I’ve heard similar sentiments over the years; that the gym is the spark to get the body going but it’s food that is the fuel which does the Lion’s share of the transformation work
I never paid much attention to any of this largely due to the fact that for the past 30 years I have been a shameless and unremitting junk food slut
And that, of course, is why I am now having these conversations!!
Jon taught me all about “Macros”
Which I always felt was one of those industry “Dark Arts” that would at some point be debunked. But it was actually simple and straightforward – and apparently it works!
Macronutrients being the individual groups of nutrients in food: carbohydrates, protein and fat.
My only mission was to hit the right amount of total daily calories and grams of protein
For my weight and height, Jon worked out that I needed to consume 230 grams of protein a day and to keep my calories under 2400. This would give my body the optimum nutrition to lose weight, gain muscle and become Buff As Fuck
For those who have never tried to eat this volume of decent protein in a day, let me tell you now that it is a literal shitload!
The only possible way to make sure you are on target each day is to:
a) Record it all meticulously…Every. Damn. Mouthful. (I use an App called MyFitnessPal)
b) Batch Cook like a Bastard
My learning curve has now gone vertical as I attempt to take onboard both the techniques and intricacies of weight training as well as starting to cook with “real” ingredients and not the microwave instructions on the back of a packet
Wowzers
When I realised that this was fast becoming an all-consuming project, it was a little overwhelming
Then I stopped to consider the huge amount of energy I spent getting myself “out of kilter” in the first place, and Jon pointed out in his unique way that if this Mission has any chance of success, we would need to invest an equally epic amount of energy to get back
And so I went to Sainsbury’s…