The Cornerstone of Body Composition: Get this right and it all comes together!!!!!
The Cornerstone of Body Composition: Get this right and it all comes together!!!!!
Im working on my Youtube clickbait titles for my future influencer career. Think this one would get clicks?
Fortunately it’s not far from the truth. Im a big proponent of no wasted effort. Where is the juice most worth the squeeze? Where is useful piece to work on first so that the rest comes together a bit more easily?
For body composition that really starts and stops with our daily protein intake.
But what thoughts are conjured when I mention getting your protein in each day?
For people less familiar with the components of nutrition, protein starts and stops with body building or performance training in general and the tubs of powder those athletes allegedly must consume to succeed.
Maybe we think of protein coming from our food choices, meat for the most part, plant based if we’ve ever explored the vegetarian/vegan life.
Fundamentally, protein must be a priority for anyone with a desire to be healthy, much less someone who hopes to look good naked or be able to do fun things with their body (I suppose wasting away is seen as fun for a segment of the anti-work culture we now seem to be living alongside).
Remember, our needs differ by degree, not kind.
If protein is necessary for performance or for elite body composition (i.e. bodybuilding) then it is also necessary for just “livin.” The difference is the bodybuilder may be aiming for as much as 2g of protein per pound of body weight, an insane amount. While the person most interested in simply living well may just need .7g per pound of lean body mass.
But neither goal will be reached without intentional planning and effort.
FOR HEALTH
- Tissue building and repair: the amino acids that dietary protein is broken down into are used throughout the body to create new tissue and to repair damaged tissue (muscles are damaged when we workout).
- Hormone synthesis: This really falls in line with building/repairing tissue, but it is worth repeating because there is so much focus on hormone imbalance and medication to treat it with very little conversation about our diets impact on our hormone balance (I am referring to non-medical condition and often perceived hormone issues). Consuming adequate protein helps protect against hormonal disruption.
- Neurotransmitters & Neurological Function: Before you go on about how you are no longer sensitive to caffeine, maybe just count your protein intake. The amino acids in protein are used in various roles across our nervous system. Inadequate consumption will absolutely impact our nervous systems ability to function at the top of its game. Thats a slower, low energy, shittier version of yourself that you will not be able to put your finger on because our nervous system largely remains a mystery to regular folks like us. Fuel properly and see what it starts to give you in return.
FOR PERFORMANCE
- Again, tissue repair: As mentioned above, when you exercise, you damage your muscles. Then, when they repair themselves with amino acids (and other things certainly), they build back stronger (I really wanted to say build back better but I can’t remember which political nonsense that one was from). No protein, no improvement.
- Hormones: Yeah, turns out hormone function is pretty necessary for peak performance and, more specifically, recovery.
- Neurotransmitters: Ok, so with the nervous system being a bit of a mystery to us one of the easily digestible nuggets is that movement patterns are ingrained neurologically. You know when you are able to do something without thinking? That’s a neurological pathway that you have formed. But in order for that to be possible (at least as efficiently as possible), we have to be putting our nervous system in the best possible position.
Basically if you suck at double unders then eat more protein. Easy peasy. (Note: I am not a neurologist)
FOR SEX (i.e. Looking Better Naked)
Yeah yeah, you don’t care about looking better naked. That would be so shallow. You only want health and performance.
But just in case you were interested,
- Tissue Repair: which by now you know means making muscles strong and useful. Again, protein is used to repair muscles. Stronger muscles require more calories to function at their potential. More calories burned by the muscle means more body fat will be burned (assuming you are not increasing your caloric intake which you would need to do if you were bulking). More calories burned means a leaner, more confident you. And the whole damn point is to be confident in the body you are in whatever body weight you are at. Bodies that function well tend to be the bodies that have the most confidence within them.
- Where protein is eaten, junk food is not: Protein is the idea calorie filler because of the fact that amino acids are not stored for future energy use. So over consuming your protein daily will only lead to more washing out of you. Assuming you are going to eat a certain number of calories each day, the more of those calories that come from protein, the less that come from carbs or fat which are stored as body fat when not needed for immediate biological function.
CONSIDERATIONS: Foods do not contain just 1 macro nutrient
Hitting our daily protein will absolutely serve us well. However, if our 185g of daily protein are also accompanied by 120g of dietary fat then we will very much be in a caloric surplus which means we will gain weight.
The emphasis on lean protein sources is important here. And the supplement recommendations are helpful if you are getting enough from food in the first place.
Also, dietary fat is not an enemy. You must have adequate fat in your diet to support hormone synthesis, to recover, and to absorb fat soluble vitamins among many other reasons. But a little fat goes a very long way.
So enjoy those chicken thighs from time to time, but do not make them the constant in your diet if your goal is to improve your body composition.
Let me know how this goes for you! You absolutely are able to see changes if you replace junk calories with lean protein. One change can lead to big results.
But if you’d like a little more help reaching your goal body weight or body composition, we would love to help. Send us a note about what you are hoping to achieve and we will schedule a time to make it happen through the Black Wolf Lifestyle & Nutrition program.
-Ben