Macronutrient Breakdown, Part I

The Truth About Carbs and Two Fat Burning Recipes

In my last blog post, I talked about macronutrient combination—and that’s a really important topic.

Not just the combination, but understanding macronutrients in general, and understanding each one in it’s own right. And so, in both this post and the one to follow, I am going to give you the nuts and bolt (AND some recipes!)

Carbohydrates seem to be the “focus” of my diets (especially fat loss diets), so it makes sense to start there. Carbs have taken a real beating in the media ever since a fat-ass named Atkins decided we weren’t allowed to eat donuts anymore. (Prior to this we were allowed to eat donuts, but they had to be reduced fat; this made us feel better about ourselves).

All joking aside, carbs do get kind of a bad rap; or, at least, a worse one than they deserve. Carbs come in a variety of forms. Some are good for you, and some are bad. The bad ones are usually highly processed and broken down so completely that they are no longer recognizable.

Of course, if you process the crap out of anything, it isn’t going to be healthy after a point. This doesn’t mean carbs are “evil” and to blame for all the ills of the world from the Nazis to the obesity epidemic– it just means processed food is great at making people fat.

Anyway, carbohydrates are made up of sugar molecules, which your body breaks down into fuel, especially when you’re working hard. Sugars, starches and fiber are all basic forms of the carbohydrate.

Sounds pretty basic, right?

Well, here is where it gets a bit trickier, although I’m going to try and make this as simple as possible.

There are two main types of carbohydrates: simple and complex.

NOTE: We could also mention Fibrous Carbs that you can find in foods like green veggies, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, sprouts, spinach, cauliflower, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini…buuuut we won’t. For the purposes of this discussion of carbs I only want to touch on stuff that “counts.” I usually don’t recommend counting calories (or carbs for that matter) coming from fibrous carbs.

SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES are made up of chains of molecules that don’t branch off. Examples of simple carbohydrates would include table sugar, syrups, and soda. These carbs aren’t good to eat most of the time (few exceptions), and are usually the “bad carbs” we fitness pros talk about. Also included on this list is candy, cake, beer, cookies, fun, snuggles, puppies and unicorn magic.

(Basically, all the awesome stuff in the world.)

COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES on the other hand, do branch off—sometimes a bit wildly. Complex carbohydrates include oatmeal, apples, cardboard and peas.

For a long time, people believed that complex carbohydrates were far better for you than simple carbohydrates, but that isn’t always the case.

You see, your body takes both complex and simple carbohydrates, and tries to break them down into useable sugar energy to fuel your muscles and organs. It’s not the type of carbohydrate that really matters, but how quickly your body can break it down, and how much it will spike your blood glucose levels.

Instead of using the simple method of dividing complex carbs from simple ones, a slightly more sophisticated way to “rate” carbohydrate quality is something called the Glycemic Index (GI for short). The Glycemic Index attempts to classify foods by how quickly and how high foods boost blood sugar levels.

For a while, the GI was all the rage, and people argued that by following a get low GI diet, you’d keep insulin levels in check even while eating higher carbs overall. This has turned out to be only partially true. Which is to say that while it’s probably better to eat low GI foods than high GI ones, there probably won’t be a tremendous difference in your waistline if you’re still eating your weight in sweet potatoes instead of Cheerios.

Neither low carb diets nor low GI diets are a cure all for fat loss; the main thing is to eat the right amounts of healthy foods that fuel metabolism, which in turn will help you burn fat.

The important thing to remember is that your body needs carbs, even if some of the fad diets tell you otherwise. Without carbohydrates, your body will begin to break down your muscle tissue to fuel your body, which will sabotage your efforts.

Carb lovers lament low carb diets and anti-carb crusaders posit that you can avoid them for the most part and still do well. The truth is a bit of middle ground. So, yes, speaking generally you should avoid “simple carbs” and “high-GI foods,” but that doesn’t mean you can eat complex carbs or LOW GI foods all day, either.

For my part, I acknowledge that carbs are not the devil—however, I generally find that my clients do better on low(er) carbs than not, in terms of fat loss. As a general rule, I like to have people eating in the area of 100g per day.

Getting more specific, I like to set carbohydrate intake at around .5 to .75 grams PER POUND of lean body mass.

As for energy: carbs yield 4 calories per gram.

Now, as I mentioned in my blog post yesterday, it is my belief that you should avoid eating carbohydrates and fats together (in significant amounts).

I’ll go further and say that I feel generally, you shouldn’t eat carbs by themselves, either.

Instead, you should try to have carbs with protein.

People who oppose my stance on macronutrient combination are quick to point out that eating carbs and fat together slows the rate of digestion of the carbs, lowers the glycemic/insulin response, and can generally offset some of the negatives that come with carbohydrate consumption.

Having said that—protein can do the same damn thing. And in many cases, do it better. On top of that, you don’t have the issues I discussed yesterday.

For that reason, I think it’s best to ONLY consume carbohydrates when you’re also going to consume protein.

(NOTE – cheat days don’t count for this rule, or any other, because they are cheat days. Duh.)

Now, without further adieu, I’m going to hook you up with TWO recipes from Dave and Karine’s Metabolic Cooking, both of which fall under the catergory of PROTEIN + CARB Meals.

One is a fast and delicious shake, and the other is the most awesome chili I’ve ever had.

Enjoy!

KRAZY KIWI SMOOTHIE

PROTEIN + CARB MEAL

INGREDIENTS

1 scoop Prograde Vanilla Protein
1⁄2 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 medium peeled kiwi fruit
1 cup water
5 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS

Blend. In a blender. Set to, “blend.” Wow, complicated.

NUTRITION FACTS

- Per Serving -
CALORIES: 262
PROTEIN : 46g
CARBS : 15g
FAT : 2g

I like this shake for a few reasons. Firstly, it’s tasty and takes about 3 minutes to prepare. Plus, it has Kiwis, which are my 4th favorite fruit (behind apples, watermenlons, and strawberries–in that order). Moreover, it has the word “kiwi” in there, which makes me think of my buddy from New Zealand, Chris the Kiwi. PLUS, Dave and Karine spelled “crazy” with a K, which make me laugh. Ooooh those silly Canadians and their humor. What will they think of next?

TURKEY CHILI

PROTEIN + CARB MEAL

INGREDIENTS

*Yields 9 servings (9 cups)

1.5 lbs of ground turkey or chicken
1 cup of diced onion
1 diced red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄2 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of curcuma
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 can (15oz) chick peas
1 can (15oz) red beans
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a pan, cook the turkey, red pepper, onion, garlic for 5-6 mins, until it is almost cooked.
Transfer everything in a big casserole. Add chili powder, curcuma, oregano, beans, tomatoes, broth, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce intensity and stir for 20 min or desired thickness.

NUTRITION FACTS

- Per Serving -

CALORIES: 206
PROTEIN : 27g
CARBS : 20g
FAT : 2g

This chili recipe is insanely delicious. Plus–and this is great for the dudes–you can make it ONCE and feed yourself for like a week. Or freeze and have some handy for when you’re in a pinch. On top of that, the recipe has just the right balance of flavour (I spelled it like a Canadian, as a nod to Dave) and spice. I don’t really care for spicy food, so it’s cool that I can have a lot of taste without feeling like my mouth is on fire, as with most chili.

This might be my new go-to recipe for when I don’t want steak. Well, I always want steak. But this might be my go-to recipe for when I don’t have any.

Keep in mind that when you pick up Metabolic Cooking, you get these…

and over 250 MORE recipes to help you burn fat, get lean, and enjoy your time in the kitchen.

With summer around the corner, it’s time to start getting lean!

Okay, so who’s making these this week?

Actually — what’s on your menu for the next few days? Let’s this going. Just 60 comments and 120 facebook LIKES, and I’ll post part 2: all about fat and TWO more recipes.

Sara

Hey Roman — is the 100g of carbs that you suggest as a general guideline net carbs or does it include fiber?
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

100 carbs not including fiber. Great question!
Josseline

I have learnt the hard way that cutting carbs completely out of your diet is a BAD thing. Thank goodness I finally came to my senses, found more accurate information pertaining to the importance of having carbs in your diet, the amount, the timing and the quality of carbs; It all really makes such a difference. It was great that you mentioned the fact that at certain times, and I will emphasize CERTAIN times it is ohk, actually beneficial to consume more simpler forms of carbs. Reading on Tnation last night (I'm slowly getting hooked on that site, damn theres some AWESOME info there!) about insulin and how its an anabolic hormone, and that it doesnt care if its muscle or fat that it builds, its just doing its job. So knowing how to manipulate your insulin levels at the right time can really make a difference in gaining lean mass and keeping or losing body fat. It was interesting to read that during and post workout glucose is the prefereable source of carb source, over fructose and galactose as insulin will shuffle the glucose straight to your muscles, as opposed to fructose and galactose which are taken to the liver first…
Tony Roe

Very nice!

My menu for the next few days consists of Prograde Workout (:P), chicken salads (with copious amounts of broccoli, spinach and peppers), shrimpiez and omelets.

I have a frozen piece of salmon and a frozen rib eye that I might get into sometime this week as well (as I know you'll agree – it's always a good time for steak)!

I'd like to make that chili sometime, though! Also, I wonder how well Metabolic Drive Vanilla would substitute into the Krazy Kiwi shake (or maybe I'll try out an apple version).

-Tony
Ted

“Also included on this list is candy, cake, beer, cookies, fun, snuggles, puppies and unicorn magic.”

No snuggles? Sad panda.
charity pratt

Fabulous…you and the post
rocky

I had the “Almond Joy” shake this morning from Daves book and damn was that good.. But quick question Roman, i know you reccomend 100grams of carbs when cutting but what about when you're trying to put on some mass.?
Aimee

Curcuma? Is this a derivative of cumin?

Regardless: salivating.
Laura Messing

Great post…your information is always really helpful.
Bernd

“These carbs aren’t good to eat most of the time (few exceptions)”

What are these exceptions?

Post workout?
Cheri

Thanks for the recipes, I can't wait to make the chili!
http://gomelrun.blogspot.com Melyssa

I am curious why you peel the kiwi? I recently read somewhere that the skin, as with many other fruits, hold a lot of nutrients as well.

And yes, I agree. I have done the Atkins diet. I've done it 3x. And every time, I gained the weight back faster. It's a really hard diet to keep up with. I just try to eat well balanced meals and stay active.

So far, if I ever have more than one consecutive cheat day, or if I don't workout for a week (oh no!), I don't blow up like a balloon.
jason

great follow up!

Too often “carbs” are lumped together..

I'm all over the chili recipe..re:P+C:

an egg white ommlette with veggies..

can i just add on the black beans to get up to my carb #'s?..

Will the fiber content factor in?

thanks,

J
Stacy

Another great post R……The recipes sound great and look very easy to make.

Thanks for sharing
dngdly

what should the balance between protein carps and fat be to lose weight should it be 30/30/20/ or what. I mean how much protein should you eat per grms of carbs ratio wise?
sharon

What if you are not a meat eater? I am not a full fledge vegetarian, I only eat fish/seafood. I am allergic to all Soy products and Avocados.
Dave

Love the chilli, gotta spice it up though!
Dave

Love the chilli..gotta spice it up tho !!
dmreid

I eat a lot of veggies and not so much of the rest of the carbs…. so I see my question was answered … regarding fiber! Thanks!

However, what's this about cardboard listed as a complex carb? You got me there.. LOL.

Looking forward to more information!

D
Jake

Hey Roman! Just started keeping up to date on your blog and videos since Dave mentioned you in one of his emails, so great to see you are giving him props for his recipes. I just bought Metabolic Cooking, and it looks great. I look forward to trying it out this weekend. I am 18, and in the past year I've really gotten interested in fitness and have gained some muscle. However, I am really motivated to lose the last bit of belly fat for the summer, and both you and Dave provide great resources. Thanks for all you do!
TJ Carrell

The turkey chili sounds very good. I buy ground turkey every week, mix some onions with it, brown it in olive oil, add some salt, pepper, chopped tomatoes, and a dash of steak sauce, and take it to work for supper. Plenty of protein, and good lean meat.
Chad

Ok, i dont know if your steak fetish has anything to do with this, but your blog has some serious Meat to it . Its a blast to read, and your pretty damn funny too! Unfortunately this wont help your EGO problem , but props to you!
Alan Andrus

Just a point of fact, not argumentative, but carbs are not required for a human body to live. Fat and protein are required for our hearts to keep beating. Of course there are benefits of eating foods with carbs, such as micronutrients that help your bod to look and feel better. My biggest concern is that studies show that very low carb diets can lead to chronic depressive states in humans.
Eileen

Love your blog, always a fun read! Interesting too.
couseret

What about avocados…32g fat, 21g carbs, 3g protein?

One shouldn't eat avocado with itself?
Bob

100 g of carbs? If I shoot for a 2000 cal/day intake then i'm looking at around 60g of fat and 265g of protein. Is this too much of either?

I'm 50 and 153 lbs, using your FPFL program and working hard 4-5 days a week.
lpa

so can all kinds of carbs – starch, sugar and fiber – be complex or simple? also, why does the food pyramid we all know recommend so many grains?
lpa

so all carbs – sugar, fiber and starch – can be simple or complex? also, why does the food pyramid we all know recommend so many grains, what should they really be trying to say?
michael lord

I look at a cookie and I gain weight but I can eat ice cream now and again and all is well.
Debbie

Love the chilli recipe. For those that want to know Curcuma is also known as Tumeric
tara

what about potatoes?

sorry, missed the GI thing.

could you post a recipe for the aforementioned cardboard?
Dan

Awesome info! Yesterday's blog seemed logical enough but left me wondering. The P+C now makes perfect sense. Keep this going, I want to se part III… Thanks Roman!
marty

Great post Roman,

I'm in your coaching program and eat the way you prescribe and my body has responded great to it.
Isabel smith

I appreciate your information and will continue to apply your ideas. These ideas will allow us to change our eating patterns and still enjoy a variety of yummy foods. Keep throwing good eating hints to us! Is
Joanne

You have become my new favorite nite time reading……great stuff.

I have 2 kiwis in the house (I always have protein mix) so I can make the shake in the morning. Before reading your blog tonite, I was busy making a batch of protein jello with fruit. I use sugar free jello (I now, its still not good because of the artificial sugar), almond milk, plain yogurt, lowfat cottage cheese 4 scoops of protein and frozen mixed berries. It makes 8 servings so it lasts me the week.
Mark

Good idea on chickpeas in the chilli. I've got to try it soon. Keep em' coming.
Jim

Dr. Atkins was not a fat ass. He was certainly controversial, but not deserving of name calling. I expect better from a guy like you John.
friday

Today's post helped a bit on how to combine foods. Keep it up … I'll get there.
Amy

Great post
Ziad

Hi Roman, great post.

What about PROCESSED PROTEIN?

The protein shakes we buy aren't naturally occurring – they've had the hell processed out of them.

Thanks
Michaela

Thank you lord for clearing carbs' bad name, AND acknowledging that not eating any will lead to muscle break down for fuel. I've personally lived that in the past, and it is a TRULY disheartning process. Thanks for sharing the truth, and doing it in a relaxed, relatable way.
Paul

Hey Roman, I am a big follower of Nate Green, which has since turned me into a big follower of you. I have a question about the baseline carbohydrate intake. You say 0.5g to 0.75g of Lean Body Mass, I am wondering if this includes a Peri/Post Workout concoction. Thanks!
http://www.squidoo.com/lensmaster/miaponzo Mia

Thanks for this info! I have just started returning carbs into my diet… whereas before I had always been feeling guilty about them. Now I don't

You can check out what I actually eat all day by going to: http://thehairanalysisjournal.blogspot.com/ (This is actually based on my hair analysis, but has changed drastically since I started on the Final Phase Fat Loss Program LOVE IT…. now if someone could exercise for me, that would be great (Just joking… not)
Tyler Carter

Oh man, I JUST made chili on monday, although my version isn't too different than this one. I might have to take the best of each version for my next batch. Is it soup-y? It seems like the chicken broth would make it very much like soup.
Dan

As always great infor Roman. Keep up the good work!!!!
Edgar

So if yu have to consume around 100 per day if on a fat loss diet, how much on a muscle building diet?
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

Alas, snuggles are riddled with carbs =(
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

I was mostly just being an asshole for the sake of being funny.

I appreciate the remonstration, though. While I thank you for vote of confidence, it's really your own fault for expecting better from me. C'mon now! I use the term “side-boob” in my comment rules section.
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

Heck yea! AWESOME point.

Without question, whole proteins are superior to processed proteins for slow digestion.

Processing anything to great extent will–as I alluded to in the post–make it more easily absorbed.

In the case of some proteins, this is what we want every now and then.

I'll touch on all of this in part 3, which will cover protein =)
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

For building muscle, I like 1g-1.5g carbs per pound of LBM on workout days, and about .8g-1 per pound of LBM on non-workout days
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

Not overly soupy, but you can play with the broth. I also added a bit of beef stock to bring out some flavor. Flavour. lol, canada.
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

My pleasure! Carbs do get a bit of a hard time, I'll do more of this type of stuff.

You'll like the one on fats, I think!
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

Crazy how different foods affect different people! I have a friend who eats cookies before bed and maintains a six pack, but when he eats ice cream he gains fat.
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

Not in huge amounts. 'cados are a healthy fat but pretty dense.
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

I'll have to thank Nate for sending you over =)

Regarding your question – yep, I take peri/para workout nutrition into account for the guidelines
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

That sounds delish! I'll be doing a post on artificial sweeteners in the near future, as well!
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

Hell yea it has. We'll have to put your before/after pictures in a blog to silence haters.
Adrian

Thanks for the info Roman, like your post.

Fruits contain simple carbs with the perfect amount of fibre so that you don't get a sugar spike.

They absorb more quickly than complex carbs which make them a great way to restore both blood sugar and muscle glycogen levels after a heavy workout.

And they contain loads of vitamins and minerals, not to mention the all important amino acids. Taste pretty good too!
diego

do you recommend this type of eating for an athlete who trains 2 a day? i find that i have to combine fats and carbs just to keep my cals up. i do strength training in the am and sports in the pm. i usually have four meals and a PW shake a day. sample meals would be 4 eggs and .5 cup of oats and 1cup of berries with whey or salmon with sweet potato. i have been reading alot of nate miyaki's work and his style of eating sort of fits into my lifestyle, have any thoughts on his articles? thanks!
Sara

How do you tell if a vegetable (like carrots) or a fruit is a fibrous carb or a complex carb or a simple carb?
Sharon

re supper: Chicken cacciatore (chicken, tomato, zucchini). One dish, two nights for the two of us.

re fibrous vs. simple/complex: Fibrous carbs don't get digested and come out the other end when they are done…

re chili: My husband's chili is nearly as simple: Ground beef (extra lean), kidney beans, diced tomato, chili seasoning (Sauer's), and elbow macaroni. Skip the macaroni if you want lower carbs. Tastes yummy.

We went to an oyster roast recently and there were three kinds of chili, one subtitled “Bambi chili” (venison), one extra tomato-ey, and one that had so much in the way of beans and chick peas that it tasted… different. Good, just different.
Ruben

What about carbs coming from bread, pasta, rice? You don't mention them?

Now I am in a gaining fase I add more carbs(rice, pasta, potatoes), so I probably would eat your chili with some rice now, but when I wil diet down I just cut out those extra carbs.

This afternoon I will eat a tuna steak with a chicory, garden cress and apple salad (with I nice yoghurt-mustard dressing) and quinoa.

Can you give a website where we can find that glycemic index?
Tracy

Thanks for all the amazing info. Just cant get enough of it! Keep it coming.
kathy

As an ex-atkins devotee (I fell off the wagon), I always enjoy reading different takes on carbs. thanks for making your blog educational and enjoyable!
Rick

That turkey chili sounds good!!!!!

Thank you for posting
E

Just bought Metabolic Cooking and the added meal plans. Plan on going out for this week's grocery shopping and get the ingredients I need for Week 1. Already have most of the spices, so I just need to make sure I get the main ingredients and lots of veggies!
Rich

Mastering food intake is what I need to help me achieve my goal, and has not been easy. This must be my next focus.

The question for me always seems to be, how do I determine how much protein, carb and fat (40-30-30) do I know I'm getting and how much do I need for my body type and my goals?

Thanks for the insight and leading us to a great cooking reference!
sinclair

good stuff. Makes me think about food.
Cheryl Stephenson

Love it ,love it ,love it! Thanks for posting some sane information in layman's terms.Great blog!
Pamela

Wow! That turkey chili sounds amazing: easy to make and yummy and healthful! Thanks!
Seth

do you think it's acceptable to only eat fibrous carbs like fruits and veggies and if so can you get away with a higher carb diet? thanks
ganchome

Roman, What about egg whites or whole eggs in smoothies for that matter? Should I be afraid of salmonella? I hear raw egg whites is one of the only ways to get pure and substantial amounts of the amino acid cystine?
Veronica

thanks I love the receipes. Cooked the tuna burger tonight and was yummy….
Calvin Leighton

Hey Roman, I just gotta say, that Turkey Chilli looks superb, don't suppose you could send me some?? just Kidding!! Great website!! Great Tips! Keep up the good work, well done!!
Jody

With the added fat and, in some cases, skin, added to ground turkey, what about using a good 90/10 or 97/3 ground beef instead? Beef has so much more flavor!
Caleb

Hey Roman,

Great post, but there is one thing. I saw that you put you should try to have protein with carbs. Ive recently been doing some research on bettering digestion and most carbs supposedly shouldnt be combined with protein. I didnt totally believe this, but I decided to test it out. (No reason for me to ramble on about something I havent tried myself.) For a week I separated my carbs and protein, (I had most of my fat with protein). Meal plan, protein, carbs, protein, carbs, protein. To my amazement I lost 2% BF, from 188 to 184 in a week! not to mention I had more energy and never had that brick in a gut feeling! What do you think? During this period I didnt change my training regime.
Murray

Very true Roman, about carbs and I also am a great believer that all food should be eaten with some protein and that includes fruit.
Sophie

I'm happy and grateful to be a Canadian.
Justine

That Kiwi smoothie was awesome.

Full of flavoUr….Yip, here in South Africa we spell correctly too!! LOL!
Pj

Yo ! Roman, you crack me up mate !!

Keep em coming Pj- UK
scobee

awesome post- 2 questions-

1. Is there another name for circuma? Not familiar with that one…

2. Any good substitute for cottage cheese (dairy allergy)?
http://www.cookingfairy.co.uk charlotte

Hey Roman,

Love your blog, really interesting. Myself and a lot of girlfriends are really trying to shape up and get lean for the summer. I think we are on track with the fitness…. we work out 4 times a week, kettlebells/ cardio- we have a pt….. the part which we fall down is eating….. any tips which you would be kind enough to share with us?
http://www.RomanFitnessSystems.com John Romaniello

Happy to help. It depends on what the issue is.

If you simply don't know how/what to eat, then the posts on this blog and some others will help. Also, for a tremendous resource on how to eat for a healthy lifestyle, check out Isabel De Los Rios and the Diet Solution Program.

Now, on the other hand, if the issue is sticking to a diet…

The main thing I would suggest is try to create a menu for yourself for each day, and try to stick to it.

Another thing would be the “flash diet.” Which just means that you take pictures of everything you eat. it helps a lot. That way you have a record of your food, and it keeps you accountable.
Michael

Interesting articles as always

I am 18 years old weighing 82 kgs with 15%/16% bodyfat.

This month I'm always striving to lose some of my belly body fat, by eating mostly fruits, and as protein: eggs,chicken, low-fat milk, yogurts and whey protein. I try not to eat carbohydrates after 6pm. As fats, right now, I'm having peanut butter and almonds. Also, as a workout routine, I split it in upper/lower schedule.

Can you give some advice please, what can I additionally do to lose my belly fat?

Thanks a lot And keep up the good work aye :)

Roman Fitness Systems