Today’s blog will touch base on dietary habits and facts. These are some of the topics I get asked most frequently. I want to make sure we are all on the same page. The information that I will share is from my experiences and from other trainers and doctors. I will say that before we begin that the topics discussed here will mainly be about diet and eating. I will cover what I eat and also pass on some general knowledge of the human body. This information will help you get over any hump you might be having with your fitness and wellness.

The first thing I will touch base on is the many types of dietary habits. Some examples of dietary habits include paleo, Atkins, keto, split diet (Body Builder), whole 30, and weight watchers. Each of these diets allows for certain types of foods that you are allowed to eat. I will say that not every diet will work for an individual. We all have our own unique bodies, and it is important that you know how it operates. Some bodies will do better with higher carbs and lower fats and vice versa. To understand where you need to be, you should learn your body type.

There are three body types that you should be aware of, and they are ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs. Ectomorphs are thin people who have a hard time gaining weight, muscle, and storing fat. These individuals operate better with a higher carb and low-fat consumption to get that athletic body and can use strategies like intermittent fasting to help with muscle gain and fat loss. Mesomorphs are people who have a more muscular body. These types of people have an easier time gaining muscle and maintaining their bodies with a balanced diet of healthy foods, which helps them achieve their fitness goals more easily. Endomorphs are people who store fat more easily than they do muscle. Since fat-storing is what these body types excel at, it can be difficult to lose weight if you overeat.

To combat each of your body types, you must follow what your unique body calls for in terms of dietary habits. If you are an ectomorph and want to get more muscular, then you have to eat more. Your body does not like to store fat, so it makes gaining muscle more of a challenge, but you just have to be consistent with your weight training, eating habits, and incorporating healthy foods. If you are a mesomorph, then you are very lucky because you will build muscle quickly and not hold onto fat. You still have to have a proper diet to achieve your fitness goals, but it will be easier to gain muscle and burn fat. Lastly, if you are an endomorph, then you have a hard time losing weight and an easy time storing fat. If you wanted to get into a fit/athletic shape, then you must lower your carb consumption, so that when you start to work out, your body will go after your fat stores for energy rather than its stored glycogen (body’s main source of energy). You can also consider intermittent fasting to help with this process.

The next thing to work into your dietary habits is knowing your macros and calorie intake. The app MyFitnessPal does all this for you, and it is free. Macros are your carbs, proteins, and fats that when combined, equate to 100%. I have found that following my macros is more important than my calorie consumption when trying to stay fit and reach my fitness goals. However, if I want to gain more muscle and add weight, I focus on my calories rather than my macros. My current body type likes about 40% carbs, 50% protein, and 10% fat. This mixture is something I had to do some trial and error to find what worked best for my body type. Incorporating the right healthy foods and understanding intermittent fasting can also further enhance the effectiveness of your dietary habits.

My meals on a daily basis are static meal prep meals. I do not eat any breakfast in the morning since I am intermittent fasting, but I will try to drink at least a liter of water before I break my fast at noon. I break my fast with a protein shake, so I do not spike my insulin and trigger my body to go into fat-storing mode. One of my go-to meals is a salad with hard-boiled eggs, chicken, house-made balsamic, some type of nut, and either carrot, celery, or peppers. My lunches are huge! I can go most days with eating one solid food meal a day. The rest of the day I will either have protein shakes or a second meal. My second meal might look like chicken, veggies, and a small amount of rice. I know my body type and learned that carbs later in the day can either help me lose weight or gain weight depending on my goals.

In order to lose weight or gain weight, you need to know both your macros and your calorie intake. To lose weight, you must be in a calorie deficit. That means you have to be below the calories your body needs to stay at its current weight. For example, my maintenance calories are 2400. If I eat below 2400 calories one day, I will be on the road to losing some weight. However, if I go above 2400 calories, then I will start to gain weight. Exercise plays an important role in how many calories you need, and all of that will be calculated when you put your goals in MyFitnessPal.

Now that you know about either being in a deficit or surplus, you can think about doing intermittent fasting. I do intermittent fasting for three main reasons: time, energy, and maintenance. I break my fast at 12 pm, and I am allowed to eat until 8 pm (An eight-hour eating window). There is no food after 8 PM, which is great because you are not supposed to eat three hours before bed. If you do, then there is a higher probability that your body will store any excess food as fat if your body doesn’t utilize it before bedtime. Having an eight-hour eating block helps me know when to eat and when to stop so that I do not overeat in a day. It might not seem like you will save much time doing fasting, but if your meals are big like mine, then you will see the benefit of one 30-minute meal compared to three 20-minute meals. Time is very valuable, and I found that fasting saves me more time.

My second reason for fasting is more energy. I have more energy in a day when I am not constantly putting food in my body. It takes a tremendous amount of energy for the body to digest food. Just think of how much you eat on Thanksgiving. By the end of the meal, you have eaten way more carbs than your body could handle, and are now going into a food coma. Eating a large mass of foods that are not in line with your dietary habits will tire the body, and the “itis” will start to set in. Fasting for that eight-hour block helps me to divvy up my food consumed, thus using less energy to digest copious amounts of food. However, I have gotten my body used to eating large meals over the years, so eating a large meal has no effect on me. All in all, I have gained more energy just by fasting and eating fewer times a day.

My last reason is that eating within an eight-hour block allows me to eat only the foods that will benefit me. I can tell you from experience if you fill up on chicken and veggies you are just so full after that you will avoid desserts and other bad foods. You are so full that you cannot fit any other food in your stomach until later. At this point, you will have to have a meal cooked/planned for dinner. Be sure not to keep any snack foods in the house because after a long day, you do not need that temptation. Snacking is fine in your eating window, but you want to still be eating healthy foods that are nutritious for you.

The last thing I want to talk about is cheat meals and cravings. I will tell you firsthand that I love sweets and cakes. I would eat a whole cake if I let myself. Over the years I have become disciplined enough to not make those types of choices. Every month or two I will schedule a cheat day. My cheat days are not full days of cheating, but rather a meal or special treat. I might say I will have some ice cream next week on Saturday or order a pizza in two weeks. The trick to cheat meals is to not make them frequent, but also to not make them a day or time to gorge yourself with unhealthy foods. When the body has a craving, it is for a specific reason. If you are craving chocolate, it could be that your body needs the nutrients that are in the chocolate. Now, do not get a sugar craving mixed with something you need. The body creates all the glucose it needs, and any extra sugar you have is something the body will only store as fat if not burned off by the end of the day. Be sure to listen to your body if it’s in the mood for foods like pasta, fish, or fruits.

In conclusion, there are many different dietary habits that you can incorporate into your life. I find that low carbs/fats and high protein work best for a lean athletic physique. Knowing this restricts certain types of foods, but I can find other foods that I love that will keep my body in shape. We all have our own body types, and we are all unique. Weight loss or weight gain is different for everyone. You do not have to focus on macros or calories in order to be in shape. Knowing them, however, will give you the tools to get to your perfect body type more quickly. Doing the same thing you have been doing will get you the same results you’ve been getting. Make sure that if you do not see results, you pivot and try a new approach. A new fad diet will not keep the weight off. You have to make the conscious decision to want to get and stay in shape. Your dream body awaits you if you are not there, so take the steps today in order to reach your health goals!

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts