#78 - Steptember Q&A 2.2 - Anabolic Window, Protein, Intermittent Fasting, Fiber, and More..

I was going to say call but replay 30 minute episode Part two of our second call . It was nutrition based , right ? So the first week we did movement . Second call was a Q&A about all things nutrition and we had a whole bunch of different topics and you hopefully already checked out last week , right ?

Anyway , we will be back again next Thursday with our third and last step-timer call . We'll see . It's likely gonna be again broken up into two , but either way , I like the bonus episodes anyway , you know . So let's get into it and then I'll talk to you soon .

Margaret says if you consume too much in quotes protein for your body to use at one time , what happens to the extra protein ? I've heard conflicting things about it . I don't like to speak in absolutes , but we cannot really eat too much protein . Our body can store fat as body fat .

The body can also store carbohydrate as glycogen , which is basically the storage version of carbs in either your liver or in your muscle tissue . So basically

, your muscles are like your fuel tank . The more muscle you have , the more carbohydrate , right Sugar , we can store , and the brain actually uses sugar as well . We need that . That's our fuel . Right Now , protein doesn't really get stored . Like we don't have a storage place for protein .

Instead , your body is always using protein , breaking it up , breaking it down , right For muscle , et cetera , and it's really that balance of like building up proteins and breaking them down and that even also plays into like muscle gain and stuff and muscle maintenance .

Now there have been protein overfeeding studies where they fed people up to like I think it was four times their body weight in grams , so I'm speaking like four grams per kilo of body weight .

So that would be for some people , like 350 , 400 , you know grams of protein , which is crazy , by the way , and I'm not saying like no one on this call needs to be eating that much protein like no means right .

But just to show you , these were protein overfeeding studies where these people were in a category surplus and they did not gain body fat , which is crazy . Like it's kind of weird to think about it . But they did not gain body fat , they just got very hot . That was like one common like feedback of the participants , like they got super warm .

Well , what happens ? Right , food is thermogenic , meaning like we burn calories . Right , we talked about the thermic effect . Protein 20 to 30% gets burned off already through digestion . Likely has to do with that .

Right , people got very hot because they're eating so much protein that I have to kind of like burn it off , or at least the digestion is burning the extra calories right Now , not all of it . It's not that you're burning all of them , just speaking of kind of like the digestive process , where does your protein ? Kind of like you know , like what does it do ?

It kind of just hangs around for like a , for better term , like it gets broken down into amino acids and then your body is just gonna use it . This even plays into the age old myth of you cannot eat more than 30 grams of protein per meal . Like no , you can't absolutely , cause there's these claims that you cannot digest it , but you can absolutely do that .

So you're gonna have 60 , 80 , 100 grams of protein in one meal and you're gonna break it down , you're gonna digest that and absorb it . However , I will say this if we're looking at what's optimal from a muscle protein synthesis AKA like muscle building , right Standpoint is probably best to just have your protein spread evenly across the day .

So if your protein target is 160 grams and you have four meals , it's four meals , 40 grams of protein . Well , there you go . But yeah , we don't have to worry about having too much , and I also know Margaret's macros currently and you're not having too much , so it's okay .

So , and if anything last point here I always tell people , like , if you overshoot any macros , like let it be protein , like that's the one that really doesn't hurt , you know . Next question so Tony says when we're working to build muscle , what's the optimal window of time after working out to consume your post-workout protein ?

Really good question , love that you brought this up . He said also and does the type of protein matter ? To your last point of the question no , not , really Doesn't really matter . Have whatever you like . What I will say , though it's likely nice to have a meal after your workout . That's a little bit easier to digest .

I always tell people like , hey , the 80 , 20 , the 20% , like post-workout is a really good

window for that Type of protein does matter . What you could do if you want to get nitpicky , you could keep fiber and fats low because it's going to slow down digestion and we actually want to absorb that stuff . So when I have protein and carbohydrates it's your main , like , your priority there .

And the optimal window Also comes from a myth right where you had the anabolic window where you have to eat right away or get a shake like right away after your workout . You're good . Anywhere within two hours you're fine , even like up to three and slightly less optimal . But I mean to be honest with you as long as you eat at some point , you're good .

But let's say two hours , like within two hours . If you want to , you know , optimize stuff . There you go . Prioritize carbs and protein A little bit , lower fat and lower carbs . Sorry , lower fat and lower fiber , higher carbs , like I said , because fiber and fats slow down digestion . Hilda says I like intermittent fasting .

Can it be combined with building more muscle ? It's not great , it's a big , it depends one . It can be a tool when people are dealing with specific conditions that digestive issues . It's okay , it's not bad and there's definitely a time and place for it . However , if we think right , does it make sense to be fasting if we want to build muscle ?

Like , actually no .

My question is always to people like hey , why do we want to fast , since you're a female ? Here's the thing Intermittent fasting actually can be a very , very big stressor to the body , even more so for women . This is not me generalizing whatever like that's actual research to point that out , right .

But generally speaking , it's not a great idea For a lot of people , a lot , a lot of people . Now for muscle gain , well , if we think , okay , what's anabolic , right , what's basically supports , you know , building up tissue , building muscle , that will be eating , right , eating .

We're giving the body the fuel that , the raw materials that it needs to actually build the muscle . And I think that's a little bit more catabolic where it's more related to kind of like breaking it down , right . So , logically speaking , actually no , it doesn't add up . Is it bad per se ?

No , but I would love to continue the conversation as to why we are currently intermittent fasting , because I've seen with most people who are doing it on their own and it's not supervised and it's not done for the right reasons , it usually backfires and it just kind of makes things worse than anything .

But again , there's there's a lot of questions to this , and we will follow up about this Because there's no general answer there . Generally speaking , though , intermittent fasting is not great for muscle gain Not saying that you can't combine it , though . Just want to have some more context . And what do you think of one vegetarian diet a week ?

Health benefits no , it's cool , it's great . Has a variety . It's not healthier in any way . Right , that's , that's the marketing shit these days . This is coming by the way , guys like this is coming from someone who was plan based for very long time , right me .

So with those camps , right , with those camps , it's very or any diet camp for that matter it's very , very bias ,

and they literally they cherry pick whatever research they can find that might support their right point of view . We see this in documentaries , we see this in so many things , and it's is legit . Like lying about shit to convince people . Right , like , I'm not against it by any means .

I think it's a great thing to do , and I think what matters most is why people do it . If people do it for the environment , well , let's not get into that discussion like that's also actually bullshit . But , okay , that's fair . Okay , if that's your reasoning , great , go for it . If your reasoning is for the animals , great , awesome , totally great .

Nothing wrong with that . I fully support you , and I know that she's not a vegetarian . But just speaking generally here , right , I have had many vegetarian , vegan clients and we get still great results . It's just a conversation that we need to have . Is it objectively healthier ? No , it is not .

I know some vegans who have the worst ever diet possible because , hey , coca Cola and Oreos are also being right . I know a lot of those . Here's the thing , guys , is not healthier per se .

This kind of goes back to certain diet camps , really kind of like pushing their diet and then kind of like getting on a high horse and like acting like they're their diet superior . It's the same with the keto shit . It's the same with the fucking carnivore stuff . It's like all of those extreme camps is with , hey , intermittent fasting .

There's a lot of people there , also in that crowd , right that say that is like the next best thing . It's not really any benefits for muscle gain or fat loss there either . Right , as and this is , guys , like with anything nutrition . The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle , not even the middle , like . It's probably like that 8020 , right ?

Let's think about this . Okay , can we look at different diets and take different things from it and guess what ?

Because we like , we can look at like one study here , one study there , but if we look at everything , all of the research is very clear that a diet that includes meat and fish and fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds and those kind of things is likely best , and then mostly minimally processed , right , and then have to be on either end of the extreme .

Is there a time and place for certain ? You know diets as tools . Yes , keto , for example , was created for patients with seizures , for example , and I think the 80s or 70s . And I see that Danny actually raises hands . So let me know what's up . Danny , I'll unmute you first one sec . Are you on mute ?

We just need to understand , hey , how does the body work , like , how can we include different foods , and then we can still be totally fine I think I forgot what it's called just like a certain scale where basically eggs are like 100 and then things kind of like a protein quality scale , basically , and then they had egg whites as 100 or eggs , and then dairy

actually ended up to be even better and then the rest of behind that . I'll look that up if I can see you can find that , and then we'll post it in the group . That's a great point . So next question I'll try to run down this list because we sort of a bunch . I'll do my best to finish this in 10 minutes . So so long story short girl , go for it .

Totally great to have vegetarian , you know , day once a week , totally fine . It's not healthier per se , though . Annalisa says , if you should rate carbs , fats and protein in , which is the most and least important to reach in one day , how would this look like , and why protein . Number one . Protein is involved in uncountable process in the body .

It's what builds us . It's what is going to help you build a muscle , maintain your muscle . It keeps you full , which is just kind of like a bonus , right , but protein is the number one . It's that's . That's the number one by far , far more important than the rest . It's essential , meaning that we need it to survive . For

that reason , I'm going to put fats at number two , because fats are essential . However , the amount of fats that you need , right for it to be like essential , like to survive , basically is is really fucking simple . It's like we're smaller females , maybe like 40 , 40 grams , for most men , at least 50 to 60, .

50 to 60 , maybe sometimes we can go a little bit lower , really , kind of depending on where we're at in the fat loss phase . But generally speaking , fats . A second and that's going to be your secondary fuel source is going to cover your hormones . It's super important . Cholesterol , for example .

It's the building block for your sex hormones or your steroid hormones . What was the next one ? Carbohydrate , or something we see . So fats are also important for nervous system and more that's . That's a big one for health . And then we have carbohydrate is your primary primary fuel source .

However , here's the thing it is not essential and this is like a big right reason , right ? The keto crowd is like you know , you don't need carbs . Like the fact that we can survive without carbohydrate doesn't mean it's not important .

It means that our body is really fucking good at surviving and it can switch onto a backup system , which is ketones Now also overhyped , but anyway . So it would be protein , it would be fats and then carbs .

However , for most people , most of my clients , I'm almost gonna say in their case carbs a second , because we typically go with a higher carb approach better performance , better muscle gain , better results in the fat loss phase , generally speaking , and that's not for fat loss , but it's for the muscle maintenance and the fact that we can include more filling foods

Really good question , by the way . And the fat carb ratio is going to depend on how active someone is . So , for example , on Elisa she's very , very active , a lot of steps , a lot of workouts . Okay , carbs are gonna be super key for her .

Someone who doesn't really work out as much might just be totally great with almost like a moderate carb to fat ratio , where it's almost identical in terms of the amount of calories . So also , they're personalized , right .

That is says , after some heavy cardio exercises like running , my body seems to scream for extra intake or for whatever food I can get my hands on . Since I've had a gastric bypass back in 2019 , I can't take in too much food in one setting , which is a good thing , but still , especially in the evening , it's hard to deal with it .

Do I listen to my body and give it the extra nutrients it asks for , or do I ignore it ? What's a hard one to say ?

I also , so I don't have any experience with clients with a gastric bypass for transparency , so what I'm thinking here will be making sure that before you go on that run , you wanna have a good amount of fuel in first of all before anything . Right , I think that would be a big one .

I think , if you can also remembering that your stomach is smaller , I would think okay , it's a big run , right ? You're right , sometimes after cardio , right , we do get extra hungry . It's almost like the body wants to be like . You know , let's overcompensate almost . It's obviously a sign that it needs right Energy .

It's hard to say if I don't necessarily know what the rest of the day looks like like if we have like a food log that we can look at or those kinds of things .

With these kinds of things I'm always like I'm curious what the rest of the day looks like , seeing if we can have like a good pre-workout meal , maybe like two hours before the actual run , maybe have a little extra fuel , like almost like right before , maybe 30 minutes , something very light , and then even during you could have something like those you know , the

sports drinks or something like that , to almost like avoid that from happening , not completely , but getting the extra fuel . And then I do think if it's a long run , like it's good to still get a good amount in , it's going to be more difficult .

So , maybe having something that's a little bit more less or a little bit less filling maybe Again , it's a tricky one . I do think that is going to be a good idea to , after a long run , like make sure that you get enough calories in and , if anything , maybe that's a good tip .

I would mostly then look at the calories and try to figure that out , making sure that we get enough in there . But we can talk more about this if you want to follow up . Islam says is it true that low-processed foods can be better for your gut health . So you know , minimally processed foods , I guess .

Right now I eat so much light , low-fat , zero food products . I'm starting to think this can be the cause of my bloating . I want to eat minimally processed foods , but I also want to keep my calories low , so I'm a bit confused . I'm actually confused by this question too , because minimally processed foods are typically lower in calories , maybe .

So the zero food products , right , if that means that it's a lot of

artificial sweeteners ? I have seen a lot of artificial sweetness cause digestive issues with people . I don't think it's going to be the lower fat options per se . So here's my checklist for you for bloating Always start with fiber and hydration . Those are the biggest ones . Start there .

Are you getting just about 14 grams of fiber per thousand calories that you are taking in Consistently ? Right ? Start there . And then hydration do you drink ? I mean basically when you're thirsty , but for you it's likely going to be two liters a day , maybe , right , start there . Next step sleep and stress Two really big ones that can cause bloat as well .

And then maybe even things like hormone or birth control or other medications Like , generally speaking , if you want to keep your calories lower and you're having low , minimally processed foods . That should improve it . However , if fiber is maybe too low or too high , it could cause issues .

If we're not drinking enough water , if we are very stressed , it could be a big one . If sleep is not in a great spot . I would start there and if you have further questions , feel free to DM me . Of course , you've been a client as well , right , so I'm happy to help . Kim says . My question is regarding fiber .

Am I sorry I'm having a hard time reaching that goal ? Would supplements help , or should I just try harder and reach my goal through food ? So yeah , kim , we just started , basically two weeks ago with Kim , but I will say is let's continue to try first . I actually never have anyone take a fiber supplement .

The guidelines I gave earlier the one to three servings of fruits , two to four for your veggies , minimally processed foods , right , whole grains , whole grain products

, those type of things Maybe having something like raspberries very high in fiber , chia seeds , flax seeds , super high in fiber Having those foods and looking at real food first is always gonna be best . That is it for fiber , like we're gonna be working on this , but start there , nick says .

As for my weekly question , basically moved all my intake of water to bottled sparkling water one and a half to three liters a day . Does the carbon dioxide in the bottles have any effect , either good or bad , on the body , or is it just the same as regular water , mostly the same ?

However , carbonated drinks can actually help you in a fat loss phase because it's almost a little bit more filling . So I do like that and , yeah , it's totally great . If you like that , awesome , go for it . I've seen that really work well for people in a fat loss phase and , that being said , maybe unrelated , but

diet sodas guys , great tool to have something sweet in your cut . It's totally great , right ? The carbonation is actually something that's gonna fill you up more . All right . Marla says so I have developed a serious love for our air fryer . Yes , 100% , I'm with you there . However , I find it hard to eat the homemade french fries without ketchup .

Do you have any better options to accompany those precious potato sticks ? I have to fucking catch up , that's my answer . Maybe it depends on how much what you could do , by the way , because we have one here . There's like a lower sugar option .

There's one that has like let me say this right , I think there's one that's like a natural or whatever , which is really boring . It kind of sucks . And then there's one which has no sugar . Maybe it's like artificial sweetener , I don't know , but like there is kind of like a lower calorie version . It's actually really good .

So if you're looking for something like that , honestly I would go with that one . But hey , you know , like I would just have to catch up . Like it's fine . You know what I mean . It's actually cool . Here's the thing too , because you're using the air fryer , you're already like saving .

You know you're not spending a lot of kind of calories right On fats and those kinds of things . So you're already having like a better option there , which I love . And if you like ketchup , to be honest with you .

Like have some right 80 , 20 , like it's not like we have a leader of ketchup or at least I hope so , you know but like that's something you can actually include in meat dog . Fine , carrie says , all right , odd nutrition question . And we're actually , we're getting there , so we have a few more guys and then we're good . All right , odd nutrition question .

But I know you just went through this . Covid is on the rise again . Yeah , I was down for like two and a half weeks , right Fever , like my throat is still a little bit of a mess . But when down and out , what do you ? What did you do or recommend for your nutrition intake ? Did you stay moving or rest ?

I kept moving by walking , just low intensity stuff . That's a given . I want to keep moving . By the way , I'm also someone who , when I'm sick , like

other than maybe one day a year , like I tend to not care and I'll just move on . But I'll still go on my walks . And here's one thing that I did because I was at that moment I was in a mini cut . I was in a fat loss phase , which was supposed to be six weeks . I stopped after three weeks I got sick and right away .

I went out of the category deficit two maintenance boom 600 categories extra . My weight , by the way , guys , was the exact same on average , so you're fine . But we need to make sure that we get enough energy , because the immune system is already being taxed . So we need to get enough calories in . We need to get our sorry macronutrients in , our micronutrients .

Lots of water , rests , but like hydrate , rest and sleep well , and that's really what you want to do . It's very common for people and this is a chat I have , I mean , recently it's been weekly , but it's very easy for us to be like oh , I'm sick , right , I don't have appetite , those kind of things . Okay , well , what happens ?

People tend to either just eat crappy food or barely at all . But think about it like your body's already struggling . Give it like the stuff that it needs . You know what I mean .

So I would double down on nutritious foods , healthy foods , and if you don't have that much of an appetite , at least eat good , like healthy , minimally processed foods , for the most part , when you do drink lots of water . Rest .

Linda says how does stress impact our dietary habits and what are some nutrient-rich foods that can help mitigate the effects of stress on our bodies ? Really good question . So , first of all , how does stress impact our dietary habits ? It depends . Some people get cravings and they eat their feelings away .

So a lot of people tend to overeat when they're stressed , and then there's a lot of people who tend to under eat and just keep eating altogether . So it's a big it depends . It's a very personal one , so it could go

either way . It could go either way . Stress does really impact digestion , though . That's a big one . So if we're continuously stressed it's gonna play into impact there . It's not gonna be great . Then what are some nutrient-rich foods that can help ?

I mean , generally speaking , eating that mostly minimally processed diet right will lower inflammation , like that's one way , is not necessarily directly related to stress , but that's a big one . And here's the thing , another reason why I like to push for the meant to higher carbohydrate diet .

When you eat carbohydrate , you spike insulin , which is always like this demonized thing , but it's normal . It's a normal response If you're not diabetic , you're good Now , because insulin basically blunts cortisol . It's almost like an off switch , like a valve right . It's like an off switch for cortisol , which is that stress hormone .

So it can actually help you manage stress in a way it's not gonna do , like it's all for you , like you still wanna like actively manage stress , those kinds of things . But when you eat carbohydrate you can spike insulin which can drop cortisol . That is maybe one tool in the toolkits . Turet says how does age affect a good diet and exercise ?

It's becoming with the years . It becomes more important to stay active . Muscle building gets more difficult . The body is gonna need more protein to do the same amount of work .

So , eating enough protein , moving , getting to the gym , lifting weights and building muscle , those are the biggest long-term investments we can make for our own health , which , right Like I said , like it becomes more difficult but also more important . You always hear ,

hey , it's our age that slows metabolism , but that's not the case . Between the ages of 20 to 60 , it actually remains stable when corrected for fat mass , lean mass , et cetera . What it is is people stop moving , people stop lifting weights , so they're losing muscle and they also don't eat enough protein .

So , long story short , we're gonna eat high protein diets and it becomes more important with the years . We're gonna keep lifting weights because building muscle is super important for our health . Plus , it becomes more difficult to build and maintain . So we're gonna really have to make those investments in ourselves and we have to keep moving .

Last two questions , guys , thanks for sticking with me for so long . Sabrina says with not so much time to eat , is it okay to make a smoothie out of the usual breakfast and have it on the road ? Yes , absolutely . She says is there a difference between fruit , oats , et cetera , as it is or in liquid form ?

And the only change there is that you've basically pre-processed the food , kind of like , before going into your stomach . So , if anything , it's maybe gonna be a little bit less filling , but no , I think that's a very , very good option . And then our last question for today Leswell

, at least Ibn , says when struggling with sleep and night shifts , is there any food you would recommend not eating besides the obvious sugar , caffeine ? I'm thinking long term . We did a full , we did a full podcast , actually two episodes related to shift work , caffeine , those kind of things .

One was a little bit more like testosterone , deep dive , but like both are related . When you do night shifts , it's a like having Danny's not going to like this one

, but like , like working night shifts . It is one of the biggest forms of stress right we can actually put on our bodies . It's like having that disrupted circadian rhythm . It's a big one . It's not good for us . However , here's the thing there's people who need to do important work , like Danny , for example , is currently at his work .

Like , people need to do these jobs , obviously right , so we're not going to be like well , just quit your job , like no , that's bullshit . What we need to do when you have shift work is we need to put extra emphasis on those healthy foods . On our rest , maybe we want to include naps .

We want to do whatever it takes to at least optimize and play the cards that were dealt . That makes sense . Is there any foods that I would not recommend eating ? No , but there are foods that I would recommend eating , and that's your whole foods . Just have a healthy meal , something that's going to keep you full .

That includes your protein , carb , fat and color Caffeine hey , like it's cool to have . You probably need it , right , just don't overdo it , but have it . But don't go for the quick options . Make that extra effort of really getting those quality foods in , because the night shift by itself is already messing with your health .

So let's at least look at all the other things that we can do to optimize it right . That was our last question for today . Now a few people left us in the meantime , which is totally cool . Like I said , we definitely went over , but no worries , thank you guys . Thanks , danny , I'm Marla , I'm Marnia for sticking around . Have a great evening .

Thanks for hearing me ramble for more than an hour , but I will talk to you guys very soon . Have a great rest of your week and then we will catch up again next week .