Warrior Blog

 Does your weight loss plan have an alcohol problem? "Can I have wine with dinner on the weekend?" "I'm not giving up my vodka!" "The weight I gained last summer was the from the alcohol.." These are all real world quotes from clients as we work to demystify alcohol, weight loss, strength training, and living a healthy lifestyle. There's lots of myth and confusion in the world about alcohol and how it is "fattening". Lots of this stems from the fact it shows up in most food tracking apps as a carbohydrate...  BUT Alcohol is actually its own macronutrient (mind blown yet?) and contains 7 calories per gram (yes 7 ... not 4 like carbs and protein, or 9 like fats). Since it's not essential for survival (and a whole lot of other healthy reasons) it's not usually presented with the core 3 of protein, fat and carbs. This is also why, if you do find an alcoholic beverage with a nutrition label, and for lots of drinks in food trackers, t...

How Much Protein for Muscle Gain? We’ve covered before that protein is an essential nutrient for life, playing a critical role in building tissue, cells and muscle.  All proteins are made from a collection of up to 20 amino acids.  The different collections and structures of the various amino acids determines the proteins role and how it manifests as muscle or other tissue.  Muscle protein makes up approximately 50% of the total protein in the body and adequate muscle growth is dependant on sufficient levels of protein (and the underlying amino acids).  When you workout with heavy weights, your muscles will get forced into a protein breakdown state - your body will actually split up amino acids to be transformed into energy and/or used to synthesize new protein.  Therefore to realize muscle growth, you have to combine weight training AND maintain a positive protein balance (that is your protein intake and synthesis is greater than your protein breakdown).  ...

How Much Protein Do I Need for Weight Loss? I liken protein to the almost magical component of training, muscle building and weight loss!  It's critical to the point where it is the starting point for macronutrient meal plan planning.    For weight loss goals, adequate protein is critical as protein is "muscle sparing" - you want to lose fat mass - not just weight.  You want to retain the lean muscle mass you have on your body - and for that you want adequate levels of protein. So how much you ask?  For weight loss programs, you want to make sure that you're consuming 2 g of protein for every kilogram of body weight.  So a 180 pound male (81.65 kg) should be consuming 164 grams of protein each day.  Since protein has 4 calories per gram, this means that 656 calories of their daily food consumption should come from protein sources.  Does that seem like a lot to you?  Chances are that you haven't been getting enough protein during your past wei...

  Protein for Training After water, protein makes up the second largest percentage of bodily material.  Humans need protein for growth and repair of bodily tissues, formation of components necessary for bodily functions, and for energy. Proteins are made up of amino acids, often referred to as the “building blocks” of protein.  Proteins are made up of 21 amino acids - 9 of which are considered essential, which means they must be obtained through dietary sources.  Exercise is a form of stress for the body - those who exercise regularly, or at higher intensity or for longer durations, will have higher needs for amino acids, both essential and non-essential.  Protein is essential in the process of losing excess body fat because it is muscle sparing. When you embark on losing weight, you want to work to retain your lean muscle tissues.  If you do not consume sufficient amounts of protein, the body will breakdown muscle and you will expe...

How Much Water Should You Drink? Many health authorities and popular literature recommend drinking eight, 8-oz glasses of water (about 2 litres) per day.  However, this number is completely random. As with so many things, water requirements depend entirely on the individual. For example, people who sweat a lot or exercise regularly may need more water than those who are not very active. Older people and breast-feeding mothers also need to monitor their water intake more closely. Keep in mind that you also get water from many foods and beverages, such as coffee, tea, meat, fish, milk, and especially fruits and vegetables. As a good rule of thumb, you should always drink water when you're thirsty, and drink enough to quench your thirst. If you find you have a headache, are in a bad mood, are constantly hungry or have trouble concentrating, then you may suffer from mild dehydration. Drinking more water may help fix this. Based on the studies, drinking 1-2 litres of water per day shoul...

Whey and Casein Protein Primer Source (extracted from): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905294/ Whey Whey is a general term that typically denotes the translucent liquid part of milk that remains following the process (coagulation and curd removal) of cheese manufacturing. From this liquid, whey proteins are separated and purified using various techniques yielding different concentrations of whey proteins. Whey is one of the two major protein groups of bovine milk, accounting for 20% of the milk while casein accounts for the remainder. All of the constituents of whey protein provide high levels of the essential and branched chain amino acids. The bioactivities of these proteins possess many beneficial properties as well. Additionally, whey is also rich in vitamins and minerals. Whey protein is most recognized for its applicability in sports nutrition. Additionally, whey products are also evident in baked goods, salad dressings, emulsifiers, infant formulas, and med...

Plant Based Protein Today, we’ll take a look at some of the best sources for Plant-based Protein.   The right choices can yield excellent sources of protein and other nutrients, often with fewer calories than animal based products.   Some plant based products (e.g. soy beans and quinoa) are complete proteins - meaning they contain all 9 essential amino acids that your body needs.   Other products can be missing some of these amino acids - it’s important to get familiar with the make-up of your plant based proteins and to eat a varied diet to ensure you’re getting everything you need!   Sources of plant-based protein with a high protein content per serving include:   1. Tofu, tempeh, and edamame The soy products are some of the most powerful sources of protein in a plant-based diet.   Consider     a) firm tofu (soybean curds) - 10 g of protein per ½ cup   b) edamame beans (immature soybeans) -   8.5 g of protein...

Plant Based Anti-Inflammatories Reducing inflammation in the body is critical to our health and well being!    Are you looking for natural, plant-based food sources with anti-inflammatory properties?     Here are a few you can consider!   - Ginger  - Turmeric  - Red onion  - Kale  - Cranberries  - Basil   - Oregano  - Olive oil (newly pressed extra-virgin versions)   - Pomegranate fruit  - Hot peppers  - Willow bark (contains salicin, the chemical in aspirin) Take on integrating some of these foods into your diet and watch to see the impact on your overall well-being, muscle cramps, joint / body inflammation. 

TrainingNutritionTuesday Comment your answers below - and I’ll post answers by 5pm today!   1 - How much protein do you need per pound of body weight? 2 - Does the protein requirement change when training?   3 - Name 5 quality sources of protein 4 - What’s your favourite Plant-Based Protein? 5 - What is your Protein Plan if we get into a “meat shortage” during the Covid-19 pandemic Have you got questions about plant-based sport nutrition?    I’m pulling together a Plant-Based Sport Nutrition 101 training session over the next month or so - DM me any questions or “yeah-buts” you have about plant based training nutrition and I’ll pull out the answers for you!   Eat well today Warriors!   #HealthyLivingWarrior #GayPersonalTrainer #GayTrainer #PersonalTrainer #Trainer #PersonalTraining #Training #OnlinePersonalTraining #Fitness #FitnessGoals #WarriorNutrition #EatClean #HealthyEating #Nutriti...