Cuttin' Carbs🥖

Hey! This is the Malaika Fitness newsletter- The newsletter that turns health and fitness into a fun, easy-to-read email for you each week.

Take five minutes to learn why health and fitness should matter to you.

Here's what we got for you:

• Cuttin' Carbs🥐

• Meal Timing

• Hot Links

• Mfit memes

Cuttin' Carbs🥖

If you're on a weight loss journey, I'm sure you've either heard, tried, or have been told to go "low [or zero] carb"... Keto might be another one. Some believe your body just doesn't like carbs and that, by removing them, you'll automatically lose all that weight you've been trying to shed. Are carbs really just that bad for you? Are carbs the reason you've gained weight? I'll tell you what's actually up.

CARBS ARE NOT THE ENEMY.

With the typical food we see in the states today, you'll notice a variety (*surplus* actually) of processed foods. These processed foods are natural materials that are prepared and prepared in a way that adds a TON of junk your body really doesn't need. These foods can be super high in calories and are not satiating. This means, naturally, you're going to eat more. I'll give you an example- a sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle from McDanks (McDonald's) is 520 calories. FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY CALORIES, 29g of fat, 45g of carbs, and 20g of protein... For one little sammy?? I don't know about you, but one of those little sandwiches will absolutely not keep me full for more than an hour. So one may decide to grab two because they know that they want to be full until lunch... 1,040 calories, 58g of fat, and 90g of carbohydrates just got thrown out the window. We want and need those 1,040 calories, but by consuming these high carb/high fat foods that are low in nutrients, we're not giving our bodies the actual stuff it needs to perform optimally. If you made the same sandwich at home, you'd be looking at 335 calories, 28g protein, 28g carbs and 11g of fat. Thats a freakin bomb lineup. WAY better than 90 grams of carbs.

It's easy to go about your day and grab these convenient foods that are available to you nearly 24/7. This is why it's not unusual to close out your day and have consumed an absurd amount of carbs and calories that you really don't need. Instead of feeling like you have to eliminate them from your diet in order to reach your goals, try paying attention to the actual amount you're taking in on the daily.

Do not fear carbohydrates. Everyone is different and will respond differently to carbs. Learn how your body responds to them and take notice of the foods you choose consume. Use them as a tool to sculpt your physique, smash your goals, and fuel that big, brilliant brain of yours🤓

How to time your meals

🏋🏻‍♀️For today, we're specifically going to talk about meal timing when it comes to your workout :)

Right off the bat I will tell you, meal timing literally doesn't matter if you're not taking the time to ensure you're eating real food and checking all of your other recovery boxes (solid sleep, adequate water intake, minimizing stress, etc). That being said, meal timing in terms of what is ideal can also vary person to person so take the time to experiment and figure out what really works best for you.

Protein: For your pre-workout meal, you're for sure going to need to have a solid protein source. Protein helps muscle recover from the stress and damage you cause in the gym. Ensuring you have some on board will help your body recover faster 🚀 Shoot for 40-60g (male) or 20-30g (female).

Carbohydrates: Carbs are your body's source of preferred energy and they're readily available for utilization during your workouts. These are important to consume prior to training as well as afterwards! You deplete stores of glycogen (this is just stored carbs) while you work those big muscles💪🏻. Consuming carbs before and after your lift can help to keep those stores full and replenish them when you are done. A good starting point for carbs with your pre-workout meal would be around 20% of your total daily intake. Like I mentioned above, use this as a starting point and see how you feel.

Fat: While fat is essential, it's not AS essential for this meal. Fat can help slow the digestion of carbs which can be very useful, for example, when you're eating breakfast for the day and you want your food to keep you nice and full until your next meal. When we're talking about pre-workout, however, we want to consume minimal fat so the carbs that we consume are able to be faster digested and actually used! You don't need to completely avoid fat here, but try and minimize the intake. Another great opportunity to try some different foods/amounts of fat to determine what fuels you best.

Now with the timing, a good range would be to consume this meal anywhere from 1-3 hours before you train. I personally shoot for about 2 hours- it gives my body a chance to digest and I don't feel like I'm all over the gym with a full tummy 🤢.

Below, I've put together a few example meals for you to check out.

• Low or non-fat greek yogurt with fruit 🍍

• White rice with a lean protein (chicken or turkey breast)

• Omelet with some sweet potato hash 🤤

Hot Links

✅Pass on Keto?: Here is a randomized control trial checking out the benefits of keto/low-carb diets vs non-ketogenic/low carb diets. The verdict? There's no difference🤯

✅Calculating your macros🍴: Check out this calculator! This website can help you determine a good starting point for where your protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake should be based on your current height, weight, and level of daily activity.

✅Breakfast Sandwich: Here is an awesome recipe to prep some breakfast sammiches that will keep you fueled up and ready to crush your day... They have 28g of protein each 👏🏻

✅Sugar intake and cardiovascular disease- the link: This systematic review determines the threshold of where sugar becomes dangerous. The average adult in the United States consumes 1.9% more than that limit 👀

Mfit MEMESSS

Contrary to popular opinion, I 💜 leg day 🥹... Anyone else?

If you want more make sure to check us out on Insta!

Or take a look at our services (here) if you need help with anything fitness or nutrition related!