There’s no one size fits all when it comes to nutrition.

Everyone’s goal is different (fat loss, muscle gain, sports performance, energy) and our bodies are all different too. So it makes sense that your daily diet should be unique.

When you calculate your calories and macronutrients, there are several things you need to take into account.

Age: generally speaking, our caloric needs decrease as we get older. This is partly because we lose muscle mass (with reduction in testosterone) and partly because we tend to get more sedentary, do less sport, and even walk around less as we age.

Sex: ladies, I’m sorry but females need fewer calories than males. This is a generalisation, but is true for most. It’s mainly to do with muscle mass, as most men have more mass than most women. Of course there are exceptions to this! Female strength athletes will have more muscle mass than a small sedentary guy.

Height/weight: one of the biggest factors in metabolic rate is your size. Obese people actually have “faster” metabolisms than slim people, despite what you might think. This is mainly because they are larger and heavier. So the taller and heavier you are, the more calories you need to maintain your weight.

Lean muscle mass: muscle mass is more metabolically active than fat mass. This means that the more muscle you have (and the less fat), the more calories your body needs to move around. Also if you have more lean muscle mass, it’s likely that you train and are an active person, which will also affect your daily calorie needs.

NEAT: NEAT stands for “non-exercise activity thermogenesis”. It refers to all the movement you do during the day which isn’t official training or exercise. This can be everything from walking and standing to fidgeting. Literally every movement your body makes contributes to NEAT. NEAT is the single biggest contributor to your daily calorie burn - far more than official training sessions. Studies show shocking differences in people’s NEAT - some people burn 2000+ more calories than others just from daily movement. Your daily activity, lifestyle, and occupation will all contribute. Think office worker vs manual labourer… or someone who walks a mile to the bus stop each day and takes the stairs at work vs someone who drives to work and takes the elevator.

Training: the frequency and intensity of training will have an impact on your calorie needs. The more often you train, the more calories your body needs (and the more frequently you stimulate muscle protein synthesis). But intensity is just as important, if not more important. So train often, but train hard!

Social media makes it easy to find out how your favourite fitness model or physique athlete eats. But remember, just because you see someone’s diet online or in a magazine, doesn’t make it right for you. It may work for them, but run through that list I’ve just given you and think about how different you are to that person. You need your own diet…

My diet isn’t your diet...

If you’re confused by nutrition, calories or anything I have touched on in this email, please feel free to send me an email and I will be happy to help you with anything.

Thanks,
Parsy
#AJPerformance