Lose Weight

Nutrition Tips

Macronutrient Tapering

An effective way to lose weight, boost energy and improve health is to use 'Macronutrient Tapering'. This means adjusting the portion sizes of carbohydrate and protein in your meals as the day progresses. For example, you may start the day with a substantial portion of carbohydrate and a small amount of protein and with each meal thereafter you reduce slightly the amount of carbohydrate you consume and increase slightly the amount of protein. This means that by dinner there is a far greater amount of protein in the meal compared to carbohydrate.

This nutritional strategy is beneficial for a number of reasons. Consuming slightly more carbohydrate earlier in the day provides the body with a good source of fuel for the physical and mental activities being performed during the day.

In the evening the body requires less fuel so a reduced portion of carbohydrate makes sense. If a large serve of carbohydrate is consumed in the evening then greater fat storage is likely to result. Plus, a high level of glucose in the blood stream during sleep has been shown to blunt growth hormone (GH) release. GH is the body's most powerful lipolytic (fat burning) hormone as well as having tissue construction capabilities. Therefore, it is best to ensure it is as high as possible during sleep and the best way to do that is to reduce carbohydrate intake slightly in the evening meal.

Protein provides the body with amino acids, which are the building blocks of the body. It is important to have a small portion in each of your 5 or 6 meals during the day. Since your body performs most of its tissue construction duties during sleep as well as the processes of repair, recuperation and recovery, a slightly larger portion of protein at dinner is beneficial. This means slightly less is required in the other meals of the day.

Plus, a high level of amino acids in the blood stream during sleep has been shown to boost GH release as well as other anabolic hormones in the body.

For best results, taper down your carbohydrate intake and taper up your protein intake as the day progresses.

Article kindly contributed by Stephen Smith B.Sc. All rights reserved.