Over the years, and after working with many clients within the realm of Fitness Nutrition and Fitness Training at PayneFitness Health & Wellness, I have found that poor eating habits are the leading reason for failure in attaining and sustaining optimal fat reduction and improved body fat percentage. It’s important to note that an individual CAN improve their health vitals such as resting heart rate, blood pressure and heart stroke volume if they consistently embark on a vigorous resistance and cardiovascular training regime but, if their nutritional habits are consistently inconsistent IE; Eat good one day, eat bad 3 days, eat good one day, that they will struggle with substantial, sustained fat loss. To eat good means to eat in a manner that does not promote acute fat storage or acute muscle loss. To eat bad means to eat in a manner in which acute fat storage occurs (fat is only stored acutely) or to eat in a manner that promotes acute muscle loss.

There are many reasons for not following a healthy diet; I have noticed that a lack of knowledge combined with an abundance of misinformation, tend to be the most common reasons. With that in mind, I decided to write this article to “demystify” nutrition and to educate you in regard to the physiology of human digestion and how it affects your body fat percentage and state of physical fitness. We have learned that people learn more easily with the use of analogies. Due to the fact that everyone is reasonably familiar with how automobiles function, I have chosen to use them as the “vehicle” so to speak to make this information even easier to understand.

Due to the fact that we are bombarded with so much nutritional information, it is very difficult to decipher whether the source is legitimate or not. All of the information in this article was based on clinical studies, which was learned from the successful Registered Dietitian that administered the Fitness Nutrition Certification that I procured.

The most common question I get is “what and when should I eat?” There is a wealth of contradictory nutritional information available including: eat carbohydrates or don’t eat carbohydrates; eat before going to bed, do not eat three hours before bed, or do not eat after 6 p.m.; combine food, or do not combine foods. It appears that there is no end to this litany; with that said, you should ignore the folklore, myths and hype and get your nutritional information only from a reputable source.

Most of my clients’ and most peoples’ goals are to gain or maintain their muscle mass and get rid of unwanted body fat. Even though someone may think that this is mostly an aesthetic concern, the fact of the matter is that body composition or body fat percentage is a true measure of health as opposed to how much we weigh. We are not too concerned with how much you weigh, and neither should you. It may be surprising, but did you know that a pint of water (2 cups) weighs a pound; and that you may gain or lose a pound or more of body weight based on your hydration status and daily fluid intake. So, your success or progress cannot be based on your body weight alone. If I were to weigh you, have your drink a pint of water, and then weigh you again, the scale would indicate that you are a pound heavier. Does this mean that you are fatter? The answer is obviously no! You will just be less thirsty, and a pound heavier!

As you begin an exercise program, your body will start to store more “fuel” within your muscle cells. This fuel is called glycogen, which, simply put is many glucose or blood sugar molecules hooked together and stored in your muscles and body cells for later use. These glycogen molecules are so highly concentrated (thick) that your body must also store water in your body cells along with glycogen in a ratio of 1:3 (one molecule of glycogen to three molecules of water). Because water weighs a pound for every pint and glycogen also weighs considerably, your weight is sure to increase as you increase your exercise levels, as your glycogen and water storage increases in response to the increase in exercise.

An analogy will help to illustrate this phenomenon rather easily: If your fuel tank is on empty and you are going on a long trip by automobile, you will most likely fill up your tank. However, if your tank is on empty and you are only going to the corner store, you will most likely not go out of your way to fill up your tank. The same is true with your glycogen storage; the more you exercise, the more your body will begin to store glycogen and water. We know that your car does not weigh as much when it is empty as it does when it is full. So, does this mean that a car “gets fat” every time you fill up the tank? Of course not! A car has only one gas tank; the human body, on the other hand, has thousands of cells that fill up with glycogen and water for you to use as fuel the next time that you exercise, causing an increase in body weight, but not necessarily as body fat. The only way to know the difference between gaining weight of fat and keeping or gaining weight of muscle is to track your body fat percentage by measuring it weekly.

When looking at your body composition/body fat percentage weekly, we must look for the following four signs:

• A gain in muscle and a loss in fat = you have a perfectly designed meal plan

• A gain in muscle and a gain in fat = the meal plan includes too many calories, probably from carbohydrates

• A loss in muscle and a loss in fat = you are eating enough calories, but may not be eating enough protein.

• A gain in fat and a loss in muscle = you are either not eating enough protein, not enough calories or both

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