Changing your diet can be tough, especially when it comes to figuring out what foods you should eat. Most of us are used to eating whatever we want in our diets, so switching up the food items is more difficult for muscle gain. If you’re looking to add some extra weight to your muscles, however, then there is an easy solution!

Most people are not using all eight of their digestive organs during digestion, so by limiting how much starch, protein, or fat you consume, your body will have to work less to break them down. This creates an easier way to add size to your muscles.

This article will go into detail about which macronutrients matter most when it comes to growing and retaining muscle mass, and tips to help you begin incorporating changes into your current nutrition plan.

Disclaimer

The content in this article should not be taken as medical advice, nor does it represent the opinion of Team Undeniable. Since every individual is unique, only perform these exercises under close personal supervision from a professional trainer or doctor.

Like anything related to fitness, make sure to do your research and consult with professionals before changing your nutritional habits. Only use these recommendations as a starting point, and continue seeking input from health experts until you find one that works for you.

Medical disclaimer: The contents of this website are intended for educational purposes only and cannot be considered complete medical information; rather they offer basics and insights into certain conditions.

Create a macronutrient breakdown

The next step in starting your keto diet is creating a nutritional break down of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. This is called a macro profile or food group. You will want to have enough coverage for all three but no more than two are needed as fundamentals.

You can use any source for this information, however most nutritionists agree that you should prioritize natural foods over processed foods. Nutritionists also recommend using the “A-List” standards to make sure none of the macros are exceeded. These include: 0–20% carbs, 20–40% fat, and 40% – 70% protein.

That means to start off the keto diet, people may suggest having 10–15 grams of net carbs per day (the total amount after subtracting fiber) which equals about one slice of bread, half a bagel, or one small potato. This is typically two days at first until you find your normal carbohydrate limit.

Start eating more vegetables

Starting is always the hardest part when changing your diet, but with veggies there are no hard and fast rules for how many you should eat!

There are just too many varieties of vegetable out there! From potatoes to carrots to green beans to tomatoes, they all taste great and pack in health benefits.

Many people start diets by adding one new type of food to their plate every day. If you’re hungry at lunch time, you can either go out or make something yourself that includes vegetables.

We recommend starting with half a cup (100 grams) of any kind of vegetable per serving as a first step. You can slowly work up from there depending on what your body needs.

For some, a light veggie breakfast may be enough, while others might need an extra meal or two later in the day. We’ve included some tips here for making it easier to begin incorporating veggies into your diet.

Start eating more whole grains

Starting with just one type of grain can help you get rid of your overweight quickly. Who wouldn’t want that? There are many different types of grains that are rich in nutrients, but they all have the same thing going for them: energy!

Grains like wheat or rice will give you about 4,000 calories per half-cup serving. This is why some weight loss programs suggest people start with the ketogenic diet, which has very limited carbs (think: no bread, pasta, or dessert).

This way you’ll be giving your body less glucose, which it then must process through metabolic pathways. The leftover carbon and fat molecules eventually make their way out via lipolysis — the breakdown of fats.

However, there are several problems with this approach. For one, the keto diet isn’t always easy to follow. Secondly, most people aren’t dependent on glucose for energy after age 30, so limiting carbohydrates doesn’t really help you.

That’s why we recommend starting off by adding one type of grain into your diet every week. You can even begin with white rice if you’d rather not deal with brown rice yet.

We’re talking about one cup here, folks! One cup of cooked rice gives you around 200–250 calories and almost twice as much protein as carbs. That means it takes up the space of three slices of toast or two bowls of cereal.

Use fat as a flavor enhancer

A growing number of health professionals suggest that instead of relying on carbohydrates for fuel, you can eat higher amounts of fats. This is called a ketogenic diet. While there are many types of diets that are considered “keto”, most people associate this term with what we call the keto diet.

Ketosis happens when your body doesn’t have enough glucose (a simple sugar) to keep functioning. When this happens, your liver turns to its next best option to produce energy: stored fat.

By eating a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, you can achieve ketosis. Then, depending on how much ketone fluid you have in your blood, people may be able to taste different flavors more clearly or even perceive some textures differently.

Some studies indicate that being in ketosis makes it easier to lose weight due to the lower levels of glucose and insulin in your blood. Although not all researchers agree, there’s no strong evidence that pointed to any special benefits to adding lipids to your diet during an overweight/obese state.

Disclaimer: The content in this article is general information only. It is not legal medical advice. Never stop seeking professional help because you read something here.

Use protein in dishes

One of the most common misconceptions about keto diets is that you cannot have meat or chicken. That’s not true! While it is better to eat your carbs during the eating period, it is okay to enjoy some meat once in a while.

Some people feel that eating meat every day is too expensive, but there are ways to use the nutritional value of meat as part of the diet. For example, try making grilled steak sandwiches, having broiled/broth-based meat with vegetables like broccoli or spinach, or cooking ground beef into pasta sauce — just make sure to watch calories!

Another way to include meat in the keto diet is to do so at lunch or dinner along with one of our choice recipes – try them and see what you like! We recommend doing this no more than twice a week to keep Ketosis balanced.

General tips: when baking or roasting foods, cook them to an appropriate temperature and avoid overcooked food because these can contribute empty carbohydrates to the meal which may cause problems later in the keto diet.

Use fruit in desserts

What are macronutrients?

Macronutrients are defined as large molecules that you can’t break down in your digestive system but instead, they are absorbed into your blood stream. These include carbohydrates, fat, and protein.

Carbohydrates are the most common nutrient found in foods and fuel our bodies with energy. Many people get too much of a carbohydrate intake which is why so many overweight individuals find it difficult to lose weight.

We usually start eating more carbs after we have depleted our supply from consuming other nutrients such as protein or fat. Consuming too many carbs can also cause symptoms like nausea, diarrhea, or fatigue.

Fortunately, there are ways to use fruits in recipes to reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed while still enjoying them. By changing the type of carb used, you can modify how much energy your body gets and therefore, whether you feel tired or not.

There are several types of berries that contain enough glucose for your body to process without causing any effects on hunger, sleep, or mood.

Know the different types of carbs

Many people get confused about what kind of carbohydrates are allowed in their diet, so let’s go over some definitions!

Carbohydrates can be categorized into two main groups: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are found alone (such as glucose or fructose) and these are often referred to as “quick carbs.” These are good things to have before or after exercise since they give you quick energy.

Complex carbohydrates contain more than one sugar molecule, such as those found in fruits and vegetables. The foods in this group are usually referred to as “nutrients” due to them helping to make other nutrients in your body. Some of the most common nutritional aids are iron, vitamin C, folate, and protein.

Nutritionists typically recommend eating a balanced number of both types of carbohydrate in your diet to help promote health. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to limit yourself to only one type of carb unless you really know how to bake! 😉

General guidelines: Aim for 10-15% of your daily calories from fat, 25–30% from protein, and around 65%–70% from carbs.

Eat more healthy sources of fat

Although it may sound impossible, trying to get rid of carbs is actually not the best way to achieve your weight loss goals. In fact, eating too many carbs can be a recipe for disaster!

By introducing small amounts of healthier fats into your diet, you will start feeling better and moving more easily. These healthier fats provide essential nutrients that help keep your heart and muscles functioning well.

They also aid in maintaining a normal blood glucose level. Having enough glucose in your body helps supply energy so if you are hungry, you will feel less tired and sleep better at night.

There are several types of fats that are important to include in your diet, but we will focus only on two here – saturated and unsaturated. We’ll talk about why they matter and which ones are okay to use while you are on a macronutrient diet.

Saturated fats

These are found in foods such as meat, butter, cheese, and coconut oil. Some people think that these fats make you gain weight, but this isn’t true. That’s because he…

A few grams (that’s one teaspoon) of most saturated fats doesn’t add to your waistline very much at all. However, repeated exposure to high levels of saturated fats does contribute to obesity. This happens when they increase your appetite or boost your metabolism just enough to prevent you from burning off excess calories via exercise.