKED
This subject has a lot of people confused, and I get it. This tracking food
thing can be confusing sometimes, but I guarantee you will be thanking me
later.
It is important to remember that different foods have different reactions
when cooked. Depending on the way the food is cooked the weight will
vary.
For example, let’s look at rice! Rice absorbs water when cooked, therefore,
the grain will be more dense after cooking.
100 grams of uncooked rice has approximately 365kcal*
100 grams of cooked rice has 100 kcals*
In contrast, there are many foods that lose water when cooked.
For example, let’s say you are grilling or baking chicken breast without
water. The weight of the chicken will decrease while cooking because the
heat will cause chicken to release its water or moisture.
100 grams of uncooked chicken breast has 110Kcals*
100 grams of cooked chicken breast has 165 Kcals *
*Measurements are approximate.
So, my advice is to track your food in whichever way you are going to eat it.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMWHAT IS THE MACRO ORDER OF IMPORTANCE?
This is a question I get asked quite often, and the answer is very simple and
it will make your life a lot easier when tracking your macros/calories.
I want you to look at the calories as walls or boundaries that you can’t
go over, and the macros are everything that stay within the walls or
boundaries.
Once it is established that calories are walls, we can start looking at macros
and which one you should try to reach first:
PROTEIN CARBOHYDRATES AND FATS
Protein is going to be the Carbs and Fats are equally
most important of the 3 important for optimal health and
macronutrients(Protein, Carbs and it does not matter how you split
Fat) for you to reach. them as long as you are reaching
your protein target and staying
within your calorie allowance for
the day.
Please make sure that you do not completely remove carbs or fats from your
diet, especially fats as they are important for proper hormonal function.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMTroubleshooting Calories issues
You are not alone if you are having a hard time hitting your numbers. It
is perfectly normal and part of the process to struggle meeting your daily
targets. It might take you a bit of trial and error to figure out what makes
up your nutrition for the day. Do not freak out and feel defeated, learning
all of this will set you up for success going forward.
Getting the recommended amount of protein can be a struggle for some
people, and that is perfectly okay. Here are the most common issues and
how to troubleshoot them:
STRUGGLING 1 Add a protein shake to your day.
This can easily add at least 20-25
TO GET ENOUGH grams of protein to your diet with
minimal calories
PROTEIN FOR 2 Look for protein rich snacks/food
THE DAY? (Chicken breast, egg whites, Fat
free greek yoghurt, cottage cheese,
TIPS TO INCREASE etc.)
YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE 3 Add an extra ounce or two of
protein to each of your meals
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMI WENT OVERBOARD, WHAT DO I DO NOW?
First, take a look at your calorie and macro allowance not only from a day
to day, but from a weekly basis. This will allow you to have more flexibility.
For example, if you eat an extra 200 kcals on a Wednesday, you can divide
that by the rest of the days you have in the week and reduce your calories
accordingly (decrease your calories by 50kcal through Sunday). This
technique will allow you to have a higher calorie day without compromising
your weight loss overtime.
However, if the extra was a lot more than just a couple hundred calories
you must take a different approach. I highly recommend refraining from
extremely low calorie days to make up for a surplus. Use the below tips if
you exceed your calories by a little more than planned:
Dust off and get back on the
wagon as soon as possible. It
happens, just don’t make it a
habit. This means if you screw up
on a Tuesday you jump right back
to your plan on Wednesday!
Drink lots of water- It will help
control hunger.
Don’t go into extreme calorie
restriction in the coming days as
it could set you up for binging
Avoid excessive cardio. Do not
spend 3 hours on the step mill
to make up for eating an ice
cream sundae. You don’t need to
‘’punish’’ yourself just because
you had a little slip.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMI CAN’T GET MY MACRO/CALORIES NUMBERS RIGHT!
Plan ahead and meal prep! It is easiest to stick to the same foods the
majority of the week. Don’t worry, it won’t be forever!
The concept of tracking food is probably fairly new to you, so we want to
make sure we make this as simple and as ‘’automated’’ as possible, at least
in the beginning.
In the beginning of your tracking
Plan your meals ahead
journey, stick to the same foods
(preferably a week ahead).
most days to help you stay on
track.
Prep all your meals in advance,
Get creative with your macro
and store them in the portion
breakdown and portion out the
that you are going to eat.
meals you enjoy!
You can still eat all the things
(You can check out my favorite
you enjoy but it is best to be
macro friendly recipes HERE )
prepared. Remember this: Fail to
prepare, prepare to fail.
ARE CONDIMENTS
SABATOGING YOUR DIET?
A little mayo… A dollop of sour
cream… A whopping scoop of
guacamole at your favorite Mexican
food restaurant… It all adds up &
every little bit helps when you’re
trying to drop some pounds.
We all know I am all about enjoying
life and finding ways to enjoy the
things you love in moderation.
That being said, I don’t want you
to eliminate them from your diet
entirely, but save the calorie heavy
ones for special occasions or refeed
days & substitute them with more
macro-friendly ones on the regular.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMMY 3 PIECES OF CONDIMENT CALORIE FRIENDLY
ADVICE ALTERNATIVES
1 Don’t douse your food in anything. ESTIMATED CALORIES BASED ON 2 TB
Use ALL ‘’add ons’’ on the side. Dip
Hot Sauce (Tabasco or
your fork (lightly) and grab a bite. This
Sriracha) = 0-5 calories
will help you gauge how much you are
eating. Lemon Juice = 8 calories
Balsamic Vinegar = 20 calories
2 Look for alternatives (see list below)
Dijon Mustard or Spicy
3 Season your food properly but don’t Mustard = 10 calories
overload it with excess salt. According
Pickles = 0-5 calories per
to Harvard Health, the average
pickle (look for sugar free)
American diet consumes over 3,400
mg of sodium per day. Although, it is Ketchup = 20 calories (watch
important to note that the human body the carbs & sugar!)
cannot survive without sodium. Sodium
Chutney = 50 calories
is needed to transmit nerve impulses,
(recommend making your
contract/relax muscle fibers, and
own)
maintain a proper fluid balance (just to
name a few). Hummus = 50 calories
I personally like to lightly salt my
veggies & use salt-free seasoning or
low sodium seasoning for my protein
sources (i.e. Mrs. Dash or Flavor God)!
Properly seasoned food shouldn’t “need”
a lot of condiments. You’d be surprised,
I rarely need dipping sauce.
LIMIT THESE OR Cream Salad Dressings = 100+ calories (those with added
sugar, mayonnaise, sour cream, and egg yolk)
SAVE FOR SPECIAL Barbecue Sauce = 60+ calories & 13g+ of sugar (now that I live
OCCASIONS OR in Texas this has become one my favorite but sadly is one the
biggest calorie bombers)
DAYS YOU HAVE
Sour Cream = 60+ calories & 5g fat
LOTS OF CALORIES Guacamole = 50+ calories & 4g of fat (Note: many restaurants
TO SPARE: add additional ingredients)
**Check the label on condiments before you buy as they do not all read the same.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMHow often should you adjust your
calories/macros?
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU ADJUST YOUR CALORIES/MACROS?
Don’t change it unless it stops working! If you are in a calorie deficit and
dropping weight/body fat, I do not recommend adjusting the calories until
your body stops responding to that caloric intake.
However, if you are not losing body fat and there have been no changes
in your measurements or progress pictures, then I suggest waiting at least
2 weeks before adjusting anything. Also, during this “waiting” time try to
be extra diligent with your food measurement and log any extra bites or
unaccounted treats you consume (i.e. sugarfree gum, calorie free foods,
small bites or licks). Many times I find the issue lies with not properly
keeping track of how much you are actually eating. Every bite counts!
Lastly, if you are not losing body fat, but your measurements and progress
pictures are showing changes, I would recommend not adjusting the
calories since these are all signs of positive progress being made.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMWhat are Micronutrients
All the essential vitamins and minerals required by our body to function
are known as micronutrients. In contrast to macronutrients, we only
need small quantities of micronutrients to support and maintain good
health. Micronutrients are fundamental to the production of enzymes,
hormones,and other products generated inside our bodies. Some
micronutrients also have specified roles, while others are required for a
wide range of functions.
Micronutrient deficiencies can lead to lasting and extremely harmful
health consequences in children and adults of all ages. For example, iron
deficiency leads to dizziness, fatigue, and even death in extreme cases.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis.
Micronutrients are divided into two broad categories, vitamins and
minerals.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMWHAT ARE VITAMINS?
Vitamins are largely obtained from food, we only need them in small
amounts. Except for vitamin D from sunshine (produced through the action
of sunlight on your skin), vitamins cannot be internally produced inside
our bodies, and they have an array of purpose. Vitamins may function as
antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E, or have other vital roles such as
fetal brain development and healthy brain aging. There are two categories
of vitamins—fat-soluble and water-soluble. Although vitamins are widely
available in supplement forms, it is much more beneficial if you take them
through a healthy, varied diet.
FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMINS WATER-SOLUBLE VITAMINS
These are known as the
These require the consumption
B-complex vitamins and vitamin
of healthy fats to be properly
C. They are replaced daily and
absorbed by our bodies. They are
need to be consumed daily
stored in fat tissues as reserves
through our diet.
for when we don’t consume
enough through our diet.
Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-
soluble vitamins.
WHAT ARE MINERALS?
Minerals are important nutrients that allow our cells to carry out important
functions. Minerals are divided into macrominerals (needed in larger
amounts) and trace minerals (needed in minuscule amounts).
MACROMINERALS TRACE MINERALS
The main microminerals we
These are magnesium, sulfur,
need are chromium, iron, iodine,
and the electrolytes: potassium,
selenium, manganese, zinc,
calcium,PAGE
sodium, chlorine,
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FREE FROM molybdenum, and copper.
phosphorous.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMTDEE, BMR, and NEAT
Energy in. Energy out. Sounds simple, right? When you plan your meals and
activity for the week, you want to make sure you eat enough to provide the
energy you need for your workouts. And if you are trying to lose weight,
you want to make sure you have a calorie deficit for the week. The question
is, how do you know how many calories your body uses each day? There
is no one answer to this question since everyone’s body burns a different
amount of calories each day. This can depend on your age, gender, activity
level, current height and weight, as well as how your body digests food,
among other things. Therefore, you will need a way to calculate your
calories burned each day taking all of these things into account. This may
sound overwhelming, but you can estimate all of these things by using the
calculation for total daily energy expenditure.
WHAT IS TOTAL DAILY ENERGY EXPENDITURE?
To put it simply, total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the amount of
energy used by humans or animals through movement and needed to
keep the body working healthily. TDEE is not just a single measure, but is
calculated as a sum of the following three forms of energy:
BMR TEF
BMR, or basal metabolic rate. The thermic effect of food (TEF)
The BMR is basically the amount is the amount of energy used
of energy your body uses to to digest, absorb, and store
keep you breathing and your nutrients from what you eat and
blood flowing. BMR is considered drink. This only accounts for
a function of lean mass and about 10-15-percent of the TDEE.
accounts for about 60-percent of
the TDEE.
Physical activity level (PAL) – Physical activity level makes up about
PAL 15-30-percent of the TDEE, and accounts for two factors NEAT and EAT.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMEAT NEAT
Exercise-related Activity Non-Exercise-related activity
Thermogenesis, which refers to the thermogenesis. NEAT accounts for
energy burned through organized every other physical movement.
exercise NEAT includes activities of daily
living, fidgeting, maintaining
posture, standing, sitting, and
many other unplanned movements.
TDEE VS. BMR
While BMR is a single measure of
the energy your body uses at rest,
TDEE includes the BMR along with
other ways your body uses energy
each day. Which means that BMR is
only one part of the puzzle when it
comes to calculating the TDEE.
These other ways are known as
Non-Resting Energy Expenditure
(NREE).
NREE INCLUDES
EAT Exercise-related Activity
Thermogenesis
NEAT Non-Exercise-related activity
thermogenesis.
TEF Thermic Effect of Food
TDEE = BMR + NREE
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMHOW TO ESTIMATED TDEE?
BMR is usually multiplied by the physical activity factor to estimate TDEE.
The physical activity factor provides a number to represent each level of
physical activity.
WAYS TO MEASURE TDEE
The current gold-standard method of measuring energy expenditure is
the doubly labeled water (DLW) method since it is noninvasive. It involves
drinking a formulated water and getting urine tests done thereafter.
However, it can be expensive, and does not consider energy used through
exercise.
Another way to measure TDEE is indirect calorimetry. This method involves
the measurement of inhaled oxygen and exhaled carbon dioxide gases.
However, this test is usually limited to research purposes.
Therefore, the best estimate of TDEE without requiring a lab or trained staff
is to use a TDEE calculator. A calculator can estimate your TDEE as best
as possible by using information like your height, weight, age, and activity
level. Although this estimate is not the most accurate way to calculate TDEE,
it is the most practical to keep track of your TDEE on a regular basis.
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NATHALIAMELOFIT.COMCheat meals vs Refeed
A cheat meal is often times a weekly meal in which you allow yourself to eat
‘’whatever you want’’, this idea gives many people the liberty to cheat on
their diet and eat things they normal wouldn’t while degarding their calorie
allowance.
Personally, am not a big fan of the ‘’cheat meal’’ approach because it can
create an unhealthy relationship with food. The elusion that there are good
and bad foods is not only false but it does not allow us to live a comfortable
life once we reach a place of maintenance. My approach is simple and
it allows my clients to eat as they wish as long as it fits into their calorie
allownace and macro breakdown for the day. Like many things in life, the
poison is in the dose.
When you use this method I will teach you that nothing is ‘’off limits’’, and
you can eat all of the delicious foods you enjoy. The only “rule” is they must
fit in your caloric allowance and macro breakdown.
I recommend the “refeed” meal approach which is an intentional increase
in calories (mostly from carbohydrates). This allows us to get rid of the
negative connotation that comes along with “cheating”. The strategy is used
with individuals that have been on a very low carb diet, have a low body fat
percentage or who have been in a calorie deficit over a long period of time.
The idea is to minimize the potential risks of hormone imbalance, decrease
in metabolic rate or muscle wasting.
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