Two Meal Muscle
My diet is erratic. I toggle between objectives (fat loss, muscle growth) on a week-to-week, if not a day-to-day, basis. Once the system is set, turning the dial back and forth is a breeze because there's only one small difference between dieting for fat loss and dieting for muscle growth.
Let's set the system.
1, Energy ceiling.
Foods contain energetic material, the amount of which is measured in calories; calories are a proxy for how much energetic material exists within any given food. Three nutrients (known as macronutrients) contain energetic material: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Each macronutrient has a standardized energetic yield per gram.
- Carbohydrates: 4 calories per gram
- Proteins: 4 calories per gram
- Fats: 9 calories per gram
Within the confines of this diet (in a vacuum), the amount of energetic material consumed across an extended period of time determines whether the outcome twists toward fat loss or turns toward muscle growth.
I'm anchoring the energetic ceiling at maintenance to set the system. Maintenance exists between fat loss and muscle growth. Independent of other (eventual) variables within the system, I don't expect to lose fat or build muscle with a maintenance energy ceiling. I expect to — **wait for it** — maintain the status quo.
Starting point for maintenance is eating the same number of calories your body needs, which can be calculated by multiplying the body's weight (in pounds) by fourteen. Considering I weigh 205 pounds:
MAINTENANCE CALORIE CEILING
205 POUNDS x 14 = 2870 CALORIES
I'll round up to 2900 calories to make things easier.
In general, average daily energy expenditure hovers between BWx13-15. I start with BWx14, but I know individual metabolic rates vary, sometimes even beyond the bounds of “average.” In the end, starting with an estimate and refining with results is the only way to pin down your average daily energy expenditure.
1.2, Calories (symbolized).
I use a ⚡ lightning bolt as a shorthand for energetic material (which is synonymous with calories, for now). One ⚡ represents 100 calories.
MAINTENANCE CALORIES:
205 POUNDS x 14 =
~2900 CALORIES =
29⚡
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⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
One banana usually contains around 100 ⚡ calories. One cup of Cinnamon Toast Crunch contains 170 calories. Add milk and the energetic total probably goes a bit above 200 ⚡⚡ calories.
All food can be transformed into ⚡s.
1.3, Calories, ciao.
Energy intake anchors the diet. Independent of other variables, it determines the odds of weight gain or weight loss. I'm anchoring the energetic ceiling at maintenance (by multiplying my weight by fourteen) to set the system. Everything eaten can be calorically quantified and transformed into ⚡.
2, Proteins.
Proteins are one of the three macronutrients. The macronutrients get a lot of press because they're the only nutrients that contain energetic material. Nevertheless, they are still nutrients, and different nutrients have different uses inside the body.
Proteins, as well as energy, are one of three important ingredients for muscle growth, but the two aren't married to each other. Protein intake can be aligned toward muscle growth without energy intake being aligned toward muscle growth, and the reverse can happen, too.
Odds of building muscle increase when both are aligned toward muscle growth, but it's not impossible to build muscle when proteins are aligned and energy isn't. In other words, there's a chance my body will build muscle regardless of the energetic environment, but only if I'm eating enough proteins. And so, I strive to eat one gram of protein for every pound of body weight, regardless of my objective.
I weigh 205 pounds.
PROTEIN INTAKE:
205 POUNDS x 1 =
205 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
I use a 🥩 steak as a shorthand for proteins. One 🥩 represents a hockey-puck-sized portion of protein-rich food, which generally contains around 25 grams of protein.
PROTEIN INTAKE IN PUCKS:
205 GRAMS OF PROTEIN / 25 =
8🥩
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🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩
I must emphasize: protein-rich foods. This is an important adjective. Protein-rich foods have a macronutrient distribution skewed toward protein. Many foods contain proteins alongside carbs and/or fats, which affects the overall energy yield of the food. This can't be forgotten.
Research says you probably only need 0.7-0.8 grams of protein for every pound of weight to optimize for muscle growth. Whatever. Using a one-gram-per-pound standard makes the calculation easier. I’m also superstitious. Week after week, I’m in the gym. Trying to build muscle. I don’t care about eating a pinch more protein to ensure I’m giving my body the nutrients it needs, especially considering there’s no downside (proteins won’t damage your kidneys unless you have a pre-existing medical condition).
2.1, Proteins & energy.
Proteins themselves contain energetic material, although the specific amount is debatable. The scientific standard says one gram of protein contains four calories, yet the building blocks of proteins (amino acids) generally aren't used for energy-recycling purposes. Proteins also take more energy to digest and absorb, meaning they will almost certainly yield less than four calories per gram. Alas, best practice (for some reason?) involves assuming they will yield the full four calories per gram. And so, in general, 25 grams of protein (one 🥩) contains around 100 calories. Therefore, with every 🥩 comes one ⚡… at least.
As mentioned, many foods aren't protein and only protein. When a food contains carbs and/or fats alongside protein, this energy needs to be accounted for. There's a big difference between lean proteins, chubby proteins, and purgatory proteins.
LEAN PROTEINS
Lean proteins contain mostly proteins; their macronutrient distributions are heavily skewed in favor of protein. Examples: chicken breast, beef liver, tuna, turkey breast, buffalo, elk, mahi-mahi, pork tenderloin, venison, scallops, shrimp, 90/10 (or higher) ground beef, greek yogurt, sardines…
I discard the small(er) energetic component of lean proteins which means a hockey-puck-sized portion of them silently comes with one lightning-bolt symbol, the only “calories” coming from the proteins.
🥩+⚡ = one hockey-puck-sized portion of lean proteins
CHUBBY PROTEINS
Chubby proteins contain a decent amount of protein alongside a decent amount of energetic material; their macronutrient distributions are split (somewhat) in half between proteins and carbs/fats. Examples: pulled pork, turkey legs and thighs, chicken legs and thighs, cottage cheese, salmon, most unflavored and unsweetened yogurts, eggs…
Because of their energetic burden, a hockey-puck-sized portion of chubby proteins silently comes with two lightning-bolt symbols, the extra “calories” coming from non-proteins.
🥩+⚡⚡ = one hockey-puck-sized portion of chubby proteins
PURGATORY PROTEINS
Purgatory proteins contain a small number of proteins alongside a higher amount of energetic material; their macronutrient distributions are skewed against protein. Examples: black beans, almonds, peanut butter, sausage, milk, most cheeses…
Although the proteins in these foods “count,” I don't see the foods themselves as proteins. I see them as the “other” macronutrient dominating their profile. In other words, peanut butter is a fat, not a protein. Black beans are a carb, not a protein.
I don't rely on purgatory proteins to reach my protein target. Vegans have to rely on them, which restricts their food choices. They have to ensure the carbohydrate- and fat-dominant foods they eat also contain some semblance of proteins.
2.2, Minimum cost.
The overall caloric impact from proteins depends on the specific foods eaten, but I start by factoring out the minimum potential energetic cost of proteins. In other words, what would the cost be if I ate nothing but lean proteins?
This is an easy calculation. There's one ⚡ for every 🥩. If I eat eight hockey-puck-sized portions of 🥩 lean proteins, it'd cost me eight ⚡ units of energy.
MINIMUM ENERGETIC COST OF PROTEINS:
205 GRAMS OF LEAN PROTEINS / 25 =
8🥩+8⚡
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🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
I subtract the minimum potential energetic cost of proteins from my overall calorie ceiling.
1. MAINTENANCE
205 POUNDS x 14 =
~2900 CALORIES =
29⚡
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⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
2. MINIMUM ENERGETIC IMPACT OF PROTEIN
205 GRAMS OF LEAN PROTEINS / 25 =
8🥩+8⚡
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🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
3. REMAINDER ENERGY AFTER FACTORING OUT 8⚡
205 POUNDS x 14 =
~2900 CALORIES =
21⚡+8🥩
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🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
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As mentioned, reaching my protein quota with real food will most certainly “cost” more energy because I don't eat solely lean proteins. This is okay. I just have to account for the extra energy by subtracting more lightning bolts when the time comes, which is easy (as you will soon see).
2.3, Proteins, peace out.
The body needs proteins, energy, and water to build muscle. To ensure proteins aren't the bottleneck, I eat one gram for every pound I weigh. This has an energetic cost, and the final tab depends on which specific foods I eat.
3, Remainder energy.
After factoring out the minimum energetic cost of proteins from my energy ceiling, I get my remainder energy allotment. In the example I've been building for myself, after subtracting the impact of proteins, I have 21⚡ (2100 calories) left over for “energy.”
As mentioned, proteins generally aren't used for energy-recycling purposes; I don't consider them an energy nutrient. Carbohydrates and fats are much more involved in the body's energy-recycling process; they are the body's energy nutrients… unless the type of carbohydrate in question is a plant carbohydrate. Because there's a big difference between 2S carbs and plant carbs.
2S CARBS
2S carbs contain higher levels of starch and sugar, which is why I call them “2S” (starchy and sugary) carbs. Examples: potatoes, oats, rice, grains, pasta, bread, flour-based products, corn, fruits (apples, bananas, oranges, lemons, limes, kiwis, grapefruits, kumquats, pears, pineapples, grapes…), berries (blueberries, raspberries…)…
PLANT CARBS
Plant carbs contain lower levels of starch and sugar. Examples: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, celery, eggplant, onions, asparagus, sprouts, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini…
I segregate these two types of carbohydrates because plant carbs generally have a skewed volume-to-energy ratio, which means (a) they don't contain much energetic material and (b) they're difficult to eat in large quantities. For instance, you need to eat 3x the amount of broccoli (in volume) to match the caloric yield of potatoes.
- 200g raw broccoli = 68 cals.
- 200g red potatoes = 178 cals.
This doesn't even account for fiber, which is an undigestable type of carbohydrate that won't yield energetic material. Factoring out the 5 grams of fiber, 200g of broccoli contains closer to 50 calories.
Because of the volume-energy-fiber ratio of plant carbs, I generally don't include them in my calculations. I eat as much of them as I want. I'm not dumb enough to say they don't “count,” but considering 6 cups of broccoli only sets me back around 150 calories, I'm not worried.
I'm way more measured with 2S carbs and fats, but I don't play favorites: I eat both. I don't see a reason to avoid one or the other. The only thing I care about is respecting my remainder energy allotment. Doesn't matter if the energy comes from 2S carbs, fats, or both. To me, energy is energy. And I think of energy in 100-calorie chunks.
100 calories of fat = ⚡
100 calories of s&s carbs = ⚡
100 calories of energy from chubby proteins = ⚡
One apple (2S carb) contains around 100 ⚡ calories. Two tablespoons of peanut butter (fat) contain close to 200 ⚡⚡ calories. One donut with sprinkles (2S carb + fat) contains around 300 ⚡⚡⚡ calories. One chicken thigh (chubby protein) contains around 100 ⚡ calories (since I already factored out the minimum cost of my protein intake, I'm only considering the “extra” fat content).
Mix and match.
- 1 donut ⚡⚡⚡ =
- 3 chicken thighs ⚡⚡⚡ =
- 1 apple ⚡ + 2 tbsp peanut butter ⚡⚡…
Muscles store and often use glycogen for energy (the pump and the burn sensations are signs your muscles are using glycogen for energy). Glycogen is stored sugar, which is derived primarily from the breakdown of 2S carbs. After muscle glycogen stores are depleted, the body itches to replace what was lost. And so, 2S carbs are important (and shouldn't be avoided) if you do muscle-based training.
3.1, Remainder rundown.
Remainder energy allotment is the amount of energy available after factoring out the minimum energetic cost of proteins from the initial calorie ceiling. The leftovers are split between 2S carbs and fats in any fashion. 2S carbs are important for muscle-based training. Fats are essential, meaning the body needs them to survive. There's no reason to play favorites. I eat them both. The thing I care about most is respecting my remainder energy allotment.
4, Real food intake.
This is my theoretical maintenance food intake, what I will refer to as the Status Quo Standard:
STATUS QUO STANDARD
205 POUNDS x 14 =
~2900 CALORIES =
21⚡+8🥩
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🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
The 8🥩 of protein pertains to hockey-puck-sized portions of protein-rich foods. The 21⚡ of energy gets chewed into when I eat 2S carbs, fats, and chubby proteins.
This is a theoretical food intake because neither calories nor macronutrients are “foods.” Translation is necessary.