#316: Q+A Best Macro Split for Weight Loss, Running Recovery, The Problem with Black/White or Good/Bad Food Choices, How I Read/Choose Books and Break Up Advice!

Today on the podcast:

Today’s podcast is a Solo Q+A answering questions sent in from the question box on my Instagram page.

Episode Outline

01:24 What have you found is the best macro split for weight loss?
11:11 Is it okay to run every day? What do you do to recover after a run?
17:36 What supplements are you taking at the minute?
23:10 The physical and mental benefits of hot and cold exposure
32:22 I heard that you need to eat carbs for a better night’s sleep? True?
36:56 Is it possible to replace fat with muscle?
41:03 How do I change my black/white thinking about good/bad food choices and “cheat meals”?
51:00 Keen to hear if/how you summarize the information you take in from books.
59:59 Recently broke up with my fiancée. Feeling a bit lost in life right now. Any tips to get through this? Note: This isn’t my area of expertise but I’ve added my thoughts on some things to consider if you find yourself in a similar situation.

If you think about a pyramid of prioritization when it comes to weight loss, caloric intake is the bottom of the pyramid, because for 99% of people, the name of the game is calories in versus calories out. Building upon that is your macro split, which will determine how you feel and, to an extent, how you look. Broadly, carbohydrates give you energy, protein repairs your muscles if you’re working out, and fat balances your hormone levels.
Tailor your caloric intake and macro split to your specific fitness goals, as well as to your particular lifestyle and to how your body and mind respond to different types of food. Just one example Brian gives is to avoid eating carbs at night if you’ve already hit your calorie limit for the day, but that you may do so if carbs happen to help you sleep better—just eat fewer calories the next day. High carb/low fat or low carb/high fat—pick the split that works for you.
To avoid disordered eating behaviors, discover your unsupportive beliefs about food. For instance, there is no such thing as “good” and “bad” foods; just foods with different calorie and nutrient values that you eat according to your health and fitness goals. For folks in the U.K., it will also help to dispense with the common “clear your plate” maxim that most people are taught as a child. Unlearn whatever you need to, and take emotion out of eating.

If you think about a pyramid of prioritization when it comes to weight loss, the bottom of that pyramid is your calorie intake. Building upon that is your macro split.
Your sleep hygiene starts when you wake up in the morning.
Food isn’t good or bad. Food has no morals. It was fine to separate food into “good” and “bad” categories when you were five years old. It’s not so helpful when you’re 25 or 35. It’s actually a very unsupportive belief system that probably won’t help you with whatever body composition goal you’re trying to achieve.
Black and white thinking isn’t very useful for nutrition. You need to think in the grey, because there is no black and white.
Everything heals with time. Never be afraid to turn the page in the story of your life and move on to the next chapter. This might be the end of one, but it doesn’t mean the book is finished. It just means that you’re on to the next chapter. Keep moving forward.