Macronutrient Management for Enhanced Muscle Gain and Fat Loss, By: Hugo Rivera

Many of you that read my articles know that for most people I tend to recommend a macronutrient ratio of 40% Carbs, 40% Protein and 20% Fats. Since I started bodybuilding I have always tended to eat equal sized meals throughout the day (with the exception perhaps of the post workout meal). However, lately after reading a few articles and brainstorming with some people, I have been experimenting with a way to redistribute your macronutrients throughout the day that may be more efficient at increasing muscle mass and burning fat. Unfortunately, I have not being doing this for a long enough time yet to judge the results so everything is still on the theoretical stages. I am basically counting on you, the reader, to also try this method out for at least 6 weeks and provide me with some feedback.

Theory
The macronutrient redistribution method is really simple. You still keep a 40% Carbs, 40% Protein and 20% Fats macronutrient ratio as I have always advocated. However, the meals throughout the day do not maintain that ratio as depending upon timing, they will either have more carbs or less carbs. The timing of the carbs is what in theory should make this method work as we will be taking the carbs only when the body needs them and in amounts that do not shut down the fat loss process.

Basically, we take higher amounts of carbs an hour or two before the weight-training workout (pre workout meal) in order to load the muscles with the glycogen needed to have a killer workout. We take another higher carb meal after the workout in order to replenish our carbohydrate stores. Ideally, these meals are morning meals as during the morning our bodies have a higher insulin sensitivity (the ability of the cells to allow insulin deliver the intended nutrients) due to the overnight fast. A high insulin sensitivity is desirable in order to ensure the carbs get used for either energy production or for glycogen storage inside the muscle as opposed to having them being stored as body fat. The next two meals have a 1 to 1 ratio of protein to carbs. Ideally these meals should be afternoon meals. The last meals have half of the amount of carbs that the afternoon meals had as insulin sensitivity goes down at night plus bedtime is already approaching. A high intake of carbs at this time could cause fat to be stored. However, in these meals we include essential fatty acids supplementation in the form of Flaxseed Oil. These fat grams at night do not get stored as body fat since the amount of carbs in these meals will be limited (therefore limiting the amount of insulin that the body can produce) and also because these fat grams come from good sources. In addition, these grams will be used at night as raw material for the increased hormonal production that occurs during sleep.

Now that you have the theory behind this scheme, lets see an example of how you can put it to use.

Implementation
Lets say that you want to lose body fat while gaining muscle. In order to accomplish this you need to create a caloric deficit of around 500 calories (if you are interested in only gaining muscle you will need a surplus of 500 calories). So for my body I know that around 3000 calories would give me my maintenance amount. Therefore I need to cut 500 calories from that amount. That leaves me at 2500. Below is the way that I would implement my diet by following this plan:

• 250 grams of protein /- 10 grams

• 250 grams of carbs /- 10 grams

• 50 grams of fats /- 5 grams

Note: Out of the 50 grams of fat, 30 grams come from Flaxseed oil and the rest from the trace amounts found in low fat sources of protein such as chicken breasts.

These nutrients are spaced out over 6 meals.

In order to calculate the carbs to be taken in each meal do the following:

• Your pre-workout and post-workout meals are a bit higher in carbs (1.5 x amount of protein) and lower in fats (<5 grams of fats).

• The next two meals should have an equal carb/protein distribution (1 x amount of protein). Keep these meals lower in fat as well (<5 grams of fats).

• In the last two meals, add a tablespoon of essential fatty acids (like flaxseed oil) and keep the carbs at half the amount of the protein (protein grams divided by 2 equals grams of carbs).

For example: You have to take in 250 grams of protein. This divided over 6 meals equals approximately 42 grams. So assuming that you do your cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, that your first meal is around 8:30 am and that you workout with weights at 11:00am for an hour, here is how the diet would look like:

Hypothetical Schedule

7:00am: 40 minute cardio

8:30am Pre-Workout Meal (42 grams of protein, 42 x 1.5 = 63 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fat)

11:00am Weight Training Workout (Click here for a great workout program to follow)

12:30pm Post-Workout Meal (42 grams of protein, 42 x 1.5 = 63 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fat)

3:00pm Mid-afternoon meal (42 grams of protein, 42 x 1.0 = 42 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fat)

5:00pm Late-afternoon meal (42 grams of protein, 42 x 1.0 = 42 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fat)

7:00pm Early-evening meal (42 grams of protein, 42 / 2 = 21 grams of carbs, 15 grams of good fats)

9:00pm Late-evening meal (42 grams of protein, 42 / 2 = 21 grams of carbs, 15 grams of good fats)

One Final Thing
On the days that you do not do weight training, still eat your pre and post workout meals. Also, over the weekend, increase your protein and carb intake to 300 grams (this totals a caloric increase of 500 which yields 3000 calories a day). That way, your metabolism gets tricked and therefore, will not adjust downwards. So over the weekends, follow the same diet above, but now every meal will consist of 50 grams of protein. Your first two meals will consist of 50 grams of protein x 1.5 = 75 grams of carbs, your next two meals will have 50 grams of protein x 1.0 = 50 grams of carbs and your last two meals 50 grams of protein divided by 2 = 25 grams of carbs.

Conclusion
By following this program, in theory, you should gain muscle and lose fat at a more accelerated rate than you would by keeping the macronutrient ratios the same in each meal. Also, your performance in the gym and the loading of carbohydrates inside the muscle cell after a workout should improve as well. However, theory does not always equal reality so lets try this out in our lab (the gym) and see what results we get. Take care and train hard!