What’s the Skinny on Modulating Body Composition

Two clients, a mother and daughter, came to see me on how to adjust their body composition. One of them wanted to add a couple pounds while the other wanted to subtract a few pounds. Ironically I put them both on the same type of meal plan. You may be wondering, how can eating the same way draw opposite results?

Rather than use terms like “gain weight” or “lose weight,” I prefer the term “modulate,” which means to regulate or adjust to a normal level. I used the same dietary method for both of them in order to modulate their body composition.

Let’s look at our three macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Often the ratio of carbohydrate to protein to fat is skewed in the wrong direction. People consume much more carbohydrates than they do protein and (healthy) fat. To modulate body weight, we easily adjust these ratios. Let’s take a closer look at two ratios, one that is imbalanced and the other balanced.

First the imbalanced ratio, which I call the “standard American diet.” That reminds me of the food pyramid I learned in junior high in the early ‘90s (I’m showing my age). What has replaced the food pyramid over the years hasn’t got any better. The food pyramid ratio consisted of predominantly carbohydrates along with vegetables and fruits, nominal protein, and minimal fat. It’s no wonder over the decades that obesity continues to skyrocket, not to mention elevated blood sugar and blood pressure on the rise as well. It’s all relative.

Now let’s look at what a more properly balanced macronutrient ratio looks like. There are different schools of thought, however, there is a common denominator–low carbohydrate. Your daily caloric intake of carbs should be approximately 50 grams, mostly in the form of low-to-moderate glycemic vegetables and fruits. Then we fill in the other two macros, protein and fat, according to the individual since everyone is unique. Some tolerate fats more than others, some tolerate protein more than others. If you do not have a gallbladder, then you’ll want to do a higher ratio of protein than fat. If for some reason you don’t digest proteins well in the stomach, maybe due to acid reflux, then higher amounts of fats would be your better choice since they digest in the small intestines.

I don’t normally eat breakfast. I usually “break the fast” at lunch. Some time ago I had a hunkering for breakfast. I ate a meat lovers omelette with bacon, sausage, and ham. No carbs. Just pure protein and fat. Not only was it delicious, it satisfied me all day. I felt energetic and great!

A dilemma with eating carbohydrates–bread, pasta, and rice for instance–is these foods alone are not satisfying. They can give a false sense of fullness and they are not sustainable. When a person eats more carb-laden foods, they will be hungry more frequent leading to erratic eating habits that promote higher body composition (i.e. weight gain). In Italian, there’s a term, fugazi, meaning “fake.” Carbs are fake when making you feel full.

The term “diet” has been overused or improperly used. Adjusting body composition does not mean eat less. On the contrary. Sometimes I’ll tell folks to eat more, but it is what you eat that matters most. We shift the focus from a carb-rich meal plan to a protein-rich, or fat-rich diet depending on the individual. And we mix in some lower-carb fruits and vegetables along side.

We have been told that “fats make you fat” and that grains are “heart healthy.” Both of these statements are false. Eating animal fats, such as eggs, butter, and cheese are very healthy and satisfying. On the other hand, eating grains could lead to cardiovascular inflammation resulting in hyperlipidemia (i.e. high cholesterol). Oatmeal, for instance, commonly consumed at breakfast does contain fiber, it also has a very high carbohydrate rating, which means it’s time to swap out the oatmeal for that meat lovers omelette I mentioned earlier. Delicious!

Ultimately this is about a lifestyle change, whether it’s in regard to improve: body composition, blood sugar, blood pressure, energy, or stress management. It’s all relative. Eating low carb improves all of the above, and more! It’s time to flip the script. Flip those macronutrient ratios around. Focus on animal proteins (e.g. beef, pork, chicken, deli meats, etc.) and animal fats in whatever proportion you desire. Eat until you’re satisfied and do not eat again until you’re hungry. You will be amazed at how long you can go before eating again. In no time you will feel the difference by substituting the carbs for meats and fats.

by John Connor, CNC