Nutrition
Balanced diet plays an important role to not only the athletic people but for average people too.
Some of us are unaware while few of us consider it a difficult task. Tracking calorie intake is easy but maintaining macro-nutrients ratios is little bit difficult. You can make it easy by knowing the macros content in the food.
Macros make up the caloric content of a food. The three categories of macronutrients are carbohydrate, fat, and protein. The caloric combination of the macros is where that mysterious total number of calories comes from. Here's the breakdown:
1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of fat = 9 calories
Below is the average percentage of macros intake.
Carbohydrates: 50%
Proteins: 30%
Fats: 20%
Macros ratio gets change, depending on your goals.
If your goal is to gain muscle then slightly increase carb percentage while reducing fat.
If your goal is to lose fat then slightly decrease carb percentage while increasing protein.
Macros ratio also gets change, depending on your body type.
If you're an ectomorph, you're naturally thin with skinny limbs and a high tolerance for carbohydrates. Usually, your metabolic rate is fast. A good starting macronutrient ratio for you would be something like 25% protein, 55% carbs and 20% fat.
If you're a mesomorph, you’re naturally muscular and athletic. You have a moderate carbohydrate tolerance and a moderate metabolic rate. A good starting macronutrient ratio for you would be something like 30% protein, 40% carb, 30% fat.
If you're an endomorph, you're naturally broad and thick. You have a low carbohydrate tolerance and a slow metabolic rate. A good starting macronutrient ratio for you would be something like 35% protein, 25% carbs and 40% fat.
To calculate macros needs in grams. You have to multiply your total calorie needs with the percentage listed above and then dividing with the calorie of 1 gram.
I will tell you how. Let me calculate for myself. My total calorie needs for the day is 2782.6.
My individual calories from each macro nutrients based on above average percentage will be as below:
Carbohydrates: 2782.6 x 0.5 = 1391.3
Proteins: 2782.6 x 0.3 = 834.8
Fats: 2782.6 x 0.2 = 556.5
Calculating macros needs in grams:
Carbohydrates: 1391.3/4 = 347.8
Proteins: 834.8/4 = 208.7
Fats: 556.5/9 = 61.8
Similarly you can calculate for yourself. Only you have to find your total calorie needs based on the BMR formula which is shown below of this page.
Balanced diet is not only eating the right food but also the amount which need to be taken as per the activity been done.
Gaining weight or Losing weight is all about numbers. Here numbers are calories. Count your calories and plan your foods according to it.
Below are the two formulas. BMR to calculate the Calorie and BMI to calculate Body fat.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest. It represents the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning, including breathing and keeping your heart beating, regardless of exercise. It changes with age, weight, height, gender, diet and exercise habits.
BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)
Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)
Let me calculate for myself.
BMR = 66 + (13.7 x 76) + (5 x 175) – (6.8 x 27.5) = 1795.2
This is the number of calories my body burns at rest.
Now I have to determine my total daily calorie needs. For this I will refer below chart which shows the types of exercise you do daily. Based on that you have to multiply your BMR with the corresponding constant number.
1. Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR x 1.2
2. Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): BMR x 1.375
3. Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55
4. Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): BMR x 1.725
5. Extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training): BMR x 1.9
I belong to category 3. Thus my total calorie needs = 1795.2 x 1.55 = 2782.6
You can calculate in the same way too.
Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on your weight in relation to your height, and applies to most adult men and women aged 20 and over. This formula doesn’t consider body fat percentage. Hence this may not give the exact result to those having muscular body.
BMI Formula
BMI = (weight in kg) / (height in meter) ^ 2
BMI Classification
18.5 or less Underweight
18.5 to 24.99 Normal Weight
25 to 29.99 Overweight
30 to 34.99 Obesity
People with BMI range greater than 25 are considered overweight and would benefit from finding healthy ways to lower their weight, such as diet and exercise. Individuals who fall in this range are at increased risk for a variety of illnesses. If your BMI is 27-29.99 your risk of health problems becomes higher.
Let me calculate for myself.
BMI = 76/ (1.75) ^2 = 24.8
Similarly you can calculate for yourself.
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