What’s The Best Macronutrient Ratio For Fat Loss?: Q&A Weekly Roundup

If you’re curious about protein bars, eating the right macronutrients, or the difference between a squat and a lunge, you’ve come to the right place! This week’s Q & A features some great info about both diet and exercise that’ll hopefully help keep you healthy and strong.

Here’s the short list of questions based on topic:

• Best Macronutrient Distribution For Fat Loss
• Swimming To Get Lean
• Best Nutrition Database Website
• The Difference Between Squats & Lunges
• Best Protein Bars
• 
  

  Question #1 | Best Macronutrient Distribution For Fat Loss

  Question: Hi Marc. I found this article very useful, yet, I haven’t found an article of yours where you talk about the balance of macronutrients. I mean, what’s the optimal proportion between carbs, proteins and fats within your total calorie consumption? – George

  Answer: @George – I think the short answer is there is no optimal macronutrient distribution for everyone and it depends on your specific goals. The topic is worthy of a separate article for sure. Keep in mind that nutrition organizations typically suggest 10-15% protein, 55-65% carbs, and 20-25% fat as macronutrient distributions. From a fat loss perspective, there are what are called low fat and high fat phenotypes. This means that some people will lose relatively more fat on higher vs. lower fat diets, and vice versa. How do you know which one you are? Try both and see what is more satisfying for you. Personally, the sweet spot for me is around 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 25-30% fat as a range, which is considered low/moderate fat. I’ve also found this to work for many other people. From my perspective, it’s easier to control calories with a low/moderate fat intake if you are actively looking to lose fat. If you are already lean, you can increase the fat calories to 40% or more, which is similar to the heart healthy Mediterranean diet. The challenge I find with higher fat diets in the 50-60% range like some variations of the paleo diet is they can create low levels of satiety. Again, it’s not an exact science, so you need to see what works for you. – Marc (Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT)

  Question #2 | Swimming To Get Lean

  Question: How long should I be swimming for to get lean (considering that too much cardio can remove muscle)? – Toby

  Answer: It’s not about how long that matters to get a great workout, but the quality of the workout. When I do a swimming workout, I typically do 10 swimming sprints for two laps (down and back) with somewhere around 30-60 seconds rest between each set, so it takes 15-20 minutes total. You can do something similar by adding, or subtracting more volume, or intensity depending on your own fitness level. You can also consider 4 laps instead of two, which decreases the intensity a bit, but increases the volume and do that for 5-10 rounds. – Marc (Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT)

  Question #3 | Best Nutrition Database Website

  Question: What site can you recommend to find out nutri-facts for veggies and fruits as they don’t have labels. I know there are plenty out there, but I was hoping you’d know a trust worthy one. Thanks. – Milad

  Answer: @milad – My favorite is Nutrition Data, which is owned by Conde Naste. The information in Nutrition Data’s database comes from the USDA’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference and is supplemented by listings provided by restaurants and food manufacturers. The downside is after inputting the specific food item into the search bar and clicking “search”, you will need to filter the results by choosing either “vegetables and vegetable products” for veggies or “fruits and fruit juices” for fruits. These filters are located right under the phrase “Narrow Your Search”. The other thing about the database is that it has great detail including calorie information for veggies raw, cooked, or fruits with skin and without skin for example. I don’t mind this extra detail, but some find it too much. If anyone else has any other databases they like that may be more simple, please chime in! – Marc (Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT)

  Question #4 | The Difference Between Squats & Lunges

  Question: Marc could you explain: why do you need a squat and a lunge exercise, surely they are basically the same movement with little difference between them? – Donald

  Answer: @Donald – Interesting question, Donald. They are in fact different movements, because a squat is a stable exercise with two feet working in sync, whereas a lunge requires “dynamic stability” on one leg. More specifically, one is unilateral (lunge) and the other is a bilateral exercise (squats) and both require different types of stability. Finally, there is a different type of glute/hip activation with squats vs. lunges. Strength coaches consider a lunge to be a “knee dominant” exercise and a squat to be a “hip dominant” exercise. – Marc (Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT)

  Question #5 | Best Protein Bars

  Question: Any suggestions on Protein Bars? – Alec

  Answer: Hey Alec, I’m not a huge fan of protein bars and don’t have any suggestions at this time. With that said, I do plan on writing an article on protein bars to explore them in more detail. The challenge is that most have a lot of “stuff” in them like sugar alcohols (which are safe for consumption but can cause bloating) and many chemicals to keep them preserved on the shelf. I would say a handful of nuts/seeds, some fruit, greek yogurt are solid snack ideas that I would take over a protein bar any day. In addition, many protein bars are basically candy bars with sugar in them. Also, I would take a whey protein shake over a protein bar. Thanks for the question and I hope to give you more specific suggestions soon. – Marc (Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT)