I had a great question inboxed yesterday from a young woman trying to change her body composition:
You Luk amazing. I’m currently day 4 of a new diet … Trying to lose body fat and fain lean muscle.
Can I ask how much fat, protein and Carbs you have on a daily basis? Thanks xx”
I get asked this kind of question a lot, either via facebook, or at the yoga studio/gym. At the moment, as you know, I am on a specific diet protocol in preparation for my upcoming shows this summer, and it’s something I worked out this winter with my trainer, Jean-Jacques Barrett of Active Performance Training Center. It’s a method of carb-cycling and auto-regulation together with a training program for muscle retention and fat-loss. My ratio of macros changes throughout the week, depending mostly on what body-part I’m working on, and how I am looking/feeling in the morning and throughout the day. As well, as we get closer to the show date, we review my weekly progress pics and implement changes as we feel we need to. I was just discussing with him that here on day 13 of my dial-in I feel like I am tightening up really fast, maybe even too fast for what we had originally planned for this coming week. But we will wait until I take my pictures tomorrow to decide what to do.
I hope this helps. I went into my dial-in at about 10% bodyfat, and a pretty good foundation of muscle mass, so though my diet works for me, another athlete might not have the same response.
7 day program:
Day 1: Bikram beginner/Advanced class: Macros: Very Low-Density carbs…I choose from a list of carbs that are low in calorie density: mushrooms, cabbage, cauliflower, peppers, cucumbers, etc. These all have less than 10 grams of carbs per 100 grams, (about 1 cup). 2 of my meals on these days are generally pure protein with naturally occuring fat, (yolk) or ghee. For instance, I generally start the day with a 2 egg omelette.
Note: I do not use skim milk, egg whites or other “low-fat” products. I metabolize fat well when I cut my carbs down, and actually a truly Ketogenic diet is high protein, high fat. It’s this combination that encourages the metabolism of fat in the body.
Day 2: Legs, Bikram Yoga: Very Low- High calorie dense carbs…Everything is the same as day 1 except post workout I hit my body with a carb-rich meal. This can mean a big bowl of fresh fruit, or legumes, or cereal grains, depending on what I’m craving. A bowl of pasta would be about 1 cup of whole-grain noodles, with a bit of sauce, 1 oz or so of protein, and 1 or 2 tsp of fat. When I increase carbs in a meal, I also decrease the protein/fat content. Make sense?
Day 3: Shoulders/Back/Calves, Bikram Yoga: Very Low Density carbs
Day 4: Bikram Beginners/Advanced: Very Low Density carbs
Day 5: Metabolic Workout: Very High Density carbs: 1 still start the day with a 2 egg omelette, but at least 3 or 4 of my meals on this day with focus on carbs and I will really drop my protein and fat intake. I usually don’t eat animal protein on these days except for eggs and paneer, using this day as an opportunity to indulge in legumes. Probably the most important tool I have is portion control. I don’t pig-out on pizza or pasta on these days, but really focus on keeping my portions the same as on my other days, (my meals are between 1 and 2 cups in size, maximum) and choosing foods that are important nutritionally but that I’ve had to cut out because of their carb content: tropical fruits, legumes, whole grains…I do like to have a small portion of icecream or piece of chocolate on these days as well, maybe 1/2 cup icecream and 2 Ferraro chocolates. Right now I’m coming in fast, so I can handle these treats no problem.
Day 6: Shoulders/Back/Calves: Very Low Density carbs
Day 7: Legs: Very Low – High Density carbs
That’s it! You can find nutritional profiles for carbs on several online sites. nutritiondata.self.com is a pretty good one. Just plug in some of your favorite foods and organize your meals accordingly!
