Q: If I want to lose some extra fat, should I do weights first? I usually focus on cardio first , I can run a lot
A: I'm first recommending focusing on your nutrition, so you're in a caloric deficit. After that, include weight training and cardio into your fitness routine to effectively "lose extra fat." While cardio is essential for burning calories and improving cardiovascular health, weight training is crucial for building lean muscle mass, which in turn helps boost your metabolism. When you have more lean muscle mass, your body burns more calories at rest, which can help you lose fat in the long run.
Regarding the order in which you perform your exercises, there is no hard and fast rule about whether you should do weights or cardio first. However, there are a few factors to consider. Suppose you are looking to build muscle and increase strength. In that case, it's beneficial to start with weight training, as your energy and focus will be at their highest earlier in the workout. On the other hand, if your primary goal is to burn calories and improve cardiovascular fitness, starting with cardio is more beneficial.
Another critical factor to consider is recovery. Suppose you are new to weight training or have not been consistent with it. In that case, it's essential to start with a lower volume and intensity and gradually increase it over time. Doing cardio before weights can make you more tired, making lifting weights with proper form and intensity harder.
Additionally, consider the time you have available to dedicate to your workout. Performing cardio and weight training on separate days may be a more practical option if you are short on time. For example, you can do weight training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and cardio on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Also, it would be best if you focused on the quality of your workout, not the quantity.
It's also important to remember that exercise alone is not enough to lose extra fat. Nutrition also plays a crucial role in weight loss. To lose fat, you need to create a calorie deficit, which means consuming fewer calories than you burn. This can be achieved by consuming a healthy diet low in calorie-dense foods, such as processed foods and added sugars, and high in nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats.
BMR and TDEE
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy your body would burn if you were to lie motionless for a day, without food. It’s the minimum amount of energy it costs you to stay alive for 24 hours. Your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories you burn in 24 hours based on your BMR, activity level, and food digestion aka thermic effect of food (TEF).
In order for all the systems in your body to work together, you need to eat enough calories and the minimum would be your BMR number. Digesting food burns calories and this is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). Activity level includes physical activity that is planned and unplanned. Planned activities would fall into the category EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) and unplanned activities would fall into NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). An example of EAT would be purposeful exercise such as working out and an example of NEAT would be walking to the gym.
Your BMR is determined by the following factors:
Sex
Weight
Height
Age
Ethnicity
Body Composition
Genetic factors
This means you’re in control of two things, how much you weigh and your body composition aka how much lean muscle you have compared to body fat.
I use the Mifflin-St. Jeor Equation to calculate a client’s starting point with calories. Any calculator you use to determine how many calories you need in a given day is a best guess and there is no way to say with 100% accuracy, eat this many calories and you will lose weight. The best method for knowing whether the calorie amount given is correct is to give it time, about 2 weeks minimum. Losing weight is a game of numbers and unless you try, fail, and adjust, you’ll be stuck at the same weight and your level of frustration will continue to rise.
What does this mean for you and what can you do starting today?
Calculate your BMR and TDEE.
I will gladly help you figure that number out for free, click here.
Start tracking calories.
You don’t have to track calories to lose weight, but numbers provide clarity and help with strategy.
Increase your TEF.
Eat more protein. More protein in your diet helps with satiety so you experience hunger less and it’s the one macronutrient that burns the most calories through digestion.
Increase your NEAT.
Walk more. This can be considered EAT if you plan it into your day but I don’t care about that subtle difference. Park farther, take the stairs, use your arms when you tell stories, fidget more, etc. The point is, the more active you are, the higher your NEAT will be.
Increase your EAT.
Pretty simple here, exercise more. I don’t care what form of exercise you do as long as it’s something you enjoy and can be consistent with.
I’m biased so my main choice of exercise is strength training. Not only do you build strength and muscle but it helps with burning fat (if in a caloric deficit) and builds confidence.
Do more cardio.
Walk, run, cycle, swim, fly, etc, just do something to raise your heart rate and maybe get a sweat in.
150 minutes of low-moderate intensity per week.
75 minutes of high intensity per week.
You can choose either or combine these in your week based on your schedule, program, and preference.
Don’t know where to start? I’ve got options for you
Anything else I can help with, email me here
A Good Day of Eating
Most people I coach are looking to lose weight and usually want the fastest methods to do so. This mindset is what’s holding you back from getting the body of your dreams, or at least, the body of someone else you admire and want to look like.
Your goal is to lose weight and the number one principle of losing weight is being in a calorie deficit. There’s many methods you can choose from to lose weight but the simple principle is this, consume less calories than you burn in a day, every day, for some time. This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect with eating and drinking, but you can’t have a salad once in a while and be mad at your lack of results.
The foods you eat contain macronutrients and micronutrients. Simply put, macronutrients give us energy because they contain calories, and micronutrients make us feel good and help our body and cells function properly.
You and I have two different bodies in the way they respond to people’s criticism differently, move in a given day, and prefer food. I don’t let what others say about my body affect me because fortunately, I’ve gone through my own journey with losing 60+ lbs and found acceptance and understanding that my body is forever changing because my life is forever changing. If you don’t love who you are now, nothing will change when you get abs besides you having abs.
Before this pandemic hit the world, I was moving all day as a personal trainer.
From coaching on the floor, to putting weights back, to cleaning up, to working out, to traveling back and forth from home, I was burning a lot of calories just moving. My life now is completely different to where I sit most of the day like I used to with my old desk job. What’s important to note with the difference in moving is how little calories I burn because I’m confined to home (most days). If you move less, you have to eat less because you’re not using all that energy like before.
The last part is what you’re here for, food preferences. A good day of eating is subjective, so is healthy versus unhealthy so let’s define what I mean. A good day of eating means the foods you choose to eat and what you drink aligns with your goal of losing weight and looking good. Whether you think Domino's Pizza is healthy or unhealthy, if I have that everyday, it's going to be hard for me to lose weight, therefore, Domino's isn't a smart thing to have every single day. Can I have Domino's once in a while? Yes. Whether you think rice, chicken, and broccoli is healthy or unhealthy, if I have that everyday, it might be easier for me to lose weight, if I don’t have huge portions, but if I get bored of eating that everyday, am I going to binge and reverse the progress I made? Most likely.
I stick to a list of lean protein sources, carbohydrates, and fats convenient to have/make, have/make consistently, and above all, I enjoy.
Lean protein sources: egg whites, eggs*, chicken breast, lean ground turkey*, lean ground beef*, fat-free greek yogurt, salmon*, and protein powder. (* means they have some tag-along fat so it’s not as lean as the rest on this list).
Carbohydrates: blueberries, bananas, oats, rice, bread, potatoes, and sour patch kids.
Fats: olive oil, swiss/mozzarella/vegan cheese, and beef bacon.
That’s pretty much it most of the time. When I cheat on my diet, and stray away from these foods, I’m doing so knowing that it’s not healthy in comparison. However, if I have Shake Shack once or twice a week, and that helps me stay the course, then it can be considered a good day of eating because it’s what I needed psychologically, not biologically.
Strict eating becomes boring.
Meal plans become boring.
Any style of eating that doesn’t allow creativity or fun or flexibility won’t last.
You’re not a robot, you’re a human being with taste preferences based on your culture, your upbringing, and what’s available to you.
Now, with that list I have above, I separate them into two different categories: Rest Day & Training Day.
This concept of rest & training days comes from the method of “Tracking Macros”. In short, on training days, you’ll eat more carbs and less fats while having protein relatively high to fuel performance and recovery. On rest days, you’ll eat less carbs, more fats while having protein relatively higher to add variety in food selection.
(Note: The lower you go in calories, the higher your protein intake should be in order to reduce or prevent loss of muscle mass. Basically, you don’t want to sacrifice muscle when losing weight because it’s not the weight you’re necessarily chasing, it’s looking good at a lower weight)
On training days, I usually have Protein Oats which is oatmeal with almond or cashew milk and a scoop of whey protein before I workout. After my workout, I’m having a protein shake and within an hour of that will be a solid-meal. Rice, chicken breast, and some type of vegetable (i like to stick to 3 veggies: spinach, broccoli & asparagus) which I’ll either cook at home or get from chipotle. My snack is usually a protein bar or greek yogurt with blueberries.
On rest days, I usually have an egg/egg white sandwich with cheese and bacon or an egg/egg white omelette with potatoes. My snacks are a protein shake and protein bar (or two protein shakes). My other meal is potatoes, and lean ground turkey or ground beef with veggies.
That’s pretty much it for the meals I have when I’m consistent. I don't consider myself a foodie, because that's just an excuse to eat like an asshole (without care or awareness). I eat for convenience that gets me to my goal in a sustainable way to where I can enjoy life and not become obsessed in a way that will make me spiral down a negative and lonely path.
If you don’t know where to start or want help starting your own journey, please send me an email to abel@aymhigher.com and I’ll be more than happy to assist you.
Eat Slowly
The enjoyment you have from eating food doesn’t make you a foodie.
If the gratification you get from food leads to a dissatisfaction from the way you look, then it may be time to change the way you eat and think about eating.
Comfort foods are like a drug that temporarily shift your focus from the problems you’re trying to run away from into an addiction that will cause more short & long term problems.
Weight gain isn’t the problem, it’s a symptom.
Whether you’re unhappy with your job, career path, significant other, family or friends, the fact remains that eating because you’re stressed or anxious is not going to solve the symptoms.
If good habits follow good habits, the same is true about bad habits.
Food can make us FEEL better or worse.
Are you aware of the foods that have a positive effect on your stomach and mood?
What about the foods that make you feel sluggish or cause an upset stomach?
Ideally, you’re going to eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full.
So why do you eat when you’re bored and stop when you feel pregnant?
This is a question I’ve asked myself numerous times.
I’ve also found that when you ask silly questions, your brain gives you a silly answer.
When you have nothing better to do, instead of eating, ask yourself what’s something you enjoy doing that doesn’t add calories? You can build on this and think about cooking a meal that has less calories and still tastes good.
In the same context, how can you stop eating past full if your fullness cues aren’t working?
Eat Slowly
Put your utensils/food down and pause for a moment after each bite.
Easy?
Eat Slowly Without Distractions
On top of eating slowly, put your phone away/turn off the TV.
Easy?
Eat Very Slowly, Without Distractions, and with Full Presence and Attention
Notice your food’s taste, texture, and smell.
Savor each bite like you’re doing an expensive wine tasting.
Pause after each bite and notice the thoughts and feelings attached.
If you need help with deciding which foods you’re currently eating that help or hurt you, send me an email & let’s figure it out together.
What Should You Eat After A Workout?
This article is going to provide you with an optimal method for how to approach nutrition after your training session.
Especially after strength (resistance) training or HIIT cardio with a duration of at least 45 minutes.
Stress/Recovery/Adaptation Cycle
Resistance training done correctly breaks down muscle fibers and depletes muscle glycogen. That’s good stress to the body because in order to build muscle and become stronger, you need to move a load that is challenging to your system and follow it with nutrition that supports recovery. Those two steps, if done correctly, will help you adapt and grow.
What you feed your body after a workout will do one of two things, help or hurt. The benefits of proper post-workout nutrition include:
Improved recovery
Reduced soreness
Increased ability to build muscle
Improved immune function
Improved bone mass
Improved ability to utilize body fat
Reduced chance of injury
Improved performance
A question I receive often is what someone should eat after a workout and this is going to be frustrating for a lot of people but the answer is “it depends”.
If your goal is to lose weight, then what you eat after a workout has to fit the number one rule of losing weight: calorie deficit. This doesn’t mean your post workout meal should be low in calories. One component of proper recovery means getting enough calories to refuel your body. If you skip out on calories, you’re sabotaging results as well as performance the rest of the day. It’s hard to function in real life when all you can think about is food and hunger.
Some people strictly believe in whole foods and others believe in supplements (protein drinks); I believe a combination of both to be more optimal.
Why?
Digestion of nutrients is different when the source is coming from solid foods versus liquid foods. The breakdown and digestion of solid foods is much slower than the digestion of liquid foods. Some people are very hungry following a workout while others don’t have the hunger levels for eating. Either way, they both need nutrients to rebuild.
Nutrient timing is important, it is also somewhat overrated. You don’t need to eat immediately after a workout, however, that doesn’t mean you should overlook when you consume food after a training session. Overall calories and macronutrient distribution matters way more than when you consume calories or supplements for losing weight and body fat or gaining weight and building muscle.
Protein and carbohydrates play two different roles post-workout. If you leave one out of the equation, then you’re sabotaging your progress and results. For example, if you just have protein and no carbs, then protein can’t effectively build and repair muscle fibers because it now has the task of replacing muscle glycogen that was depleted from your workout.
For someone who is fasted or didn’t have a pre-workout meal, having a post-workout meal immediately following a workout might help you build more muscle. It also might not make a difference. Remember, overall calories will determine success or failure with body composition over time.
Is there a “Window of Opportunity”?
There’s a lot of studies that shows you should consume calories post workout immediately to maximize recovery and results. However, a study done (Here) on nutrient timing post-exercise concluded that total daily calorie consumption is a better approach to maximizing training adaptations than timing. The only time when timing outweighs total calories is if you’re training in a fasted state. Here’s what I personally like to adhere to:
Within 2 hours
I have a protein shake within 30 mins of my workout.
I have a full meal within 90 mins after my protein shake.
Within 2 hours post-workout, I’ve consumed two meals where most people have one or even nothing.
How Much Should You Have?
Brad Schoenfeld: Researcher/Educator on muscle building/fat loss.
Here’s what I consume after most workouts on average.
Protein Shake Macros/Calories
40g protein
51g carbs
2g fats
382 calories
Chipotle Macros/Calories
Brown Rice
Fajita Veggies
Chicken
37g protein
41g carbs
12g fats
424 calories
Total Macros/Cals
77g protein
92g carbs
14g fats
806 calories
Recommendations
Whatever you can afford consistently.
Whatever you can easily consume consistently.
Whatever tastes good FOR YOU and that you can stick with on a consistent basis.
I’ve tried everything at GNC and Vitamin Shoppe and they all made my stomach bloat, didn’t taste as good as I had hoped for and even made me break out (allergic to shellfish). If you’re still out there searching for something better, here is my suggestion.
I’ve been taking 1st Phorm supplements for two years now. Someone I looked up to in the fitness industry and trusted talked about what she takes so I tried it out. I can’t tell you how much happier my stomach is because of this decision and the quality of taste is high.
For my post-workout shake, I get their Vanilla Milkshake protein with Ignition, mix with water and it tastes like an ice cream shake from Nifty Fifty’s every time.
Here is the link to order it and try it out: Here
A couple things before you click that link.
I do get a small commission if you use that link.
You get free shipping.
I wouldn’t risk my reputation or integrity to make money. Your trust in me matters more than I can express.
Last but not least, it’s going to be THE BEST post-workout shake you try in your life. 110% money back guarantee
How To Meal Prep 4 Meals in 6 mins
Meal prep is one of the easiest things you can do to change your body. For those of you that have never done a meal prep, the idea is to prepare as many meals as you can in the shortest amount of time for the most amount of days. That's the simplest way to describe meal prep. To give context, I'm a personal trainer and lived most of my day away from home. This means I'm unable to cook my food as I get hungry which leads me to buying a lot of the foods that I eat. This gets expensive real fast. Personally, the hardest things I think about is how can I stay in a calorie deficit so I can lose weight and how can I get the right amount of protein every day so I don't lose muscle. In this video, my go-to breakfast his overnight oats, my go to post workout meal is chicken and rice after a post workout shake, and my snack is a protein bar. For the most part, I use intermittent fasting as a tool to help me lose weight by limiting my eating window. This way, I'm able to condense the amount of times I'm eating in a day and still hit my macros.
Lunch wise: I don't like soggy chicken so I order cooked chicken from the deli downstairs where I live. I use instant rice for carbs.
Breakfast wise: I use Maple and brown sugar oatmeal packets. I use unsweetened vanilla cashew milk. One scoop of meal replacement protein powder.
Supplement wise: I use a multivitamin with greens powder, Fish oil, Post workout shake with Ignition & Creatine, BCAAs, and a pre-workout without caffeine.
The simpler your diet is, the easier it will be for you to follow it. I don't recommend this for everyone, but I do recommend you try what works and try what doesn't work for others to see what's optimal for you.
Action Steps You Can Take Now
Start tracking you calories for weight-loss today —> Learn how here
Use Intermittent Fasting as a tool for losing fat today —> Here
Hit your Goal Body Weight in protein every day. Find your protein number here
Strength Train 2-3 times a week. Have 1 Day of cardio if you want. Don’t have a routine? Send me an email & I’ll give you a FREE 4 week program here: abel@aymhigher.com with the subject “4 Week AYM Higher Program”
How To Lose Weight Without A Diet
What would change about your life if you lost weight?
More confidence? More happiness? More sex?
Are you looking for the fastest way to lose weight or the best way?
We want the body we see on the internet only by doing 7-minute abs or a 3 week keto-diet because that’s what is promised to us by “fitness professionals” as achievable.
Anyone with a high social following has a lot of responsibility & for the majority of “influencers”, they are paid on how much they can sell, not how accurate their products are. They want to sell you something that is a quick fix because they have a quota to hit versus someone who takes the time to educate you on a long term sustainable weight loss process.
The fastest way to lose weight is built upon motivation.
The best way to lose weight is sustained through discipline.
This article is going to outline 3 principles to losing weight, they are:
Calorie Deficit
High Protein Intake
Strength Training
Calorie Deficit
A calorie deficit means you’re eating below your maintenance level in calories. Maintenance level is the amount of calories it would take for you to remain the same weight, anything below that is a deficit. There’s two ways you can create a calorie deficit, decreasing input of calories consumed or increasing output of calories burned. How big a deficit you should be in varies based on how aggressive do you want to take it. Someone who is overweight with a high body fat percentage can have a more aggressive calorie deficit compared to someone who weighs less. Why? Because speed is the one thing people manipulate and speed is the reason why most people quit their weight-loss journey. If you’re not overweight, an aggressive diet (more than 25% deficit) is too fast of a drop that it shocks your body & brain. There is such a thing as too few calories & if you eat too few, your body’s ability to function properly will be impaired. Your body is going to think “starvation mode” & your metabolism will shut off. Your body will spare muscle during this phase & hold onto fat because fat protects your organs for survival. Also, with setting too large of a calorie deficit, you get very hungry very fast & can’t maintain that low calorie intake for too long before you binge eat & gain all the weight you lost plus more. Nutrition is 80% of the change required to lose weight, Activity (workouts + non-workout movement) is 20%. Keep this in mind.
How Much Should My Deficit Be?
It depends on how much you want to lose & how fast do you wanna get there. There’s 3,500 calories in 1 lb. If you created a 500 calorie deficit & did that consistently for 7 days (500 x 7 = 3,500), you’ve just lost 1 lb. For example, I weigh 200 lbs, if my maintenance level is 2,500 calories & I only consume 2,000 calories/day (a 500 calorie deficit), I would be on pace to lose 1 lb by the end of the week. If you wanted to lose 2 lbs/week, you’d create a 1,000 calorie deficit & do that consistently for 7 days. With this information, there’s two types of people, one who sees 1 lb/week as doable, & one that sees 1 lb/week as not enough progress. But if you created a 500 calorie deficit & did that for 52 weeks, you’ve just lost 52 lbs. Still not enough progress? Just a reminder, there’s no finish line & you don’t get extra points for getting there the fastest.
How To Calculate A Calorie Deficit?
First you need to know what your BMR is. I’m gonna save you the trouble of explaining how many methods I’ve gone through over the years. I like using the Katch McArdle Formula because it uses lean mass instead of body weight in its BMR equation. Why is that important? Because the amount of body fat one has influences how big a deficit that person will be in. Remember earlier, If you have more weight/body fat to lose, you can set your diet more aggressively versus someone who doesn’t have as much to lose. Instead of trying to figure out the complicated computations you’d have to do in order to get a close-to-accurate deficit, download Mike’s Macros & it will change your relationship with food & your life forever. Another simple way of calculating calories came from my friend Jordan Syatt, multiply your goal weight by 10, 11 or 12. 10 is aggressive, 12 is moderate, 11 is in between.
For example, I weigh 200 lbs, my goal weight is 190 lbs so my calculations would be:
190 x 10 = 1,900 cals (aggressive)
190 x 11 = 2,090 cals (happy place)
190 x 12 = 2,280 cals (moderate)
Do Diets work?
Yes. If you google any type of meal plan for weight-loss, they all work, they’re not magic. The #1 factor that will help you lose weight is counting calories. Also, creating a deficit through nutrition is much easier than creating it through exercise. If you ate an apple every day for 30 days, its calories wouldn’t change. However, if you ran a mile a day for 30 days, you would burn more calories on day 1 vs day 30 because your body isn’t conditioned for it; but, as time goes on, your body adapts to the stress of running and you perform it more efficiently, burning less calories on day 30.
High Protein Intake
Now that we have a better understanding of what you need to focus on when setting up your calorie deficit, next priority is protein. More protein is going to help you feel sexy & strong, here’s why:
Boosts Metabolism
Reduces Appetite
Changes Several Weight-Regulating Hormones
How?
Your brain has many functions, one of it is hunger control. Our brain processes information all day, & it changes after consuming food. We have satiety (appetite reducing) hormones & hunger hormones. The more protein you eat, the less hungry you become. Out of all three macronutrients, protein, carbs, & fats, protein is the one macro that takes the most amount of calories to burn through digestion & metabolism. What does this mean? There’s this thing called TEF (Thermic Effect of Food), & protein has the highest TEF ranging between 20-30%. Let’s say for example, you had a meal that contained 100 calories of protein, 20-30 of those calories are going to be burned through digestion. Metabolism is the process of converting the food we digested into the fuel/energy we need to live. A high protein diet helps us achieve that. Protein helps build & maintain muscle mass, maintaining muscle mass burns more calories at rest than maintaining fat mass does, therefore, by increasing protein intake & building our muscles, we’re boosting our metabolism.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
This is tricky because the best answer for you is “it depends”. The Dietary Reference Intake is only 46 & 56 grams for women & men, respectively. That’s insane but then again, this is the minimum amount to prevent deficiency. What we’re interested in is building muscle & losing fat & for that matter, let’s talk numbers. Men & women process protein differently meaning, men have a slight advantage when it comes to consuming protein (I realized this from working with clients, I don’t have a scientific explanation for it). How much protein you need is based on preference. Some people can eat a lot, some can’t. It’s also harder if you’re vegetarian/vegan. The easiest way to get more protein in your diet is protein shakes so if you’re not at least getting one, one a day is going to make a big difference in your physique over time.
Aim for your goal body weight in grams of protein/day & go from there. For example, my goal body weight is 190 lbs so at the minimum, I’m aiming for 190 grams of protein every day. Keep in mind, the lower your calories go, the higher your protein intake should be. The reasoning here is protein is going to help build or retain as much muscle as you can, the more muscle you have, the less body fat you have as well, & the more calories you burn at rest. The biggest issue with being in a calorie deficit is losing muscle along with weight and the reason why we don’t want to lose much muscle mass is to avoid the “skinny fat” look. Your goal isn’t just to lose weight, it’s to lose weight & look sexy naked. You will avoid “skinny fat” with developed muscles.
Strength Training
"How important is strength training for weight-loss?"
"If I only did cardio, is that good enough to lose weight?"
The truth is you can lose weight doing both.
What’s going to get you there the fastest?
A combination of both with a focus on lifting supplemented with cardio.
If you had to choose? Strength training > cardio.
Strength training 2-3x/week with the right amount of intensity is what you should aim for. What people don’t understand about working out with weights is the calories you burn is not confined to just your time in the gym. You’re burning calories after the gym while your body is recovering, about 24-48 hours. Strength training builds muscles, which in turn boosts you metabolism, & muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does. The benefits of strength training is not limited to body composition. The stronger you become, the better you look, the more confidence you gain, the happier you feel & the better you treat people. Strength training is what led me here. Years of depression & insecurity about how I looked was diminished when I saw the results of consistency. I’ve been blessed & fortunate to help others in their weight-loss journey through paying attention to their own nutrition & working out 2-3 times a week.
Cardio can be supplemented 2-3x/week with varying intensities. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) cardio can be performed 1-2x/week, one example is sprints performed for 30 seconds with 60 seconds of rest with multiple sets. There’s a different type of cardio you can do called LISS (Low Intensity Steady State). LISS is cardio performed at a low intensity meaning your heart rate isn’t working hard. An example of LISS would be walking on the treadmill at an incline & speed that’s not too challenging (5% incline, 2.5 speed). What I love about this type of cardio is it’s a form of active recovery so for people that “need to do something everyday”, this is a great option. It’s an easy way to burn calories & recover from workouts faster.
While most people choose cardio over strength training for weight-loss, what I want you to get from this article is that the progress you want to see is not going to happen overnight. Ads you see about fat-burning pills, new diets, “fat burning workouts” are designed to prey on the weak-minded individuals who are impatient & looking for a quick solution. If you’ve tried to lose weight before & didn’t succeed, it’s not your fault. To the uninformed, everything looks like it could work but the truth is, changing your body, which took you months or years to get into this shape is not going to be solved in days or weeks. You’ll win this game if you have patience, if you can be consistent, & not quit every time you “fail”. You can’t fail if you keep going. You’re going to have many setbacks because life isn’t perfect, but the people I’ve seen become a success story, are the people who never gave up.
Action Steps You Can Take Now
Start tracking you calories for weight-loss today! Learn how here
Hit your Goal Body Weight in protein every day. Find your protein number here
Strength Train 2-3 times a week. Have 1 Day of cardio if you want. Don’t have a routine? Send me an email & I’ll give you a FREE 4 week program here: abel@aymhigher.com with the subject “4 Week AYM Higher Program”
How To Track Your Macros
The goal after reading this blog post is that you understand the following:
What are macros?
What my macros "should" be
Foods with a nutrition label vs foods without
How to track macros: Measuring and Weighing
Macronutrients vs Calories
For the 60 second reader, here is the app I used that helped me lose 30 lbs in 2017 over the course of 7 months with strength training 3-4x/week supplementing cardio & ab work MAYBE once every other week. Download the (FREE) Macros App by Mike Vacanti. Macros, short for macronutrients, are comprised of protein, carbohydrates, & dietary fats that make up the calories (energy) you consume in a given day. There’s three options you can choose from, fat loss, maintenance or muscle gain.
Fat loss is achieved through being in a calorie deficit over an extended period of time; maintenance is achieved through eating enough calories to stay at the same weight; and muscle gain is achieved through being in a calorie surplus for an extended period of time.
For the rest of you who want to understand WHY this option might be best for you, keep reading ;)
What are macros?
Macros, short for macronutrients, are comprised of three (technically four if count alcohol) components: Protein, Carbohydrates & Fat. They are the foods & drinks we consume that contains calories. Your favorite bacon, egg, & cheese breakfast sandwich, salads doused in dressing for lunch & fast-food chain takeouts for dinner are all made up of macros (in different ratios), some “good", some "bad”.
Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
Think building muscle & appetite control
Its primary function is to build & repair body tissues & structures. It is also necessary for the production and protection of antibodies that prevent us from illness and infections. Additionally, protein can be used for energy if calories or carbohydrates are insufficient in the diet (gluconeogenesis).
Protein can be obtained from meat, dairy products, eggs, fish, nuts, legumes, vegetables, grains, & protein powder. A highly-advertised “good source of protein” that you should be careful with is nuts as they are a great source of fats, not protein. For example, 1 serving of almonds has 6 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbs, & 14… FOURTEEN grams of fat! A high-protein diet during your fat loss journey will help you maintain as much lean mass as possible and can even help build muscle. But, consuming too much protein can lead to harmful effects such as kidney dysfunction, constipation, dehydration & even weight gain.
How much protein should you consume? Good question. It depends where you’re currently at, where do you want to go, & what method (diet style) do you want to choose. Sorry it’s not a simple question/answer. To make this simple, say you are 200 lbs with 25% body fat. You can go as low as 0.5-1.5 g/lb of lean body mass/day. Lean body mass is your total weight minus your weight in fat. For example: 200 - (200 x 0.25) = 150 lbs. So if you weigh 200 lbs & have 150 lbs of lean body mass, 0.5 x 150 = 75 grams of protein.
My go-to sources of protein are skinless chicken breast, lean ground turkey/beef, sometimes fish (wild caught salmon), a meal replacement shake & post workout shake from 1st Phorm.
Carbohydrate: 1 gram = 4 calories
Think performance & recovery
If you want to enjoy working out & want to recover at a normal rate, you need to consume carbs. Carbs are compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and are generally classified as sugars (simple), starches (complex), and fiber.
Who cares about simple, complex carbs & fiber, right? Your stomach & body does, duh! What you need to know about the difference between these two is how they’re digested & absorbed. Simple sugars (glucose, fructose, galactose) are best for quick energy because of how fast they are absorbed by the body. Be careful with ingesting a lot of simple carbs because they have little nutritional value (no fiber) so people who are trying to lose weight, should limit their simple carb intake. Complex carbs (polysaccharides) are best for energy that lasts and because they are longer in chain than simple sugars, they take a longer time for the body to breakdown. They come in the form of rice, bread, potatoes, cake, candy, & countless other enjoyable/less enjoyable sources.
Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate. There’s two types: soluble and insoluble.
Soluble fiber is dissolved by water and forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract. Soluble fiber has many benefits, including moderating blood glucose levels and lowering cholesterol.
Insoluble fiber does not absorb or dissolve in water. It passes through the digestive tract close to its original form. Insoluble fiber offers many benefits to intestinal health, including a reduction in the risk and occurrence of colorectal cancer, hemorrhoids, and constipation
The more refined a carb is, the less nutritious & filling it will be. That’s not to say that there are good & bad carbs, that’s just to say that depending on where you are in your body goal journey, certain carbs at certain times of the day will help you or hurt your progress.
How much carbs should you consume? You technically don’t need any or that much (keto) but then again, I don’t promote or suggest cutting anything out of your diet because the internet said so. I do carb-cycling meaning on the days where I train, I consume “a lot” of carbs, & the days I don’t workout, I consume about half that amount. In the interest of simplicity & consistency, aim for 0.5-2 g/lb of lean body mass.
My go-to sources of carbs include cinnamon raisin bagels, sour patch kids, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, bananas, blueberries, cinnamon toast crunch, strawberry cheesecake flavored yogurt, & Halo Top.
Fat (Lipids): 1 gram = 9 calories
Think hormone production & regulation, vitamin absorption, energy, brain function & maintaining body core temperature
Fats are a key component to your diet as they are the basic building blocks of your cell membranes. Every cell in your body is surrounded by a fatty membrane that allows the balance of hormones to enter. Cholesterol, aka fat, is responsible for the production of testosterone & estrogen (hormones) so avoiding fats altogether, will result in hormonal imbalances that will affect metabolism, fertility & life expectancy.
Some types of vitamins rely on fat for absorption & storage such as Vitamin A, D, E & K. These fat-soluble vitamins cannot function without adequate daily fat intake. Fat is also your back up source of energy when carbs are depleted, keep this in mind especially when you’re working out. Your brain is made up of nearly 60% fat so at times if you’ve experienced “brain fog”, you’re not getting enough high-quality fats. Where can you get high-quality fats from? Nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut/olive oil & fatty meats.
How much fats should you consume? Aim for 0.25-1 g/lb of lean body mass.
My go-to sources of fat are eggs, beef bacon, vegan cheese, almond butter, coconut/olive oil & fish oil supplements.
Foods with Nutrition Labels vs Foods Without
Every nutrition label will give you:
Serving size
Servings per container
Calories
Total Fat
Cholesterol
Sodium
Total Carbohydrate
Protein
Micronutrient %s
For the purpose of macros, we’re only going to focus on protein, carbs & fats.
1 gram of protein & carb = 4 calories each.
1 gram of fat = 9 calories.
These three macronutrients make up calories. From the example to our right, we find that:
Protein: 14 x 4 = 56 calories
Carbohydrate: 77 x 4 = 308 calories
Fat: 2.5 x 9 = 22.5 calories
So… 56 + 308 + 22.5 = 386.5 calories.
I thought about finding a different label but I’m not going to because there’s two valuable lessons to learn here:
Just because a nutrition label says how many calories there are, mistakes happen in counting.
Due diligence will be rewarded.
The more you practice this, the less time it will take & the less confused/anxious you will be. Also, note that micronutrients (vitamins & minerals) do not contain calories so we don’t have to do any calculations there.
Now, for the foods that do not contain nutrition facts, I use:
last & certainly least, myfitnesspal.com
I think it’s also important to mention that most fast-food chain restaurants have on their website a nutritional database. The more fancy or less popular a restaurant is, the less likely you’ll be able to know exactly how many macros you’re consuming. These are three places I often go to:
Here’s an honorary member to the nutrition calculator (just found this while searching for these restaurants)
How to Track Macros: Measuring and Weighing
The easiest way for you to understand portion size in my opinion is to cook your food using a food scale, measuring cups & spoons. You can order one online from amazon or go to target & pick one up (or order online as well). I measure foods/liquids in grams or ounces keeping it simple, stupid (KISS). The main objection I get from people is that it is tedious & annoying to do. Okay... I don’t disagree with them but… BUT BUT BUT(T), if it took you less than a month to acquire a skill that will benefit you for the REST of your life, would you say no? You don’t need to spell the alphabet out anymore to form sentences; once you get accustomed to your job, you don’t need a to do list to remind you of the basics.
Macros vs Calories
Think about it like this. You wouldn’t work your job without know how much you’re earning an hour, so why eat foods if you don’t know their caloric DNA. You can lose weight just counting calories, but for the purpose of body composition, you’re going to have to increase your intake of protein & reduce your intake of carbohydrates & fats. If we don’t track our calories, it’s very easy to go over in carbs & fats & barely hit your protein goal because we like taste over discipline & (veggies lol).
But I promise you, learning how to track your macros will take the confusion out of life & give you more time to focus on important things like buying slimmer clothes because your old ones don’t fit or responding to tinder/bumble messages because appearance matters no matter how many times people say “it’s what’s on the inside that counts” (btw that’s still important, but it’s much more rewarding to look & feel like a Porsche)
In Conclusion
Tracking macros is not a forever thing. It's something you do for a while until it becomes second nature & you no longer have to think about it. This can be overwhelming if you're new to this so if that's the case, please send me an email at abel@aymhigher.com or drop a question in the comment section, I'll be more than happy to help you out. I am also accepting online coaching clients if you're in need of help with nutrition, don't know where to begin in the gym or you hit the wall & plateaued. You will receive 24/7 access to me & customized training programs.
How to Lose FAT with Intermittent Fasting
Intro
Intermittent Fasting is a meal-timing strategy that can help you lose body fat by a combination of fasting for a longer period of your day & feeding for a shorter period of your day. It’s not magic so don’t think that if you restrict the number of times you eat in a day, you’ll automatically lose weight & body fat. The number one factor in your success of losing weight is by being in a calorie deficit. This is how IF can help with your overall reduction in calories. In your 24 hours of the day, you can go 12:12 or 16:8 meaning 12 hours fasted & 12 hours eating or 16 hours fasted & 8 hours eating. I recommend for anyone starting out is with 12:12, then gradually make your way up to 16:8. You can do longer than 16 hours but personally, that’s when I start to get irritable & my first meal will not only be higher in calories but bad in terms of macros (high carbs, fat & low in protein). You don’t need to be strict with this meal-timing strategy because what’s more important than following “rules” is listening to how your body feels. Appetite suppressants such as coffee, low-cal/zero calorie energy drinks, & BCAAs help with blunting hunger and extending your fasting period.
Research:
The research I’ve done on the internet with IF presented me with 3 popular options people follow:
The "16/8 method” (By Martin Berkhan):
Also called the "Leangains” protocol, it involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours, such as 12–8p. Then you fast for 16 hours until 12p the next day.
"Eat-Stop-Eat” (By Brad Pilon):
This involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week, for example by not eating from dinner one day until dinner the next day.
The “5:2 diet” (By Dr. Michael Mosley):
With this method, you consume only 500–600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week, but eat normally the other 5 days.
TEF (Thermic Effect of Food)
This is a small component of TEE (Total Energy Expenditure) or TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure): The amount of energy (calories) spent, on average, in a typical day. It’s made up of 3 ingredients:
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): The amount of energy expended while at rest; represents the minimal amount of energy require to sustain vital bodily functions such as blood circulation, respiration, and temperature regulation. RMR typically accounts for 70% of TEE.
Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The amount of energy expended above RMR as a result of the processing of food (digestion) for storage and use. TEF typically accounts for approximately 6-10% of TEE.
Energy expended during physical activity: The amount of energy expended above RMR and TEF associated with physical activity. Physical activity accounts for approximately 20% of TEE.
Long story short, it doesn’t make a difference if you eat 2 or 6x/day, you still burn the same amount of calories from digestion. Total Calorie intake is what drives TEF.
The Physiological Benefits of IF include improved:
Cognitive Functions
Increases the brain hormone BDNF & may aid the growth of new nerve cells. It may also protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
Growth Hormone
Key role in growth, body composition, cell repair & metabolism.
Less body fat, higher GH levels.
Boosts muscle growth, strength & exercise performance while helping you recover from injury & disease.
Insulin Sensitivity
Lower insulin levels make stored body fat more accessible.
Life-Hack Benefits:
You get to spend less time thinking about what to eat, less time preparing meals & less time cleaning up. For example, if 12-8p is your eating window, you can drink coffee, an energy drink, & water with BCAAs up until 12p. From 12-8p is when you get to enjoy calories, then you’re back to fasting until 12p the next day. Two big meals & 2 shakes is what I typically consume on a day where I’m practicing IF.
Who Should be practicing Intermittent Fasting?
In short, almost everyone can. Always consult with your doctor first to understand your personal risks if you have any pre-existing conditions that may negatively affect your health such as: diabetes, blood sugar regulation, low blood pressure, take medications, underweight, have a history with eating disorders, trying to conceive, history of amenorrhea (menstruation problems), or pregnant/breastfeeding.
IF is perfect for anyone who wants to lose weight but hasn’t seen the progress they’d like because their previous diets were too strict. You can also gain muscle/put on weight with IF but it’s much harder because of the small window you have to eat.
In Conclusion:
Can Intermittent Fasting work for you? Yes.
How will you know? Try it out.
What if it doesn’t work? Try being more loose with your eating/fasting window. You can also add FASTED CARDIO to your regimen.
IF is less about WHAT to eat or more about WHEN to eat. If you need further assistance, send me an email abel.y.mezemer@gmail.com or send me a message here