MI Take by Brad Dieter

November 09, 2022 Everything You Need to Know About Nutrition and Weight Loss (S2: EP 15)

Here is Everything You Need To Know About Nutrition And Weight Loss.

This is gonna be a doozy... but you need to know it. I have written about this a bit before... but this is the expanded version.

Here we go..

Concept 1: Food is energy and nutrients.

All the food and drinks you consume contain two main things: Calories and nutrients.

Calories are the energy found in the food. That energy is what keeps you alive and why we have to eat. That energy is what lets your heart beat and your lungs breathe and your legs move.

The nutrients in your food are what allow your body to perform specific functions. Those nutrients are what allow your body to make energy and the material you need to make new cells.

Concept 2: You need enough, but not too much.

Your body is like everything else in the universe, meaning it is governed by the laws of physics.

That means your body needs energy coming in to keep it functioning (energy going out).

If you have too much energy going in your body gains mass (weight). This can be good or bad depending on the context.

If you have too little energy going in your body loses mass (weight). This can be good or bad depending on the context.

To gain or lose weight you need to find the right net negative or net positive.

Concept 3: The best way to change your weight is to make an educated guess and track your energy intake.

Look… here is the deal. If you live outside of a scientific laboratory the best way to change your weight is to do the following 3 steps:

1) Make the best guess you can about what your body expends in a day. This is what our calculator does

2) Track your energy intake (calories) very closely for a few weeks, preferably 4-6 weeks and see if your body weight changes in the direction you want to go.

3) If it is going in the right direction, keep doing that. If it isn’t, adjust your calorie intake up or down a few hundred calories and keep going. Repeat this exercise.

Concept 4: Energy is priority but nutrients matter.

Remember how food has energy (calories) and nutrients? Well there are two main kind of nutrients and they are divided based on two criteria: whether they provide energy or not and how large of quantities we consume them in.

Macronutrients is the first type. These contain calories and are consumed in the order of magnitude of ~10 grams to 1000 grams.

Protein and carbs are 4 calories per gram. Fat is 9 calories per gram.

Micronutrients is the second type. These do not contain calories and are consumed in quantities <5 grams and down to micrograms.

Micronutrients may not provide energy but they are the oil to your engine. If you don’t get enough, the engine blows up.

Concept 5: Energy out matters

You can lower your energy intake down to zero if you want to lose weight but that isn’t a great idea.

Your energy expenditure matters a lot. In fact, if you look at the scientific data behind why people lose weight and maintain weight loss, it is because they increase their energy output along with controlling their energy intake.

This doesn’t mean you HAVE to exercise. It just means you have to increase your activity… so yes, you can just walk.

Concept 6: Exercise is not about burning calories, but it does burn calories.

Look… your 60 minutes in the gym represents ~5-10% of your daily calorie expenditure. Which CAN make a difference for weight loss… but the better way to look at it is that burning calories is just the price you pay to exercise.

What exercise actually does is provide signals for your body to adapt.

You want stronger bones, load them with weights.

You want a more efficient heart, practice using it at a higher capacity by doing cardio.

You want 22 in arms, curl in the squat rack.

Exercise is about adaptation… movement is about burning calories.

Concept 7: Calorie deficits are easy. Behavior is complicated.

Here is the truth. You can lose weight following any sort of diet you can imagine if its in a deficit.

You wanna lose 60 pounds eating 5 Twinkies a day. You can do that… but it is going to be miserable.

We actually know a lot about food and how it impacts us behaviorally, neurobiologically, hormonally, emotionally, etc.

And the truth is its complicated… but there are some core principles surrounding food choices that can help you develop and sustain habits that drive successful calorie deficits.

1) Pay attention to your food choices. Whether its tracking, journaling, mindfulness… whatever is your jam, you have to pay attention.

2) Keep food simple. The more processed, complicated, multi-ingredient food is, the more likely you are to over consume it.

3) Protein is a lever. The higher your diet is in protein the easier it is to consume lower calories.

4) You have horrible estimating skills. Sorry… you do. You overestimate your energy expenditure, you underestimate the food you eat, and your ability to objectively recall your food a few days ago is abysmal. I’m not judging you, just letting you know that objectively assessing in real time makes a difference.

Concept 8: It is going to take work.

Here’s the truth.

This isn’t a tabloid. No 30 pounds in 30 days headline.

You are going to have to build some skills, change some behaviors, solve a few problems.

But it WILL work and it WILL be worth it in the long run.

Concept 9: There is diminishing returns on “learning more”

In order to succeed at this whole health, fitness, weight loss, “better you” journey we are all on, you really just need a very basic level of knowledge.

Anything above just understanding the basics has a very flat diminishing return curve.

What you need is more action and experiential knowledge.

Concept 10: The Macro Basics

PROTEN

Many people think of protein as a muscle building nutrient, but it’s just as important for weight loss if not more important. Of the 3 macronutrients, protein may very well be the most important to optimize.

During a diet, you’re eating in a caloric deficit. You’re burning more energy than you’re taking in. By consuming protein, you keep muscle turnover at a favorable balance. This ensures as you lose energy, you’re shedding off body fat while retaining muscle.

In some cases, although more rare, people can even build muscle while dieting. This is called body recomposition and is only possible with sufficient protein.

In addition, protein is the most energetic to digest meaning your body burns the most calories from digesting it compared to carbs and fat. The term, “the meat sweats” has much truth to it. Your body also burns more from digesting mixed meals which must contain protein (1).

Another benefit of protein is satiety. On average, most protein sources are more filling than many carb and fat sources. Your body needs a certain amount of protein to maximize satiety. Anyone not used to eating enough protein will know just how filling it can be.

A person can only eat so much chicken breast especially at one meal, but despite how uncomfortably full protein may make you feel, it will ultimately help you adhere to a low calorie diet long term.

Ideally you should consume somewhere between 0.7-1.0 grams per pound per day unless you have other medical conditions. A little below or above that target... not a huge deal. Just make sure calories align with goals.

You should ideally spread protein out across a day but having some meals be larger servings of protein than others also doesn't really matter THAT much.

You can consume >30 grams in one meal and it doesn't all go to waste. That's pure balderdash (great game btw, you should play it).

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates apart from fiber don’t seem to impact weight loss any differently than dietary fat, thus once protein targets are met, carb and fat ratios can vary considerably with little to no difference.

Assuming you have enough carbs to fuel your training and performance, consuming more doesn’t help you set more PRs or burn more calories.

Fiber, as a carbohydrate, does play some role in weight loss, but it is centered mostly around it's ability to provide satiety with very minimal (or zero) calories.

Low calorie and higher calorie fibrous carbs like broccoli, spinach, zucchini, beans, berries, and potatoes are some of the most filling foods you can include in your diet. Practically speaking, it’s quite difficult to be full and satiated on a low calorie diet without eating fibrous carbohydrates.

We recommend you eat 5 servings of them a day. A good rule of thumb is to have at least 1-2 fruits and/or vegetables at every meal.

When possible reduce added sugars but you don't have to eliminate them.

Fructose is FINEEEEE. Under 100 grams a day and no major health issues noted.

FATS

Fat is similar in importance to carbohydrates. Having higher fat and lower carb may cause more additional water loss, but this is merely short term. This happens because lower carb diets can cause some glycogen loss from your muscles thus withdrawing water. Some people like this for initial motivation as the scale drops a little faster initially.

But I can’t emphasize the word initially enough as long term higher fat vs higher carb diets level out.

Eating more or less in relation to carbs makes no difference in long term weight loss in all lines of research assuming calories and protein are matched.

Thus for most standard diets, once protein is met and fat is set at a healthy level for hormone production, your remaining calories can be any macro, so if you enjoy higher fat foods, feel free to eat more fat. If you prefer more carbs, that’s fine too. Either way, there is no long term difference.

Now, there is the exception with the trendy ketogenic diet which is high fat and very low carb diet. While the ketogenic diet is not always adherable for everyone and possesses no physiological advantage, it does have an appetite suppressing effect.

Indeed, we see in research, by taking fat higher and dropping net carbs (non-fiber carbs) to low extremes, the state of ketosis can suppress appetite quite well making weight loss simple and easier for some people (2).

But unless you’re ok with giving up sugary/starchy carbs for a long consistent period of time, we recommend for most people they simply eat a reasonable amount of both carbs and fat. With enough protein and fiber, you can still greatly suppress your appetite.

Concept 11: Artificial Sweeteners Require Some Nuance

This is gonna ruffle some jimmies but here is what we know about artificial sweeteners.

They definitely do not cause weight gain... we know that with like 99% certainty (nothing in 'science' is 100%).

They have not been shown to cause any real health issues. HOWEVER... some people report GI distress or headaches after consuming certain ones... if that is you, just skip it. Sort of like most people are fine with peanuts but if you have an allergy... you don't have to eat peanut butter.

There is some evidence that certain ones have different effects on blood sugar depending on your microbiome... but that really doesn't tell us that much about outcomes. Again... if you find certain ones don't agree with you... Don't consume them.

Concept 12: Alcohol In Moderation Is Probably Ok... But It Isn't Helping.

Alcohol is empty calories, changes your decision making around food, and sort of puts the brakes on fat metabolism while it deals with the alcohol so be mindful of your intake.

If you choose to drink here is how you limit its effect on your progress.

MAKE SURE YOU ACCOUNT FOR IT IN YOUR CALORIES.

Weight loss is fundamentally about energy balance. If you want to lose weight or gain weight, you have to ensure that you take energy balance into account, which includes alcohol consumption.

Tracking your alcohol intake is a great way to account for your alcohol intake and ensuring that you are hitting your caloric needs.

From a calorie perspective, there are a few ways to track your intake.

The first is to simply utilize entries in tracking programs like My Macros+ or the actual labels on the drinks (store-bought drinks such as beer or seltzers are required to have calorie information on them).

Secondly, you can track each individual ingredient in a mixed drink and assign 7 calories per gram of alcohol (a standard shot contains ~14 grams).

DON’T LET ALCOHOL INFLUENCE YOUR FOOD CHOICES.

I am as guilty of this as anyone.

I have a few drinks and all of a sudden that plate of nachos I wasn’t planning on touching has now vanished.

Consuming alcohol lowers your inhibitions and your ability to control food intake. Most research shows that as alcohol consumption goes up, so does your calorie intake.

KEEP YOUR DRINKS SIMPLE.

Simply put, the more complicated and more ingredients in your drink, the more calories it probably has.

For example, the average Pina Colada has around ~300 calories in a single drink while a Long Island Iced Tea has ~800 calories.

Conversely, a vodka-soda or rum and Diet Coke has <100 calories.

Concept 13: It's a Long Game

You can't undo a decade of habits in a month.

You are on this earth for quite a while and there is no finish line.

Play the long game.

Don't waste time but don't be in a major rush. Make the best long-term choices.

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