OBJECTIVE
EATING
STRAKERNUTRITIONCO
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CALORIES REIGN SUPREME
WHAT ARE MACRONUTRIENTS
PROTEIN
CARBOHYDRATES
FAT
DIET QUALITY
ME
My name is Aaron and I am a N.A.S.N. Licensed Primary
Sports Nutritionist. Eating large quantities of quality,
nutrient-dense, whole foods and lifting weights are some
of my favorite things to do. The grocery store and the
kitchen are some of my favorite places to be.
I hope one day all regular gym goers will have the body
that they work for, because they've realized how they
spend the other 23 hours of their day are equally as
important. I want all to understand that the answers
they seek aren’t found in more reps, more sets, program
hopping, fat burners, pump stacks, and other types of
supplements that provide marginal, if any, value.
I believe that education is ultimately the missing key for
achieving long term success with lifestyle nutrition. For
this very reason, education is the cornerstone from
which I build each and every implementation.
INTRODUCTION
STRAKERNUTRITIONCO
INTRODUCTION
First things first, I don't consider myself belonging to any
of the various "diet camps" out there such as keto, paleo,
carnivore, plant-based, etc. What you are about to read
will reflect that. I believe most have their place and can
be effective. However, I prefer to focus almost entirely
on objectivity and using the proper tool to fit the
demands of the job. A one size fits all approach to
nutrition doesn’t work for all, simply due to our individual
variability.
Factors such as age, gender, sex, genetics, family history,
previous dieting history, occupation, and activity level are
just a few of the variables that influence your energy
demands and the propensity for different types of foods
to be more or less beneficial given the specific context of
your physiology and your goals.
The bottom line is each of us differ in various ways and
individualized nutrition protocols should be just that,
individualized. What works best for me does not
necessarily mean it will work best for you. Be highly
skeptical of people that speak in absolutes and preach
that diet X is “best” or “optimal.”
There is an overwhelming emphasis on the intricacies of
how you should be exercising and training. Reps, sets,
modalities, intensities, and what's the best method for
cardio. Yet nutrition always takes a back seat. What I am
here to tell you is that when you prioritize
INTRODUCTION
your nutrition you won’t have to do traditional cardio at
all.
Downplaying the importance of your nutrition by lacking
an approach, structure, or understanding of nutrition’s
relevancy will certainly hold you back. Even with all of
your efforts in the gym. How you spend the other 23
hours in your day plays a massive role in your ability to
recover for subsequent training sessions, optimize
muscle protein synthesis, and ultimately how much you
weigh and the body you’re trying to build.
It’s time to shift your nutrition into the priority position
and experience first hand just how rewarding that
decision will be.
Maybe you’ve tried a few different diets and eventually
burnt out or have picked up on tips from various places
but haven’t been able to put the pieces of the puzzle
together. You’re here because you want more than what
your nutrition practice is producing.
Long-term success with your nutrition comes from being
confident in your food choices. In order to be confident
in your decisions you need a certain level of
understanding, and belief that what you’re doing will
provide the expected outcome.
After reading this short resource you will have a basic
INTRODUCTION
understanding that you will need in order to take control
of your nutrition and make predictable progress towards
your better body composition.
With this understanding you are able to easily see
through a lot of the sheer bullshit in the fitness and
nutrition space.
You will no longer succumb to emotionally driven
impulse supplement purchases promising to “torch body
fat” without any diet changes. (P.S. that simply does not
happen.)
Additionally, you
will be able to
identify why
hopping from diet
to diet hoping that
the grass will be
greener on the
other side is just
silly.
Let’s get started!
CALORIES REIGN SUPREME
STRAKERNUTRITIONCO
CALORIES REIGN SUPREME
Calories are king when it comes to your dietary intake.
Calorie intake is the single most important aspects when
trying to maintain or change body composition. You can’t
build muscle eating nothing but water and air!
In order to lose body fat, you must eat fewer calories
than your body needs to sustain itself for the demands
of life and training in the gym. If you eat more than your
body requires, you simply cannot lose fat. This is a
negative energy balance, where our body catabolizes
tissue to make up the difference in energy demands.
This is how fat loss occurs.
On the other side of the energy balance equation, in
order to gain muscle mass, you must eat more calories
CALORIES REIGN SUPREME
than your body requires at your current level of body
weight. If you want to put on lean muscle you must eat
enough calories to support the energy demands of the
adaptations that are necessary to do so. If you want to
build new muscle, you need to eat. This is a positive
energy balance, where our body creates new tissue from
the surplus of energy we are consuming. This is how
muscle and fat gain occurs. When done strategically, and
within limits and confines we are able to influence the
energy to be preferentially stored as mostly muscle.
There are certain populations of people who can indeed
build muscle while technically eating in a deficit.
However, this is typically reserved for very young,
untrained individuals, and those individuals who are
both untrained and overweight.
Calories are then broken down further into 4 main
classifications which we are known as Macronutrients.
The four classifications are Protein, Carbohydrate, Fat,
and Alcohol. However, we will focus primarily on the first
three. While technically a macronutrient alcohol doesn't
really provide any nutrients or nutritional benefit at all,
however it does contain significant calories that do
quickly accumulate. Limiting alcohol, and strategically
modifying your consumption to limit the amount of
calories you consume while drinking alcohol is beneficial
and recommended.
WHAT ARE MACRONUTRIENTS?
STRAKERNUTRITIONCO
WHAT ARE MACRONUTRIENTS?
Macronutrients, or more
33.3%
commonly referred to as “macros”
are classifications that the foods
we eat belong to. 99% of all foods
will fall into one macronutrient
classification of Protein,
Carbohydrate, or Fat. It is very
likely a food will consist of two, or
even all three macros in at least
some capacity. However every
single food can be classified as
one macro primarily.
PROTEIN
FAT
CARBOHYDRATE
33.3%
You can distribute these macronutrients in different
manners and percentages, and these distributions do in
fact actually matter. Particularly in what quantities and
how much of each type of macronutrient.
By changing the distribution of these macros in your diet
you can better position your body to look, function, and
perform how you would like. For example a significantly
higher percentage of dietary fat will influence your body
to preferentially using fat as a fuel source. Conversely,
eating a diet significantly higher in dietary carbohydrate
will result in higher percentages of carbohydrate used
for fueling energy production. While protein is not
primarily a fuel source like carbohydrate and fat it is still
an absolute necessity for our human physiology. In
almost all cases, a higher percentage of protein
distribution will positively impact body composition.
PROTEIN
STRAKERNUTRITIONCO
PROTEIN
Protein provides structure for your body’s tissues and
organs. Protein also builds and repairs your muscles and
other connective tissues. Proteins are comprised of
organic compounds called Amino Acids.
Your primary protein sources are most often going to be
animal based. There are plant based protein sources
available, but the majority of these are going to be
carbohydrate sources primarily, just with higher protein
than other typical carbohydrate sources.
Lean meat sources are going to provide you the most
grams of protein per weight. Chicken breast is one of the
most available high protein sources. For red meats and
steaks the leaner the cut the better for the most part.
Top Sirloin and Tenderloin are excellent choices for beef.
For ground meats the leaner you can find the better. For
beef or bison typically 90/10 or 95/5 is available. For
poultry like chicken or turkey you can typically find 99/1
extra lean ground meat.
PROTEIN
Primary protein source means that protein represents
the largest ratio of calories in a given food. A common
misconception about protein is that bacon and lower
fattier ground beef (85/15 and lower) are primary
protein sources. However, bacon has more calories from
fat than it does from protein. Bacon is primarily a fat
source, not a primary protein source. The following
images provide the values that support this.
Similarly, whole eggs (yolk + white) will also contain a
higher percentage of calories from fat than from protein.
Whole eggs are sources of both ample protein and
nutrient dense fat.
PROTEIN
Lean Protein
Sources
Have a look at the chart below for
examples of some common, quality, and
(mostly) lean protein sources.
PORTION SIZE
PROTEIN
CARBOHYDRATE
FAT
CALORIES
GRILLED CHICKEN
BREAST
114g
35
-
4
176
GRILLED TOP
SIRLOIN (LEAN)
114g
33
-
8
204
YELLOWFIN TUNA,
COOKED
114g
33
-
1
141
95/5 PAN BROWNED
GROUND BEEF
114g
29
-
7
179
WILD ATLANTIC
SALMON, COOKED
114g
29
-
9
197
99/1 PAN BROWNED
GROUND TURKEY
114g
28
-
1
121
SHRIMP, COOKED
FROM FROZEN
114g
26
2
2
130
EGG WHITES ONLY,
COOKED
114g
16
-
0
64
ROASTED PORK
TENDERLOIN (LEAN)
114g
30
-
4
156
ONE "LARGE"
WHOLE EGG
~50g
6
-
5
69
PROTEIN
Side note on plant based diets. Should you decide to
follow a plant based diet, the most abundant sources of
plant based protein sources are soy based products
such as tofu and tempeh, seitan (wheat gluten), and
various legumes (lentils and beans typically being the top
choices.)
Please keep in mind, however these plant based options
are not primarily protein sources by percentage. With
the exception of seitan, all of the foods in the preceding
paragraph are primarily a fat or carbohydrate source
first, measured by the percentage of calories derived
from which macronutrient.
For this reason, following a certain macronutrient ratio
while on a plant based diet can prove to be very difficult
because you're ultimately increasing your protein intake
at the cost of also increasing your carbohydrate and/or
fat intakes. It's not impossible by any means, it simply
requires a more strategic and thorough approach.
Regular supplementation with a quality plant-based pea
protein is recommended.
CARBOHYDRATE
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CARBOHHYDRATE
Carbohydrate is the body's preferred fuel source for
producing rapidly available energy during anaerobic
training like weight lifting. Carbohydrate (in the form of
glucose) is also what powers your organs like the brain
and liver. Your body also uses Carbohydrate to fill and
replenish muscle glycogen stores that have been
depleted during training and to kick-start the recovery
process post training by inducing insulin release. This
recovery process is vital so you can be ready to
approach your next training session not over fatigued,
overly sore, or with an impaired ability to perform the
prescribed sets, reps, and intensities.
Carbohydrates are a very broad and encompassing
classification of macronutrient. Carbohydrates are often
subjectively labeled as “bad” or to be avoided and there
tends to even be a commonly harbored fear
surrounding eating carbohydrates. This is primarily due
to a lack of understanding and overgeneralization. So
let’s create a better understanding.
There are three groupings of carbohydrate I’m going to
oversimplify foods into.
1. High
Nutrient Density / Low
Calorie Density
2. Medium
Nutrient Density / Medium
Calorie Density
3. Low
Nutrient Density / High
Calorie Density
CARBOHHYDRATE
1
High Nutrient Density / Low Calorie Density
This top-tier of grouped carbohydrates are the most
nutrient dense per their respective mass. These foods
can mostly be eaten in abundant quantities and would
be considered an improvement to most any diet. Notice
that these are almost entirely vegetables, and also some
fruits (typically berries.)
These foods will not necessarily add a lot of calories to
your diet and will be important for getting in various
vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and phytonutrients
that are important for looking, feeling, and performing
your best. Most often, you will not have to restrict these
types of foods from your diet. The exceptions being, in
the later stages of harder dieting phases and any allergic
reactions, or gastrointestinal intolerance of course.
The following chart provides you with some examples of
these high nutrient density, low calorie density foods.
Primarily vegetables, some fruits.
CARBOHYDRATE
High Nutrient Density / Low
Calorie Density Carbohydrates
PORTION SIZE
PROTEIN
CARBOHYDRATE
FAT
CALORIES
BLUEBERRIES
100g
1
15
0
64
APPLE WITH SKIN
100g
0
14
0
56
GREEN PEAS
100g
4
13
0
72
RASPBERRIES
100g
1
12
1
59
KALE
100g
3
10
1
60
BLACKBERRIES
100g
1
10
1
49
GREEN BEANS
100g
2
8
0
42
BROCCOLI
100g
2
7
0
42
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
100g
3
7
1
43
SWEET PEPPERS
100g
1
6
0
32
CAULIFLOWER
100g
2
5
0
30
ASPARAGUS
100g
2
4
0
28
CUCUMBER
100g
1
4
0
18
CARBOHHYDRATE
2
Medium Nutrient Density / Medium Calorie Density
This middle classification consists of primarily our
starches, some higher carbohydrate fruits (bananas,
dates), and legumes. I don’t love classifying these foods
in the “middle” as most of these foods should be
included in a diet for lean, active, weight lifting
individuals. Particularly because these foods play
important roles in fueling training and recovery, plus
they can also be incredibly nutrient dense.
However, to fit within the overarching classification
strategy for carbohydrate grouping this makes the most
sense. Per total mass, most of these foods are just not
quite as nutrient dense as the vegetables in the high
nutrient / low calorie classification and that is why they
end up in this middle classification.
The chart on the following page displays a handful of
quality options that fall within this middle classification of
carbohydrates.
CARBOHYDRATE
Medium Nutrient Density / Medium
Calorie Density Carbohydrates
PORTION SIZE
PROTEIN
CARBOHYDRATE
FAT
CALORIES
PLAIN OATS, DRY
100g
13
68
7
387
WHITE RICE,
COOKED
100g
3
28
0
124
BROWN RICE,
COOKED
100g
3
26
1
125
BLACK BEANS,
COOKED
100g
8
26
1
145
QUINOA, COOKED
100g
4
21
2
118
LENTILS, BOILED
100g
9
20
0
116
SWEET POTATO,
BOILED
100g
1
18
0
76
SPROUTED WHOLE
GRAIN BREAD
70g (~2
slices)
8
28
2
152
PASTA, WHOLE
WHEAT, COOKED
100g
6
30
2
162
BANANA
100g
1
23
0
96
DATES, FRESH
100g
2
33
0
139
CARBOHHYDRATE
3
Low Nutrient Density / High Calorie Density
Lastly, this third tier classification of carbohydrate is
foods that are significantly higher in calories and
noticeably lower in nutrient density per mass compared
to the previous two groups. You may have picked up that
the two prior classifications are almost entirely whole
food sources with little to no processing. This
classification is where that changes.
These are the foods most often found in boxes, with
long shelf lives that are also convenient to grab and eat.
These foods often also do not need to be cooked and
you would typically keep in the pantry and not in the
refrigerator. Examples being: candy, cookies, highly
sweetened cereal, “health” bars, chips, crackers, muffins,
cocktail beverages, sweetened coffee drinks, etc.
Unfortunately these foods are also highly palatable, and
non-satiating so that makes them really easy to consume
in large quantities, yet not feel satiated. The potential
downside to these types of foods is three-fold:
1. They are calorically dense
2. They are highly palatable, tasty, and easy to eat
3. They are non-satiating, not very filling
You can see the overall picture that is developing here.
This is how we end up eating a lot of calories, quickly,
CARBOHHYDRATE
without really realizing it because it doesn’t particularly
feel like we’ve eaten a lot, it’s easy to put away a large
portion of these foods, and they taste great.
Most individuals of Western populations eat an
overwhelmingly large portion of their diet from
carbohydrate. Of that daily carbohydrate, this third
classification is mostly consumed, with some foods from
the medium classification (starches & legumes), and very
little from the first classification (fruits & vegetables.)
*I decided against including a chart of this
classification. Specifically, because for these foods,
quantities are typically eaten in amounts significantly
higher than the recommended serving sizes. In doing so,
including the chart would actually downplay the
representation of typical consumption patterns.
Carbohydrates are very often misunderstood, underutilized, and consumed in the opposite ratios than they
should be. (All contextually dependent upon your
particular goals, of course.) When consumed in more
appropriate ratios and with a better understanding,
carbohydrates become very important and incredibly
impactful for how you feel, how you recover, how you
perform, and ultimately how your body looks!
FAT
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FAT
Fats are an essential part of any human diet. They are
vital for various metabolic functions. A minimum
baseline of dietary Fat is required for optimal hormone
production. These hormones are incredibly important to
ensure we are able to synthesize new muscle and to
convert adipose tissue (body fat) into free fatty acids for
fuel when either gaining muscle or losing fat.
Dietary fat is also required for absorption of fat soluble
vitamins A, D, E, and K. Fat will also typically serve as the
primary fuel source for longer, slower duration aerobic
training or very low intensity anaerobic training.
There are three main classifications of fats you should
include in your diet. Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated,
and Saturated fats. Saturated fats are generally solid at
room temperature (think coconut oil, ghee, or butter.)
Unsaturated fats are usually going to be liquid at room
temperature (think olive oil.) Depending on who you talk
to, saturated fats are either great for you, or awful for
you. That being said, I believe it's best to eat a balanced
range of higher quality monounsaturated,
polyunsaturated, and saturated fats sources.
Most of your saturated fat intake will likely come from
consumption of animal products. Meats, most dairy, and
eggs contain varying amounts of saturated fats.
FAT
Get most of your monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fat intake from various nuts (walnuts,
almonds, cashews, pecans, etc.) and seeds (chia seeds,
flaxseed, hemp seeds, etc.), avocados, and fatty fish
(salmon, herring, tuna, etc.) You will also get dietary fat
from using cooking oils. Cold-pressed olive or avocado
oil is recommended.
You should purposely avoid partially hydrogenated
vegetable oils, also called trans fats. These are typically in
processed foods, and baked sweets which should be
limited to begin with.
The chart on the following page provides some
examples of quality selections for including dietary fat.
The chart provides options for monounsaturated,
polyunsaturated, and saturated fats. Please know that
some fat sources will provide more than one
classification. A good food tracking tool should provide
you which types of fats and in what amounts each food
provides, but more on that later!
FAT
Examples of Quality Dietary Fat
Sources
PORTION SIZE
PROTEIN
CARBOHYDRATE
FAT
CALORIES
AVOCADO
50g
1
4
7
83
GROUND FLAXSEED
15g
3
4
6
82
CHIA SEEDS
30g
6
10
10
154
WALNUTS
28g
4
4
19
203
ALMONDS
28
6
6
14
174
OLIVE OIL
1 Tbsp
0
0
14
126
AVOCADO OIL
1 Tbsp
0
0
14
126
COCONUT OIL
1 Tbsp
0
0
14
126
OMEGA-3 FISH OIL
1g
0
0
1
9
WILD ATLANTIC
SALMON, COOKED
114g
29
0
9
197
DIET QUALITY
STRAKERNUTRITIONCO
DIET QUALITY
The overall quality of your diet is dictated by the nutrient
density of the foods you eat. From a calorie standpoint,
you can indeed make progress by only adhering to the
energy (calorie) portion of the equation, but a diet higher
in nutrient-dense, quality food sources will help you look,
function, and perform at your best.
While “a calorie is a calorie” is actually quite true, that
statement is purely from the standpoint of total energy
representation. A Calorie is a unit of energy. So of course
comparing equated amounts of calories will provide
equal amounts of energy by definition. That being said,
how calories assimilate inside your body tells a
completely different story.
Higher quality foods are much more likely to be higher in
vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and micronutrients
that are essential for optimal health, performance, and
body composition. Calories and adherence equated, a
higher quality, nutrient dense diet will beat the IIFYM (if it
fits your macros) approach time after time. However,
while eating a diet consisting solely of 100% quality,
whole food sources will yield the best results, being
overly restrictive can and usually will eventually take a
toll on your lifestyle, adherence ability, and quality of life.
For that very reason, I encourage strategically including
some flexibility into your dietary choices that can provide
the best of both worlds.
DIET QUALITY
Too many dieters end up failing due to completely
uprooting every aspect of their lifestyle with some overly
restrictive nutritional protocol and burn out within 10-14
days and quit. For that reason I strongly recommend
aiming for 85-90% quality, nutrient-dense, whole food
sources. The remaining 10-15% of your diet can be
reserved for “flexible” foods that are lower in quality that
you still can enjoy in moderation. Examples of these
flexible foods might include, candy, pizza, ice cream, etc.
By allowing a controlled amount of flexibility in your diet,
you can make progress while still “living your life.” This
improves overall adherence in the long run, which is
ultimately what matters most.
What exactly does that flexibility look like? Let’s say
you’re eating a daily diet of 2500 calories. 85-90% of
those calories (2,125 - 2,250) would come from quality,
nutrient-dense, whole food sources. The remaining 1015% (250 - 375 calories) can come from whichever types
of foods you would like.
CALORIES
QUALITY FOOD
85-90% OF DIET
FLEXIBLE FOOD
10-15% OF DIET
2000
1700 - 1800
200 - 300
2500
2125 - 2250
250 - 375
3000
2550 - 2700
300 - 450
MACRONUTRIENT MATH
STRAKERNUTRITIONCO
MACRONUTRIENT MATH
It is often thought that tracking your macros and thus
measuring your dietary intake is challenging, confusing,
or difficult to do. That couldn’t be any farther from the
truth. In reality it’s simply basic multiplication and
addition.
1 gram of Protein is equal to 4 calories
1 gram of Carbohydrate is also 4 calories.
However, 1 gram of Fat is 9 calories.
As you can see, per gram, fat is more than double the
caloric content of both Protein and Carbohydrate. You
may hear about how something is "fattening" or "bad"
because it has fat in it. Fat isn’t inherently “fattening” nor
bad for you, quite the opposite actually it’s essential for
our human physiology.
The dichotomy is that dietary fat is simply more
calorically dense per equal amounts of weight when
compared to Protein or Carbohydrate. Simple as that.
In order to represent the total amount of calories of a
food or meal. You just add the respective numbers
representing each macronutrient together.
For a basic example let’s take 100 grams of canned,
drained black beans. The macronutrient values and
calorie totals are as follows:
MACRONUTRIENT MATH
Total Calories: 142.6 (denoted as kcals)
Protein: 8.2 grams
(8.2 * 4 = 32.8 kcals)
Carbohydrate: 26.1 grams
(26.1 * 4 = 104.4 kcals)
Fat: 0.6 grams
(0.6 * 9 = 5.4 kcals)
Protein (32.8 kcals) + Carbohydrate (104.4 kcals)
+ Fat (5.4 kcals) = 142.6 total kcals
That’s pretty much it, really basic math!
Quick Note: Alcohol differs in that 1 gram of alcohol
has 7 calories. This is for hard alcohols (vodka, gin, rum,
whiskey, tequila.) In the United States, a typical "shot"
(1.5 ounces) of alcohol contains 14 grams of alcohol,
which is approximately ~98 calories. (14*7=98) Aside
from drinks like shots, on the rocks, or neat, most
alcoholic drinks are paired with another beverage or
flavor additive containing carbohydrate that needs to be
accounted for.
Fortunately when it comes to tracking your
macronutrient math, you don’t have to do it yourself
because it’s best (and way easier) to leverage
useful tools to do it for you. Next we get into exactly
how to do that and preferred tools for the job.
FOOD TRACKING
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FOOD TRACKING
Tracking your dietary intake is the ultimate method for
adding objectivity into your diet and creating the
understanding on how to properly quantify the amount
of food your existing dietary habits have you eating.
Most, when first becoming interested in objective eating
for body composition and health purposes have
absolutely no idea how much (or how little!) food they
are eating on any given day or week. Once starting to
accurately track they are often shocked at just how large
of a gap exists between what they think they are eating
and what they actually are eating. This is why we
introduce objectivity to successfully bridge expectation
and reality.
For recording and keeping track of all of your food logs,
Cronometer is strongly recommended. Cronometer is
very simple to use. The food databases are very accurate
compared to other food tracking applications, which is
considerably beneficial. The level of detail for reporting
micronutrients and vitamins/minerals is outstanding.
Cronometer provides an incredible amount of insight
into your diet. No other food tracking application
provides the depth of reporting for the quality of your
diet that Cronometer does.
Weighing and measuring your food with a food scale is
the most precise and reliable method to track your food
intake. I love this TriScale compact folding food scale
FOOD TRACKING
made by Joseph Joseph. It easily fits a large dinner plate
while still being able to read the screen, and folds up
compact which is nice to travel with as well. Other than
that there is nothing special about it. Just about any food
scale will work.
I strongly recommend tracking via the universal metric
grams, so you can use one single metric for all foods.
Weighing using grams is also purely objective and
doesn’t leave any room for interpretation using
subjective methods like a tablespoon for instance. A
popular example is peanut butter. A standard serving
size is 2 TBSP (32 grams) - when “eyeballing” with a
Tablespoon it is common for people to use roughly
double the actual serving size. Measuring with grams
removes this common margin of error.
Now that you’re going to be tracking your food intake
you might as well learn how to do it properly. One of the
killer features of Cronometer is the depth of the
reporting but if you don’t appropriately select foods that
report that full depth, you’re unable to leverage it.
Record as much of your diet from generic items as you
can. If you're following the food selection structure I've
outlined in this resource it should be rather simple. The
NCCDB and USDA databases will typically have the most
amount of nutrients reported. The "CRDB" and "Custom"
data sources typically have much less because they are
FOOD TRACKING
often generated entries from other Cronometer users
that are then internally reviewed and approved by the
Cronometer admins. You can easily tell which Data
Source a food belongs to when you click on it.
At first it may seem a bit cumbersome because this
might be different than your current workflow if you use
the barcode scanner for everything. This is fine, it is
different and it is significantly better. You will learn more
and increase the breadth of your understanding. Stick
with it, get over that initial small inconvenience and then
reap all the benefit of the depth of your diet’s reporting
data.
You can watch this quick video where I walk through
the Cronometer interface using realistic examples for
how you can increase the reporting accuracy of your
entries.
COMPOSING YOUR DIET
STRAKERNUTRITIONCO
COMPOSING YOUR DIET
Now that we have basic understandings of energy
balance, the macronutrients, diet quality, diet quantity,
and food tracking, putting these concepts into practice is
what actually matters. I am a firm believer that meal
plans are largely not nearly as conducive for long term
success and lifestyle implementation of these practices.
Don’t get me wrong, meal plans can be incredibly
effective, but only when you follow them. The key to
staying lean year round is implementation of lifestyle
principles and adding simple structure to your nutrition
regimen. I strongly suggest practicing composing your
daily, and weekly diets to follow the principles outlined in
the resource. That means selecting 85-90% of your diet
from foods based on their quality and nutrient density,
and for which primary macronutrient classification
category it belongs to.
There are two main focuses for composing your diet,
meal frequency, and meal composition.
1
Meal Frequency
This isn’t quite as important as you may have previously
been led to believe. On the lower end roughly three
meals, on the higher end about six. What is more
important is that you find a meal frequency structure
that fits your lifestyle and schedule. That being said,
going the route of more frequent, smaller sized meals is
COMPOSING YOUR DIET
typically more beneficial for controlling fluctuations in
blood glucose concentrations. So if you do notice large
energy swings throughout the day corresponding to
your meals the more frequent approach may help you
out in that regard.
Personally, I believe breakfast, lunch, dinner, one “meal”
near your training window that is oftentimes as simple
as a protein shake and some carbohydrate, and then
one small snack consisting of a food that can help bump
up numbers for whichever macronutrient you struggle
to eat enough of most frequently.
2
Meal Composition
The largest consideration for simply and effectively
creating meals is picking at least one food from each of
the macronutrient classifications. This is so that at the
end of the day you can easily meet close to your targets
and aren’t upside down in carbohydrate and fat, but still
have 100 grams of protein to eat, and haven’t touched a
vegetable all day.
It’s a simple structure I call Simple Bachelor Food Prep.
The image on the following page illustrates this process
for creating consistent meals that follow the guidelines.
The exception being snacks, where simply a fat source
and some fruit is appropriate, and very convenient for in
between regularly structured meals.
COMPOSING YOUR DIET
STEPS TO CREATE SIMPLE
BACHELOR FOOD PREP MEALS
Simple Bachelor Food Prep follows the principle of composing
efficient, high quality meals consisting of one primary lean protein
source, one starchy carbohydrate source, and one or more nonstarchy, fibrous vegetable source. Protein and vegetables are
often cooked using (a small amount of) a quality fat source.
2
1
3 4
LEAN PROTEIN
STARCHY
CARBOHYDRATE
The keyword here is "lean." This provides a
Most often rices, other whole grains,
relatively high amount of protein while
beans, legumes, or root vegetables. This is
keeping fat in control. A few example
likely where a bulk of the fiber in your diet
choices here include chicken breast,
will come from. Certain choices like beans,
90/10+ ground meats, pork tenderloin,
lentils, and chickpeas also provide a bump
fish, and shellfish.
in protein!
FIBROUS
VEGETABLES
QUALITY FAT
SOURCE
You need to eat more vegetables. That is
Cold-pressed olive oil, coconut oil, or
simply put. Vary your colors and densities
avocado oil are great choices. Saturated
(low, medium, and high.) Aim for 500+
fats come from meat/eggs/dairy so mono
grams per day. Low density example,
and polyunsaturated fats (notably omega-
spinach. Medium density, broccoli. High
3's) should be the focus. Avocados, nuts,
density, carrot.
and seeds are good choices.
Need some ideas or examples? I have over 20 Simple Bachelor
Food Prep recipes you can check out on my website here!
DIET QUANTITY
STRAKERNUTRITIONCO
DIET QUANTITY
There is a reason this section is included here towards
the end. The preceding sections focus on habits, and
understanding. These two implementations alone can
get you very far simply because of awareness and
conscious selection of food choices. By practicing these
regularly you will inherently implement some level of
quantity and control into your own diet. Once food
selection and quality are second nature progressing into
paying more attention to specific diet quantities is an
easy transition.
Dieting quantity is incredibly nuanced and really
depends on many individual factors so it’s difficult to
provide exactly how much to eat without making
sweeping generalizations.
What I will say is that for relatively healthy body fat
ranges (let’s say 8-19% for males, and 17-30% for
females just to put some figures to it) simply multiplying
your weight by a factor of 14-16 can be a decent starting
point for estimating daily calories. Will this be spot on?
Absolutely not, but it does give you a ballpark to start
shooting for. From here you collect data and make
observations.
What is recommended is starting at this estimated figure
and recording your fasted weight each morning and
then average which direction you are trending over a
period of 10 to 15 days. This period of monitoring and
DIET QUANTITY
recording is to establish your range of calories for
maintenance. Maintenance denoting maintaining
current body weight. Not a surplus, yet not a deficit.
Balance right between the two.
If you’re currently below the suggested body fat ranges
you can instead use a multiplier of 16 or 17 times
bodyweight. If you are currently above the ranges, a
multiplier of 14 times body weight may be more
appropriate. Please remember these are just
ballpark figures to estimate for a starting point.
Normal weight fluctuation is within the bounds of a
handful of pounds. (5-7) What you want to pay specific
attention to is consistent increases or decreases during
this initial period. That would signal you’re not close
enough to maintenance and are actually eating in a
deficit or a surplus. Slight modifications to total calories
north of south after your initial 10-15 days of data will
point you back towards true maintenance.
It is recommended to spend at least 8-12 weeks eating
at maintenance level calories and drastically improving
your consistency, accuracy, and diet quality before
attempting dedicated periods of caloric surplus or
caloric deficit. When it comes to specific dieting
protocols I suggest hiring a coach to learn how to do it
safely, and effectively.
DIET QUANTITY
The multiplier approach is not perfect but in most
scenarios puts you within a 9% margin of error for true
maintenance, so it’s definitely accurate enough to start
recording your own data from. Don’t get lost in the
sauce trying to figure out the “absolute best calculator”
because after those 10-15 days of recording data you’ll
know way more than any calculator will be able to tell
you.
If you are looking for a more visual representation to
help you estimate these starting ballpark estimates take
a look in the Appendix after finishing reading for a link to
a Google Spreadsheet tool I built to help you in
determining maintenance calories. It also provides
ballpark macronutrient targets based on your dietary
preference style.
Final Words
Consistency is the single most deciding factor in being
successful with your nutrition long term. Falling off the
proverbial wagon doesn't happen in one day, and getting
back on won't happen in one day either. A steady,
consistent, and objective approach to nutrition always
beats any fad diet attempt. Even the smallest increments
of consistent improvement over a period of time will
produce substantial impact because of the effect of
compounding returns.
DIET QUANTITY
This provides you with the initial 80% of what you need
for your overall commitment. Please don't let yourself
get caught chasing the last 20% of the nutrition and
lifestyle equation when there is an easy 80% you aren’t
yet consistently capitalizing on.
Spinning out and getting lost in implementation details
yet ignoring the major factors that provide much more
significance is literally like stepping over dollars to pick
up pennies.
I truly believe there are few things that can have such an
impact on your life and health as your nutrition.
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!
Best of luck with your objective eating!
DONE FOR YOU
CLIENT CHECK-IN SYSTEM
Are you an aspiring or established nutrition coach or
online trainer using paper, random documents, or even
text messages for client check-ins? It's time to get
organized so you can scale your coaching business
and deliver better coaching to your clients.
Fortunately, I have a battle-tested, turn-key, yet
customizable solution for you to start using here.
Interested in working directly alongside me?
The Metabolic Performance Protocol is my signature
nutrition coaching, resistance training, and
comprehensive nutrition education program. The MPP
will help you drastically improve your body composition
and transform your understanding of nutrition and
periodization strategy.
I took all of my years of misguidance, frustration, and
plateaus and built them into a protocol that provides
you a framework, guidance, and comprehension.
I teach you exactly what details you need to understand,
and how to leverage these to build your dream physique
whilst prioritizing your health. Find out more about why
you should submit an application to join the next
launch of the Metabolic Performance Protocol
here.
ESTIMATING
MAINTENANCE CALORIES
If you found yourself a bit confused about estimating
your maintenance calories back in the section on Diet
Quantity or if you want some guidance setting up your
initial macronutrient distributions I've built this super
helpful little Google Spreadsheets tool where you
answer a few questions about yourself and it provides
you estimates for where you can start.
There are even a few choices for your dietary style
preference if you have one.
Click here to make a copy of this tool to keep for
yourself for FREE!
DISCLAIMER: Aaron Straker is not a doctor or
registered dietitian. The contents of this
resource should not be taken as medical advice.
It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or
prevent any health problem - nor is it intended
to replace the advice of a physician. Always
consult your physician or qualified health
professional on any matters regarding your
health. Use of the information in this program is
strictly at your own risk. Aaron Straker will not
assume any liability for any direct or indirect
losses or damages that may result including, but
not limited to, economic loss, injury, illness or
death.
OBJECTIVE
EATING
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