Carbs - 4 Calories per Gram
Is it as simple as 4 calories per gram? Yes and No
Simple math is that every gram of carbohydrate you eat has 4 calories. For example, a pound of pasta (450 grams), will have 4x450 calories = 1,800 Calories. But as nothing is ever that simple, it's important to know that the body also can take longer to break down carbohydrates. There are SIMPLE and COMPLEX carbohydrates. Is one better than the other? Not necessarily, it actually depends on a number of other factors, but what I try to remember is that the SIMPLE Carbs in fruit and other natural foods are generally good (before Noon on the diet). Of course though plain sugar is a simple carb, but the 9-16 grams of added sugars in almost every cereal at your grocer are not so good. Remember that it all adds up, and so knowing this math can help. I eat complex carbs in the morning (whole grain cereal or granola or oatmeal), and I call those good as well.
Breaking down a carb doesn't mean it leaves your body. The body applies it in this order:
- Used for energy (if you are moving)
- Stored in liver or muscles
- Stored as fat
What we're trying to avoid is the third stage, that's the main concept of the diet. Your body generally needs carbs, but when you reduce the amount you eat, the body never gets the chance to store it as fat. Actually, what we're hoping for is that with the diet and exercise, the fat that's been stored starts to burn off. That's not going to happen easily if you keep getting to the third step above.
What's complex mean?
Simple: quicker to break down
Complex: longer to break down
Breaking down a carb doesn't mean it leaves your body. The body applies it in this order:
- Used for energy (if you are moving)
- Stored in liver or muscles
- Stored as fat
COMMON CARB SOURCES: Pasta, Bread, Rice, Potato, Cereal, Granola, Sugar
FATS - 9 Calories per Gram
9 Calories each??!!!
Fats are an interesting part of our diet. They add taste and texture to so many things, but that means they come with a high price tag - more than twice the calories of a Carb or Protein. But doesn't that mean we should avoid them? No, it doesn't necessarily mean that. Fats are an essential building block of humans. We use them to produce energy just like Carbs and Proteins. Similar to Carbs and Proteins of course, eat too much and it will get stored in your body as fat. If you don't care about the science*, just know that when you reduce carbs, you often will increase proteins and fats to supplement calories in your diet, and that's expected on this diet, but try not to overdo it. Most pre-packaged snacks as well as things such as ice-cream will have fat in them and should be avoided on this diet (they also contain carbs). Healthy foods that contain fats are better to consume in moderation (such as meats, eggs, cheeses, butter, oil). I don't necessarily count calories in and out on this diet, but knowing that fats are 9 calories per gram really helps when reading nutrition labels and deciding what food I want to eat.
*if you do care about the science, look up adipocytes and triglycerides.
"Non-fat" and "Low-fat" - When in doubt go without
Uncle Sage has been around a while - long enough to have lived through the low fat fad. For many years, and still today, companies market foods as "non-fat" or "low-fat". I generally avoid those foods or eat in moderation because they tend to have refined sugars and procesed chemicals (something has to take the place of the fat that's been removed!!). When in doubt, go without. It is generally better to go for natural foods.
COMMON FAT SOURCES: Ice Cream, Chocolate candies, cookies, most pre-packaged snacks, meats, eggs, oil, butter, cheese
Proteins - 4 Calories per Gram
Can I really eat a lot of proteins? Yes and No
Similar to Carbs, proteins equate to 4 calories per gram. The reason protein is a strong part of this diet is because proteins break down to amino acids, which in a generally healthy person, break down easily and are strong building blocks for muscle. Much like carbs however, excess protein can also turn into fat in the body. The body tends to break down carbs first (then fat which will be covered in the next section), so if you are limiting your carbs, the chance of the body using the proteins quickly rises.
For the most part, when I am doing this diet, I don't limit much of my protein intake. I will eat two chicken breasts in a meal with no problem, or cook a full 12 ounce steak filet. Remember that fish and tofu products are also good sources of protein (tofu tends to have carbs too, however). Everyone has different thresholds so my advice is eat until you're full, but don't overdo it!
What's an amino acid?
Proteins break down into amino acids which are the building blocks of muscle and also help to boost your immune system. They are a key component to the diet and often the one I eat more of than anything else.
COMMON PROTEIN SOURCES: Steak, Eggs, Chicken, Pork, Lamb, Fish, Tofu
alcohol - estimated 7 Calories per Gram
Is it ok to drink alcohol?
The answer to that question is multi-faceted. If you struggle with alcohol abuse, get help from a professional, I can not recommend drinking as a habit. What I can say though, is if you do not struggle with alcohol abuse, having alcohol as part of this diet can work. Personally I don't restrict my use during the diet, but that means that I may have 1-4 drinks in a day, maybe once a week at most. If you're crushing a six-pack of beer every night, it will likely add up.
How do the professionals come up with 7 calories per gram? There's math behind it like everything else, but for what we care about for this diet, using 7 calories per gram works well enough. From my experience, most of the calories in drinks come from the additives. To explain what I mean: a margarita has an ounce of tequila, which by itself, is composed of 14 grams of alcohol (about 14 x 7 calories = 98 calories), but then add the half ounce of triple sec (50 calories) and the sugar from the simple syrup (150 calories), and you're at a 300 calorie drink. Add frozen strawberries and you will have around a 400 calorie drink each time. For that reason, I generally stick to basic alcohol on this diet. A snifter of cognac, or glass of whiskey, or a vodka soda, only have the calories from the alcohol (usually less than 100 calories). So if i am having four of those in one day, it's the same as one frozen strawberry margarita.
Some other important information as it relates to the diet: Alcohol is treated by your body as poison (yep). That means that it will work to break down alcohol first before all other things. If you've been following along, that means that your body will work on the alcohol calories before trying to break down the carbs, fats/stored fats, and proteins in your body. So, it always helps to limit it because it will take precedent overall, and reduce the likelihood of your body reducing weight from stored fat.
The order of breakdown
When we exercise, breathe, get up to go to the restroom, we burn calories. The order of these isn't perfect, but generally follows the list below. Remember alcohol is first, so if you are trying to lose that stored fat, alcohol will act against it. But, if you've done a good job of limiting your carb intake and not overdoing everything else, a little alcohol should not act against you too much.
ORDER OF CALORIE BREAKDOWN:
- Alcohol
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
- Proteins