How Much Protein and Carbs Per Day?

Many of you have been asking me how much protein and carbs should you have stay healthy, maintain weight, and lose weight. Let me start be saying I am not a nutritionist so I can not give you a number of what you should and should not eat. Now, I will be getting certified, but until then I can only give you my opinion and you decide what you want to do.

The meal plans I have given you are not based on numbers. They have been tried and work if you really want to lose weight. My friends at CATZ and I put the first meal plan together and it has worked for me and many others. The second meal plan is a plan I put together to help maintain the weight. IF you NEED to lose the weight, you will lose weight if you do the second meal plan, just a little slower than the first. Also remember whatever meal plan you choose it has to fit into your lifestyle to work for you!

If you follow the rules and journal EVERYTHING you will lose weight and or tone up!

For some of you that are already at an ideal weight for your body type stop focusing on the scale. Focus on how you feel, how you look in your clothes, how you sleep at night, how strong you feel in and outside of class, and think about your body getting healthy and tone!

Anyway, if you need some numbers...

PROTEIN

1) Intake should be around 15-35 grams per meal and/or snack depending on your body weight.

2) Drink 20-25 grams of whey protein immediately after working out. Follow that up with a small piece of fruit or another small amount of carbohydrates. Doing this will help jump start your recovery and keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders for faster fat loss results.

3) Make your last meal high in protein and lower in carbohydrates. Try to get your starchy carbs earlier in the day (brown rice, Dream Fields pasta,oatmeal, etc) and rely on fibrous based vegetables in the evening.Things like salads, broccoli, asparagus,cauliflower, green veggies of all sorts, etc.Limiting your carbohydrate sources late in the day will keep your blood sugar levels stable.In turn, you'll be less likely to store those calories by keeping your insulin levels at bay.

4) Stay away from higher saturated fat sources of protein and eat sources like lean red meats, eggs, fish, turkey breast, chicken breast, jerky, almonds, low fat cottage cheese and protein powders. Getting a lean source of protein at each meal and snack will keep insulin levels lower (think fat storage hormone) and keep that metabolic fire burning quickly.

CARBS per day:

**below information is from about.com-nutrition

If you ARE trying to lose weight, 20 - 60 grams are recommended depending on your level of activity.

If you are NOT trying to lose weight, 180 - 230 grams are sometimes recommended. However, for health there is no minimum daily requirement of carbohydrate.

There isn't a raw number of carbohydrates to intake because the amount of exercise a person does depends essentially how much aerobic activity is done. For athletes and very active people, the most important carbohydrate is the complex ones (glycogen) such as oats, fruits, vegetables... But you have to watch out, carbohydrates are easily over-consumed.

The important thing is what KIND of carbs.

If you are trying to lose weight then stay away from refined (processed) carbohydrates. Do not eat white bread, white pasta, white potatoes or white rice. These foods are VERY high glycemic and will spike your blood sugar which will make you hungry again much quicker.

Tip: Add fiber to your diet (which you will automatically do if you switch to whole grain carbs) and eat 5-6 small "meals" during the day instead of 3 big meals. You will never be hungry and will shed pounds like mad.

Lastly, remember to write it all down each day. If you're guessing, you're results will suffer..I promise. Hold yourself accountable and get a designated notebook to plan your daily meal schedule out. Jot down everything you eat with the times you’re eating it. This will give you a reference point. If you're not making progress, then you can see why and make adjustments. If you want to lose weight and stay healthy --Don't blow this off...

I really hope this has helped! Let us know if you have any more questions! Have a GREAT weekend!