Are you trying to restrict your caloric intake by eating less?
Are you trying to go to the gym more often and push harder through your workouts?
Do you feel like you aren't "toning" as much as you would like?
What if the answer to your problems was eating MORE and not starving yourself?
It's called staying in an anabolic state.
To understand this science we must first learn what both anabolic and catabolic states are, as well as how they differ. Here is a simple explanation of what your body does in each state:
Anabolic State: Your body is primarily using fats and carbs as an energy source. (THIS IS WHAT WE WANT!)
Catabolic State: Your body is primarily using lean mass tissue/your muscle mass as an energy source. (THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO AVOID!)
When people say they want to get "toned" or "ripped" what they have to realize is that what they are really trying to do is gain lean muscle mass, while losing fat. What does that mean? You cannot obtain that particular physique you are looking for without some type of weight training. Cardio alone will not get you there. Most people who do not incorporate some type of weight training in their workout routines do not lift weights because they don't want to get "too bulky". What really happens is that when you lift weights you are building lean body mass aka muscle. The more lean mass you have, the higher the metabolic output your body can produce, which mean the more calories you will burn.
The key to optimizing your results in the gym has everything to do with your diet and staying in an anabolic state. How do you do that? It all comes down to your protein intake. Taking in a sufficient amount of protein every day will help you remain in an anabolic state and avoid going catabolic.
It is preferred you get as much of you daily protein intake in from whole food meals, however if you do not have time for a meal a blended protein shake could be used as an alternative.
We will provide a general example of a typical daily schedule you can use as a guideline to help you understand the concept of being in an anabolic state.
6am: Wake up
9am: Start of the work day
12pm: Lunch break
5:30pm: Workout
7pm: Dinner
10pm: Bed time
6am: So you wake up and it is the start of your new diet. You want to eat less in order to lose weight and get in shape. You skip breakfast and decide to eat a banana on the way to work. Most would agree this was a healthy choice, but in reality it means you are already starting the day in a catabolic state.
9am: You arrive at work and start to feel hungry. You do not want to eat until your lunch break at 12pm, so you decide to just drink water to make you feel full until then.
12pm: You made it to lunch! Finally time to eat and you have an ideal healthy lunch. Lets say a grilled chicken salad with some vegetables and olive oil as dressing. This healthy whole food meal gets you into that anabolic state.
The body burns about 10 grams of protein an hour. So by 3/3:30pm you start to get in that catabolic state again. You start to get hungry but you know you're going to the gym at 5:30 so you do not want to eat before you workout. You want to get the most out of our workout because you know that is when you'll burn the most fat.
5:30pm: You get to the gym and start your workout. You are already in a catabolic state. You're body needs more fuel than usual so it puts you into an even deeper catabolic state.
6:30pm: You just crushed your workout. You drink your post workout shake on your way home from the gym.
Typically a post workout protein shake is fast assimilating and your body will fully digest it within 30 minutes.
7pm: It's dinner time. You have a healthy meal already prepped for you at home. Chicken breast, some greens and some rice. You enjoy the meal and only have to make it without eating until 10pm when you go to sleep.
10pm: Bedtime. Your body is already slowly going into a catabolic state and will remain in a catabolic state for 8 hours.
As you can see from the chart, majority of your day is spent in a catabolic state. That means throughout the entire day your body was burning off your lean muscle mass for energy as opposed to carbs and fats! No wonder why you feel like you aren't making the progress you should be!
Now lets fix the scenario to a day mostly in an anabolic state, using the same daily schedule.
6am: You wake up and decide to have a nice balanced meal for breakfast. You have 2 whole eggs and 4 egg whites, a cup of spinach and an apple. This is a great way to get in an anabolic state and start off your day burning carbs and fats for energy!
9am: You arrive to work and you are starting to get hungry again. You packed a protein shake in your lunch bag because you do not have a busy day and will not be able to eat when you get to work. The protein shake has between 25-32 grams of protein. You are still staying anabolic!
12:30pm: Lunch time. You make the same healthy choice for lunch as the other day, the grilled chicken salad with veggies and olive oil dressing. Again, you are staying in that anabolic state because you are having enough protein!
3:30pm: You learned how waiting to eat until after your workout will not provide you the optimum results. You packed a healthy snack of some turkey roll ups, as well as a rice cake with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a banana. This is a great way to both get the protein needed to stay anabolic, as well as get some pre workout carbohydrates in that your body can use for energy.
5:30pm: You get to the gym. You have more energy for taking in adequate amounts of macro nutrients throughout the day. This allows you to push harder and get the most out of your workout. You are also burning carbs and fats for energy since you are in an anabolic state.
6:30pm: You finish your workout and have the same post workout shake as the other day.
7pm Dinner time. Again you have a nice healthy meal prep for dinner.
10pm: Bedtime. For years it has been said to not eat right before bed. Some people do not like the feeling of eating right before bed. If you can eat right before bed or would like to, make sure it is a small meal or snack that is high in protein. Finding healthy snack recipes online is a great way to also help with cravings if that is something you struggle with. Again this last bedtime meal/snack is optional. If you do not eat before bed you shouldn't worry. You've spent most of your day in an anabolic state, and you will go into a catabolic state during sleep at some point anyway (assuming you sleep at least 6 hours a night).
As you can see from this chart you've spend majority of the day in an anabolic state. This means you have been burning carbs and fats for energy throughout the day which is aiding in your progress! Again, these charts are just examples you can use as guidelines to your diet. Meals do not have to be eaten every 3 hours counting down to the second. It is a general statement saying you should have a small wholefood meal ABOUT every 3 hours or so. A good guideline for an average meal would be a palm size portion of protein, a fist size portion of vegetables and a fist size portion of carbs.
