Eating Out and Macro Balancing
No Nutrition Facts, No Problem…
With a demanding schedule, ordering food can sometimes be your only option. This is not ideal, however, this is real life! When the restaurant you order from offers ZERO nutrition facts how can you know what to eat? It may be healthy but is it too much?
In the video below I help one of my clients portion out a “healthy” meal he orders on a regular basis.
**After you do this ONCE you will have a good idea what you can portion out the next time :).
[youtube]https://youtu.be/gO7ONbhHWC4[/youtube]
As stated in the video, the first thing you need to do is calculate your macro ratios. (*Macronutrients are proteins, carbohydrates and fats*) First, I’ll explain the system I use with clients to calculate these numbers. We start with their resting metabolic rate (RMR), the amount of energy their body uses if they were to just stay in bed all day. I then take into account their average daily activity, this refers to the day in and day out of their life and job. These two together will then be know as the clients total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Finally we factor in the calories burned during the workouts. This will vary depending on the frequency and goal of the individual. I always use a heart rate monitor to track my workouts and the calories burned!
Example; lets take two clients who are the same gender, body fat, height and weight:
Client 1 works in the ER on their feet for 10-12 hours a day, 4 days a week.
Client 2 is an attorney working in an office 8-10 hours a day, 5-6 days a week.
Based on their job description you can assume each client will have a different TDEE.
All in all, you want to understand how to fuel your day with the proper amount of carbohydrates, protein and fats. Once you know these numbers you can the portion your meals accordingly. In the example used in the video we were portioning Jonathan’s lunch.
His macronutrient ratio for lunch is:
50g of carbohydrates
- 4.5oz Roasted Potatos -27g carbs
- 1/3 Large Pita -12g carbs
- 1/4 cup of rice 13g carbs
40g of protein
- 5oz Grilled Chicken Breast Skewers -37g protein
15g of fat
- 2 Tbsp Dressing on Side Salad -7g fat
Remember some of the carbohydrate sources will have protein, some of the protein will have fat, and some of the fat may have carbs… Once plugged into My Fitness Pal the total come out to 56g of carbs, 43g of protein and 11g of fat.
**I always try to keep the fat low when eating out due to the fact that we are unsure the way the food was prepared. Unfortunately, food is normally prepared with lots of oils and fats so keeping this number lower when eating out is a little trick I use!
Now next time Johnathan orders his favorite Mediteranean dish he will know to portion out.
- 1.5 Chicken Skewers
- 2 Roasted Potato Wedges (big)
- 1/3 Pita
- 1/4 Cup of Rice
- 2 Tbsp of Dressing on the Side Salad
To learn more about training with me visit
http://www.SBLifestyleFitness.com
Change your body. Change your life.