Blog

By Flow Trainer, Mackennon Klink, B.S., CSCS, CES, PN1

Losing weight is a fairly straight forward process: it comes down to calories in vs calories out.  You eat less, workout more, and soon enough, you’ll have that dream body, right?  Well….there’s a little more involved.  Let’s examine calorie counting, one of the most popular ways to measure calorie consumption. The idea being that you count every calorie you take in, aiming to be in a deficit against the calories you expend.  While it can work, it’s not the best long-term solution to the problem.

Why, you might ask?  Let me  tell you….

Calorie counting can quickly become tedious, inaccurate, and impractical, – especially if you are a busy professional.  Any conscious dietary change to achieve a physique goal will create some level of stress and difficult choices.  Anyone who’s gone through the calorie counting process has eventually asked themselves: did meal out fit within the allowed calories and how do I accurately track it? How many pumps of Pumkpin Spice can I have?  After a while, these questions can drive any person insane.

In addition, you might achieve your short-term physique goal, but the honest truth is that calorie counting is not a long term solution to maintain  your dream body. I know from experience.  In the Spring of 2017, I adhered  to a strict diet plan, and lost over 20 pounds in fat while building muscle in six short weeks.  While those six weeks were challenging (yet ultimately rewarding) the true challenge came to me right after:  how do I keep the weight off? 

Enter The Precision Nutrition Hand Guide.  I credit this guide to helping me control my portion sizes, maintain my current physique post diet and, more importantly, not going crazy or second guessing myself with every meal decision.

The goal of the hand size portion guide is to help you reach your nutrition and fitness goals without the tedious and somewhat difficult process of calorie counting.  This is a super simple and easy method to help keep calories in control and to learn portion sizes.  The best part is all you need is your hand.

The hand size methods works for a few reasons:

1. Hands are portable.  Unlike food scales, your hands will always be with you.

1. Hands are scaled to the individual.  Generally speaking, bigger people need more food and tend to have bigger hands, therefore getting larger portions.  Smaller people need less food, tend to have smaller hands and therefore receive smaller portions.

1. By using your hand as a guide, it will provide reasonable amounts of nutrient dense food while still providing the necessary macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) and calorie needs. Nutrient dense foods will be your key attribute to any successful diet program, regardless if it’s fat loss or gain muscle.

In short, this guide will help you create a nutritional foundation or baseline without making it overly complicated.  Most people will start getting positive results by simply sticking to these simple recommendations.  As you progress, you can make adjustments to speed your process or overcome a plateau.

In the beginning, it may be a bit difficult to assess portion sizes, but practice makes perfect.  After a few meals, this method will become familiar and in no time this will be a breeze.  Take it one meal and one day at a time.

Total Daily Intake

	Men	Women
Protein	6-8 palms	4-6 palms
Vegetables	6-8 fists	4-6 fists
Carb (optional)	6-8 cupped handfuls	4-6 cupped handfuls
Fat	6-8 thumbs	4-6 thumbs

Here’s another way to view your nutrition intake for each meal (assuming 3 meals each day).

	Men	Women
Protein	1-2 palms	1 palm
Vegetables	1-2 fists	1 fist
Carbs (optional)	1-2 cupped handfuls	1 cupped handful
Fats	1-2 thumbs	1 thumb

This is your starting point.  This will allow you to get in the adequate food and calories to meet your goals.  Again, don’t worry about counting calories; you’re focusing on developing healthy eating habits. You have to build the foundation before you build the house. 

  You may be wondering what does that look like?  Well, because I like you, here’s a visual guide to the hand portion control.  Pretty simple right?

Wondering what that would look in a real world application? No problem.  I got you covered.   Here is another visual rep to help see what a (breakfast, lunch, dinner) plate should consist of:

This next plate illustrates what a “post-workout” looks like.  Eat a post workout meal within one hour of your weight training or intense exercise session.  This plate differs from the previous plate by taking advantage of the body’s metabolic response to exercise. After exercise, your body needs both carbs and protein to help rebuild your muscles and restore overall energy levels.

Depending on your fitness goals, you’ll modify your post workout meal.

• Looking to gain lean mass or improve your recovery from your workouts?  Increase the carbs in your post-workout meal

• Looking to lose body fat fast?  Keep starchy carbs low and post-workout.

Do you enjoy the calorie counting process and getting good results?  Great!  Continue doing what working for you!  If not, then you may want to switch to the hand portion guide. Calorie counting, while effective, isn’t a reliable long-term option for sustaining fat loss.  Calorie counting is an excellent tool to gain awareness and notice treads within your diet.

The key to any successful plan will be consistency. 

The best plans are rarely the best designed, most complex, or most scientifically in depth.  The best plans are practical and can be done consistently.  Regardless of what diet or exercise plan you’re doing, the key will consistency. 

Some people are under the impression that working out on an empty stomach is the ideal situation. These people couldn’t be more wrong! You could end up with low blood sugar, which can destroy your workout motivation and undermine your progress. That’s like trying to take your car for a cruise when the fuel indicator is pointing to “empty.” The right foods can give you all the energy you need for a top-notch workout and help your body move into ideal fat-burning, muscle-building mode.

Plan to eat about an hour before your workout. With the right fuel, you’ll be ready to give your workout routine everything you have. The right fuels for an upcoming workout are complex carbohydrates and plenty of protein. Here are a few great ideas for ideal snacks.

Oats. This humble, often overlooked grain is full of fiber, which helps give you an enduring energy boost over a period of time. They’re also full of B vitamins, which help your body turn those carbs into workout energy. A cup or so before exercising will keep you going harder, longer. Prepare them the night before by soaking them in almond milk or cook them on the stove. Add a little fruit while you’re at it!

Whole Grain Bread. If you don’t have time to cook oats, grab a slice of whole grain bread for a similar effect. Remember the critical difference between whole wheat bread and whole grain. You want whole grains, which have complex carbs and plenty of fiber. Be mindful of what you put on it. Sliced turkey or hard-boiled eggs will give you the protein you need. Natural, no-sugar added jam or honey can provide a quick burst of energy until the carbs in the bread get broken down.

Bananas. Some people compare bananas to energy bars. They’re portable, individually wrapped and full of nutrients that can take your workout to the next level. Bananas have plenty of easily digested carbohydrates, as well as potassium, a critical electrolyte for nerve and muscle function. Bananas are particularly ideal for those who work out first thing in the morning. Combine it with high quality protein for a perfect start to your day.

Fruit and yogurt. Yogurt is high in protein, typically low in fat and loaded with digestive-tract enabling probiotics. You can fuel up for your exercise routine while also keeping your gut healthy and happy. That, in turn, can help improve your mental clarity and focus, as gut bacteria is linked with improved mental healthy and well-being. The fruit will provide a range of vitamins or minerals, as well as carbohydrates for immediate exercise energy.

By Flow Trainer, Mackennon Klink, BS, CSCS, PN1

Confession time: the summer in Seattle is amazing.  We’re lucky to have so many wonderful ways to enjoy warm days: soaking up the sun at Alki beach or Golden Gardens, spending happy hour on roof top bars, paddle boarding, outdoor BBQ’s, or hiking and more. 

If you’re like me, you’ll spend a lot of time outside grilling and having a few cold ones with friends. However, one or two drinks can turn into 5+, along with eating like crap. Too many nights like this, and you wreck your diet and/or physique. But it’s summer! Is it possible to have my cake and eat it too???  While it’s possible, it does require some planning, discipline and sacrifice. 

I firmly believe fitness should improve your life, not consume it, and it’s helpful to have some guidelines set to walk that tightrope. 

Quick Facts About Alcohol

• Alcohol is a toxin, a depressant and possesses addictive qualities that may lead to future problems.
• Upon consuming, your body’s top priority is to eliminate the alcoholic toxin ASAP.  This means, your fat burning metabolism is inhibited, cortisol levels (stress hormone) increase and caloric intake goes up. 

Here’s a quick comparison to the other macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats):

Protein – 4 calories per gram

Carbs – 4 calories per gram

Alcohol – 7 calories per gram

Fats – 9 calories per gram

For reference, here’s the alcoholic content of a standard drink serving:

• 12 ounces beer = 153 calories and 13.9 grams alcohol
• 12 ounces light beer = 103 calories and 11 grams alcohol
• 5 ounces wine (red) = 125 calories and 15.6 grams alcohol
• 5 ounces wine (white) = 121 calories and 15.1 grams alcohol
• 3 ounces sake = 117 calories and 14.1 grams alcohol
• 1 1/2 ounces liquor (80 proof, or 40 percent alcohol) = 97 calories and 14 grams alcohol

An experiment to try: track your alcohol drinks (and munchie foods) when you go out. Why? It can be shocking to see how quickly the calories add up.
Developing awareness is necessary for any successful diet, regardless of what plan you follow. 

Again, I firmly believe that fitness should improve your life, not consume it. Here are my seven essential summertime tips to preserving your summer physique while hanging out with friends, eating burgers, and enjoying some drinks (no judgement here!).

1. Preparation ~ To preserve your physique requires some discipline, planning and foresight. You don’t need to make dramatic shifts. Stick to small changes. For example, instead of ordering a 12inch sub, get a 6inch sub. If you know you are going to a BBQ on Saturday, then dial back your calories and eat clean throughout the week. Your diet is the sum of all its parts, meaning you should be looking at the whole week, not individual foods or days.  If you are going to have a cheat day, then prepare for that cheat day by restricting caloric intake leading up to said cheat day.

2. Crush your protein  ~ If you are going to meet one macronutrient need, it should be protein. Protein will keep you feeling full longer than those chips or other carb-centric foods.  This will help offset the decreased protein synthesis, testosterone level, and increased cortisol levels that accompany alcohol intake. Aim to eat 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Remember, focus on making small changes, such as eating a chicken breast instead of that burger, or a leaner cut of steak. Snack on cherries/fruits instead of chips.

3. Reduce caloric intake the day before ~ In all likelihood, that social gathering will be your cheat day.  Therefore, aim to cut back calories the day before. Focus on eating more veggies and lean proteins the day before. By cutting back calories the day before, you will limit the damage being done later. This does require some planning and discipline, but you got this.

4. Pick your (alcohol) Battles ~ Now that you are at the party, let’s discuss drink selection.  As shown above, beer is a terrible choice when you’re focusing on preserving your physique/diet.  Beers are like chips; rarely do we have just one (sorry, inner frat boy speaking). Beers will have more calories than liquors, and some micro-brews, (i.e., Fremont Summer Ale and Big Sky Summer Honey) are both higher in calories and alcohol grams, respectfully 200 and 154 calories.   You can have your beer, but it will always be dose dependent. 

In general, clear liquors are a better option.  Clear liquors are usually lower in calories; however avoid calorie filled cocktails.  Small change: look to add club soda or diet soda into your cocktails (i.e. order a vodka with club soda instead of vodka tonic.) This will help reduce calorie intake. Also, if you can handle it, try having your drink on the rocks.

Regardless of your alcoholic choice, monitor and pace yourself there, champ.

5. Limit/eliminate the munchie foods ~ Of all the tips, this one is the most difficult.  Once those beer munchies kick in, it’s very tempting to order that extra-large pizza or stop by taco bell.  Remember, alcohol is a toxin, and your body’s primary focus is to remove the toxins ASAP. Any post-drink foods won’t be metabolized until after toxins are gone.  Generally speaking, it takes one hour for your body to metabolize one alcoholic drink. Any late night foods consumed will not be metabolized until the alcohol is gone.  You can have fun, but you cannot have it all. #sorrynotsorry

6. Working out the Day of ~ Aim for the maximum amount of time after working out before drinking. By doing so, this will maximize protein synthesis and testosterone levels while keeping cortisol levels low to maximal your gains.  Alcohol will inhibit both your recovery and gains, so try to keep them as far apart as possible.  As always, consume 2 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates and proteins after your workout to maximize gains. 

7. Recovery ~ A little prevention goes along ways in reducing your hangover. Before heading to bed, drink 1-2 glasses of water. Make sure you get plenty of sleep.  Upon waking up, make sure you get plenty of fluids (water and/or sports drinks) into your system and some light food.  These small details will help you in the morning. As you get older, your hangovers will increase exponentially, so it’s best to start practicing to limiting your hangover.  If you do choose to workout that day after, take it easy. 

 Again, these tips require some foresight, planning and discipline on your part.  As with any diet or workout program, it’s within your power and abilities to hold yourself accountable to achieve your goals.  These tips may be difficult at first, but with some practice you may be able to have your cake and eat it too.

I have faith in your abilities: do you?

Do you have any tips on preserving your physique while drinking?  Drop a comment below!

References: 

Bach, E. (Director). (n.d.). How to Get Drunk Without Destroying Your Physique This Weekend [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/bachperformance/

https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/muscleheads-guide-to-alcohol

This post by, Flow Personal Trainer Mackennon Klink, B.S., CSCS, CES, PN1

I’m going to share a small secret about weight loss: it totally sucks. You start off like a champ; waking up early and crushing your workout, eating a healthy breakfast and lunch, and drinking enough water throughout the day to put Aquaman to shame. Yet, when you get home, you can’t control yourself. You begin eating everything in sight, leaving behind a wake of crumbs, and wrappers, only to start building a fire pit to slow roast a small pig before that hunger strike subsides. (No one else? Just me?)

While the last example may be a touch extreme, I have found a lot of my clients (including myself) endure uncontrollable hunger urges. We spend the day carefully monitoring our diet, and once home “fall off” the diet by eating anything, and everything in sight. This kind of unregulated eating can make weight loss even more difficult and set back overall progress. To prevent this, allow me to introduce the “Red Light, Green Light“ kitchen makeover.

In this makeover the first step is to review the items inside your refrigerator and pantry. Categorize each item into red light, yellow light, and green light foods. That’s right, you are cleaning out your kitchen and getting rid of any junk food or snacks that might be a trigger food.

Red light foods, in short, are bad for you. These are the foods that make you feel sick, unhealthy, unsatisfied, and/or cause you to binge eat. Usually, these foods have a low nutrient density are bad news for your nutrition goals by containing little to no substantial nutrients. Think of these foods as empty calories as they contribute little to nothing to your diet.

Red Light foods include:

• Processed foods (Crackers, chips, bagels, cereals)
• Sugary drinks (Soda, orange juice)
• Frozen dinners (Hungry Man, etc.)
• Flavored nuts (beer nuts)
• Instant foods (Ramen noodles, microwave-ready foods)

 

Next are yellow light foods, Yellow light foods can be either “good or bad”. These foods depend on a few factors, such as your lifestyle, food habits, and/or diet These may be items you can eat without feeling ill, or over-indulging – but they may not be technically “good” for you. . Approach yellow light foods with caution.

Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram and doesn’t contain any useful nutrients.  In fact, drinking alcohol can inhibit both fat lose and strength gains. However, drinking alcohol is socially acceptable (i.e. happy hours), and you may want to indulge with your co-workers.  If you do, limit your alcohol consumption to 4 drinks a week.

 

Another example would be ice cream. For some people, they can resist the urge, while others have just a single spoon full. AND THEN, there are the people who simply cannot control their urges and should have a restraining order against that food. (You know who you are.)

The major key to determining yellow light foods is to be honest with yourself to prevent self-sabotage. If you don’t have that tempting food around, you will either forget about it or have to go out of your way to cheat.

Precision Nutrition’s John Berardi’s first law states, “if food is in your house or possession, either you, someone you love, or someone you marginally tolerate, will eventually eat it.” No matter how much will-power you may possess, there will be one day when you will give in to that delicious chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

Lastly, we have the green light foods. Green light foods make you feel well both mentally and physically. They usually contain tons of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. We want to populate the kitchen with as any green foods as possible. In short, these are the foods you know you should be eating more, yet don’t.

Green Light foods include:

• 90% or higher lean meats (chicken, turkey, ground beef, wild game)
• Fish (cod, halibut, salmon, tuna, tilapia)
• Fruits (apples, oranges, asparagus, avocados, bananas, green beans)

 

Placing foods into different categories can be a bit tricky and may take a while, so I suggest you take an afternoon to go through your entire kitchen and identify your own red, yellow, and green light food list. Focus on eliminating as many unhealthy or red light foods, and stockpile the healthier options or green light foods. By cleaning out your kitchen and getting rid of any red light foods (or snacks that might be a hunger trigger) you’ll be surrounding yourself with healthy foods.

Focus on populating your kitchen, refrigerator, and pantry with plenty of green light foods. Keep those items visible and convenient, so when you are hit by that hunger Mack Truck, you can sidestep it and stay on the path toward your goal and you don’t have to build that fire pit to sacrifice that poor pig.

 

NOT fuel up prior to a hard workout??? If you have not heard already, there is a trend in fitness called “fasted cardio”. A recent study in the British Journal of Nutrition supported the school of thought that 20% more fat is burned when people exercise in a “fasted” state. This occurs because when during aerobic training, your body must burn glycogen which is depleted in a fasted state. The idea is that the body goes for the fat reserves when working out a certain time -frame after consuming food. However, even if there are trace levels of glycogen in your body, it is not able to burn fat and will burn up muscle since that is quick energy.

The only way for the “fasted cardio” method to truly work is to be sure that all glycogen stores are depleted in your body. When you start to burn muscle, your body works harder to store more fat and you lose some of that great tone you have worked so hard for.

If your fasted cardio results in too much muscle damage and break down, it becomes too difficult for it to repair. This results in less muscle growth and more loss. I’m guessing muscle loss is not one of your goals since the more muscle mass you have, the easier it is to burn fat.

Additionally, for fasted cardio to really work, the cardio needs to be done at lower intensities to burn more fat. You are essentially unable to do high-intensity cardio and as a result, you burn fewer calories. Your metabolic rate begins to run slower throughout the rest of the day due to the muscle burn. Because you have told your body that it needs to store more fat, you can bet that your next meal it will be doing just that!

Fitness professionals agree that fasted exercise can lead to muscle loss along with the fat and overall, it becomes counter-productive to your fitness goals. Fasting will seriously limit your energy levels for training your hardest for best results. Insuring that you are doing your cardio in a true depletion of glycogen stores, as well as the proper intensity is difficult to do. The risk of losing your hard-earned muscle is not worth it.

Working out in a fasted state removes the workout boost you get from pre-workout carbs and you lose your edge. Starting your workouts with the right amount of fuel for optimal performance also suppresses your appetite for after your workout. Remember it is 80% what and how you eat and 20% workouts.

So, toss the fast and make sure to consume a small but carb-dense meal before your workout and a carb and protein-packed one afterwards is the way to go and supports your muscle mass. Caloric deficit is the number one way to lose fat and not muscle.

Featured photo source: Pexel.com