Ok, here goes the last of this run of nutrition blogs.
After taking a look at the different macro nutrients, then how many calories we should be eating over all, we will now look at how much of each macro nutrient that should break down to.
Now I’m going to put a bit of a plot spoiler in right now-there is no magic number break down that suits everyone.
There are however a couple of things to focus on and then the rest can be adapted to suit your preferences, lifestyle etc.
Firstly Protein and Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram and Fat has 9 calories per gram.
As busy people who tend to take a few bumps and tumbles, Protein should be high on our priority list to repair muscles and keep us strong. It is also very satiating (keeps you full) so a great choice is you do not eat regularly or are trying to lose weight.
A rough guide to protein consumption should be around 1.5g-2g per kg of bodyweight. I weigh around 64kg so at 2g that would be 128g of Protein per day.
This works out in calories as 128g x 4 calories per gram = 512 calories of Protein.
If I were eating 1800 calories per day this leaves 1288 calories.
For Fat a good starting point is 1g per kg of body weight so for me 64g x 9 calories per gram = 576 calories of Fat.
This then leaves 712 calories for carbohydrates which at 4 calories per gram = 178g.
This works fairly well for me, although I do find I would naturally favour carbohydrate foods over Protein and I therefore have to be more careful in ensuring I hit that Protein number. Otherwise I suffer with energy highs and crashes quite dramatically through the day if I exist on a high carb diet. Equestrian cannot survive on pizza and dougnuts alone!
Now for you this may not be the case. You may find you do better with slightly less Fat and more Carbs.
Or perhaps you prefer a much higher Fat and Protein intake and lower carbs.
If you want to really nail your weight, energy and health goals I suggest first monitoring your current intake just eating as you currently do. Then log alongside it your energy levels, mood etc. along with any weight implications of necessary. Then use the above guidelines as just that-a guide. If you are finding your current eating habits are leaving you over weight, underweight or tired and sluggish try working towards the above guidelines and then monitor how your weight and energy changes. Once you start to see some improvement you can use that information to tweak according to your own needs.
As always I love to hear your feedback and comments-and your recipes of new things you have tried as a result of reading this blog!
If you need help with your nutrition my regular Personal Training (muggles) Business offers Online/Remote Nutrition Personal Nutrition Coaching at £50 per month so hit reply if you want to sign up.
