www.getsetgo.

fitness

Fitness Simplified
Nutrition eBook

By Pratik Thakkar
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Table of content

3 3| Disclaimer 18 | Setting up a plan and targets

4 |4 Introduction
26 | Progress tracking

5 |5 Cart before the horse

28 | Nutrition myths

6 |6 Metabolism & energy

30 | Clean eating vs. being flexible

8 |8 Hierarchy 32 | Tracking calories

9 |9 Energy balance 33 | Eating out

11 | BMR & TDEE 35 | Alcohol

| Supplements
13 | Macronutrients & Fiber 37
15 | Micronutrients 40 | Final notes

17 | Water 41 | About the author

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Disclaimer
This manual is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a
substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice. Use of the
guidelines herein is at the sole choice and risk of the reader.

Copyright: 2018 by www.getsetgo.fitness. All rights reserved.

This book or any part thereof, may not be reproduced or recorded in any form without
permission, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
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Introduction
If you are reading this, you want to do one of this:

‣ You plan to start taking your fitness seriously.

‣ You have been working out for many years, yet no results.

‣ You get results temporarily, lose them and start from scratch.

‣ You have been fooled into following many programs or buying products that
promise magical results.

‣ You are almost on the verge of giving up and want to try something, one last time.

‣ You just felt like reading. After all, you are the master of your own will.
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‘Cart before the horse’

Image source: https://goo.gl/PhEuZa

This picture accurately represents where people go wrong. Putting the cart before the
horse disables the horse from doing its work, i.e. pulling the cart.

Let’s take an example, you are a cruiser bike enthusiast. You do research on various
brands, biking groups in the city, the tours they take together, modifications to make,
how to fix various problems while on the road, etc. But now, the problem is, you do not
have a cruiser bike, let alone a driver’s license.

Isn’t this an awfully silly mistake to make?! Surprisingly, people still end up doing it.
They do things the wrong way round or in the wrong order. Guess what it leads to?
Errors, you got that right!

In this book, I will be sharing details on what to do rather than what not to do. What not
to do is not going to help anyone, the former part is. As it is always better to be
proactive than reactive.

Let’s dig in!

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Metabolism and energy

In this topic, we will be mainly understanding the what the word ‘Calories’ actually
means and how does it affect your success in terms of fat loss or muscle gain.

Our bodies are amazingly complex machines. Like machines need electricity/oil for
running and repair, our bodies too need energy. In our case, it is primarily the food
that we eat. The primary unit of measure for this energy is calories (kcal).

Image source: https://goo.gl/Dwt2ta

We need the energy to carry out internal processes like brain activity, blood circulation,
breathing, etc. Our body spends some of this energy even when we are asleep in a bid
to keep us alive. Apart from this, we also spend some additional energy to carry out
certain activities; like walking from home to the bus stand, working out, household
chores, etc.
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This energy requirement can be broken down into three major components:

1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The energy that our bodies need at rest is known as
Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the amount of calories body will burn even if you sleep for
24 hours.

2. Thermic Effect of Activity (TEA): You use some energy to perform the activities, both
exercise and non-exercise activities.

3. Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF): Your body needs some energy to break down the
food that you eat.

4. Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE): The above three factors when added give an
estimation of your daily energy requirement to maintain your bodyweight.
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Hierarchy of importance

The credit for organizing things and educating the industry on this goes to Eric
Helms. You can find more of his work on www.3dmusclejourney.com

The reason I feel understanding this is highly important is because people get into
things that aren’t really that important and co-relate to how it will impact their results.

I have been asked many times that, “What supplement should I use to lose my belly
fat?” or “I am having my carbs only after workout and in dinner. Am I doing it
right?”

As you can see above, meal timings and supplements only hold importance later on. If
you are not covering the more important bases, it’s just unnecessary stress for you to
worry about such things.

Always remember, things at the bottom are most important. Things on top, they do
not matter as much as you think they do.
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Energy balance
Energy balance or the calories you consume is the one factor that holds the maximum
importance. These days, the industry is plagued with gimmicks. Cut carbs, you will lose
fat. Cut fat, you will lose fat. All these things will not work one bit if you do not manage
your calories.

So let’s discuss “How do I get in shape?” by understanding energy balance.

Image source: https://goo.gl/JwMSc9

Just like a machine, our body needs fuel and burns fuel. The balance between the two
determines if we will gain energy, lose energy or maintain the balance.

The energy we consume in excess can be stored in our liver, muscles and as adipose
tissue aka fat.
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Take away points:

Energy deficit = weight loss

Energy surplus = weight gain

Energy balance = maintenance

Now, this is not exactly how the body works, as it is similar to complex machinery.

Fat loss/muscle gain also involve hormonal functions and metabolic adaptations, but
this is a simple guideline, to begin with.

Simplicity in the initial stage always helps.

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BMR & TDEE

Having figured out what energy balance means and as per the set goals, it is now
important to figure out the energy intake, for starters.

We know the concept of BMR and TDEE. Simplicity being the key, few guidelines when
it comes to calorie setting :

To lose weight, eat under TDEE, thus being in a caloric deficit.

To gain weight, start above TDEE and slowly push your calories higher, being in
a caloric surplus. Only a slight 100-200 kcal surplus does the trick for most
people.

To maintain weight, eat approximately equal to TDEE.

There are many calculators and formulas that you can use.

I prefer to use the Katch-McArdle formula for estimating a person’s BMR. I find this as
a good formula as it takes into account a person’s lean body mass (lbm) over total body
weight.

Find your fat % on the website.

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The Katch-McArdle formula will give you an estimate of your BMR calories.

Over this, you perform some kind of activity on a daily basis. To find your TDEE, we
multiply your BMR with the activity factor.

The activity factor depends on your lifestyle and training schedule:

i. Sedentary (little to no exercise) – BMR x 1.2
ii. Lightly active (training or sports 2-3x a week) – BMR x 1.375
iii. Moderately active (training or sports 4-5x a week) – BMR x 1.55
iv. Very active (training or sports 6-7x a week) – BMR x 1.725
v. Extremely active (training or sports 6-7x a week and a physical job) – BMR
x 1.9

With this formula, you will get a good estimation of your TDEE. The reason it would be
a good estimation is there is a component of your energy expenditure called NEAT
(Non-exercise activity thermogenesis) which involves activities like fidgeting, moving
your arm to reach out to the cup of coffee, etc. This is highly variable per individuals.

DO NOT get started with the calculations yet. Read the plan setting part before you
start using pen and paper.
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Macronutrients & fiber

With BMR and TDEE figured out, it is now important to figure out where these calories
come from. The three primary calorie providers are protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
As they are the major constituents of food, we call them macronutrients or ‘macros’.

Technically, alcohol is the fourth calorie provider but since our lifestyle will be aimed
towards our fitness goals, we will assume this is not going to be a staple in our diet.

The following table represents the calories in one gram of each of them:

Calories are important and you must be thinking, ‘Why even count macros when you
can count calories?’ Macros are equally important as each of them plays a key role
towards your fitness goals . The primary roles of these macros are :

• Protein: Builds muscle, improves metabolism, increases satiety.

• Carbohydrates: Provides energy for you to train well.
• Fats: Protects your hormones.

Fiber is also equally important as it improves gut health and nutrient absorption. By
rule of thumb, have a minimum of 25 to 30 grams fiber on a daily basis.
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The illustration below will give you a brief understanding of what foods fall under which
macronutrient:

Image source: https://goo.gl/nxLCAM

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Micronutrients
We know that macros are the bigger components, micronutrients or ‘micros’ are
present in smaller quantities. Macro means big, micro means small. We need macros
in large amounts and micros in lesser amounts for optimal health.

Even though we need micros in smaller amounts, they can make a big difference when
it comes to overall health and performance. Micros can be broadly categorized into
two classes, minerals, and vitamins.

Minerals can be further classified into macro-minerals and micro-minerals whereas,

vitamins can be classified into fat soluble and water soluble. But, as we discussed,
simplicity being the essence here, I won’t get much into it.
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In late 90’s, people engaging in physical exercise reported deficiencies related to

Vitamin D, Calcium, Zinc, Magnesium and Iron.

The negative impacts of these deficiencies were:

Zinc deficiency can negatively impact metabolism.

Iron deficiency can negatively impact strength.
Calcium deficiency can negatively impact bone health.

How do we ensure this does not happen? Have 3 - 4 servings of green veggies and
2 - 3 servings of fruits regularly. As a supplemental aid, you could consume one
generic multivitamin a day.

Calcium, iron, and zinc can be supplemented during deficiencies.

Women tend to lose iron and calcium during their periods owing to fluid loss. This can
negatively impact bone health and strength. It is smart to supplement them at such
times.
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Water
Did you know that planet earth is 71% water?! Forget
that, the human body is 55 - 65% water. Now why am I
sharing this or how is it even relevant? The Sherlock’s got it
right, to stress the importance of water in your diet.

Blood, which is the primary transporter of nutrients in your

body is primarily water. Your body needs to be hydrated for
your kidneys and liver to function well. Kidneys and liver play
a crucial role in filtration, breakdown, regeneration, etc.
Dehydration can hamper several of these processes causing
serious issues to your health.

So, how much water do I drink? Well, it is subjective. Let’s

take an example. There are two women, Jen and Salma. Both
have the same body type, same training, same sedentary
job. Jen stays in Canada, cold weather, sweats very little
throughout the day. On the other hand, Salma hails from the
Middle East. Extreme weather and sweats a lot throughout
the day. No guess work needed, Salma needs more water.

Although water intake being subjective, it is good to

Key point : Water is have 1 liter per 20 kg of body weight or a minimum of 4
important, hit a - 5 liters of water on a daily basis.
minimum of 4 - 5 liters
a day and stay It also depends on factors like the type of diet you are
hydrated. Your body following, like for example, low carb or ketogenic style diets
will thank you for it. require a higher fluid intake to be on the safer side of the
spectrum.
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Setting up a plan & targets

Literally, the good stuff you have been waiting for!

‘What diet to follow that will give me quick results?’

The answer is not that easy. Even though there will be people who will make you
believe in the theory that a type of dieting or cutting out carbs or fats or whatever will
get you faster results in fat loss or eating anything and everything for muscle gain, it
does not work that way.

Based on what we have learned so far, we know that you need to eat in a calorie deficit
to lose weight and a surplus to gain weight. Adding more perspective, you have to be
eating lesser or more than your TDEE consistently. Lesser by how much and what about
the macronutrient split?

A pound of adipose (0.45 kilos) tissue is roughly 3500 kcal. A pound of muscle though
(0.45 kilos) is just ~800 kcal. It is more like ~2500 kcal but one pound of muscle is only
a third protein. Rest is minerals and water. Thus the 3500 kcal rule per lb. is a simplified
yet good guideline for fat loss or muscle gain.

Now you might ask, why not 2500 kcal for muscle? The reason is that your body can
easily store a pound of fat without any metabolic cost but synthesizing a pound of
muscle comes with a metabolic cost.

While cutting down body fat, if you reduce 500 kcal on a daily basis, you lose a pound
of fat per week. But, should you be losing that much? It depends.
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It depends on your starting point. Let me put numbers to it and explain why:

The reason that I recommend these targets is that there is a limit to which you can lose
fat per day (or per week). If you go faster, sure you would be happy to see the number
dropping on the scale in the short run. In the long run, it would mean lean body mass
losses, strength loss or saggy loose skin. I would never want that with me or my
clients.

The leaner you are, the slower you’d want to go.

When it comes to muscle gain, the rate at which you’d want to go is usually a lot slower
because muscle gaining takes time and you do not want to gain a lot of fat while
gaining muscle.

Now there might be people who would say that they want to gain muscle without any
fat gain. This maybe possible but the pursuit of it will leave you frustrated. Expect some
fat gain along with muscle gains. Usually, a 1:1 ratio of muscle to fat is an ideal
situation.
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Also, I would like to stress upon the starting point and ending point of muscle gaining
for both men and women. You should target muscle gain when you are around 8-12%
body fat (for men) and stop trying to gain once you hit the 15-16% body fat number.
For women, add 10% to the ranges.

The reason you’d want to stop at a point before trying to hold on to the muscle and
lose the fat is after those fat% ceilings, your body is primed to store more fat than build
muscle. It is because nutrient partitioning is not optimal or the body’s insulin sensitivity.
This table will give you a fair idea of what should you be targeting in terms of a bulking
phase.
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In terms of macronutrient setting, we will not be using a combination of multiplication

and ratios to make the plan optimal for an individual.

The following table will give you a good guideline into how to set your macronutrients
while coming to a cutting or a bulking phase. As much as I would love to get into detail
for the basis of these recommendations, it is a topic for another day. I would also like
to keep this eBook/guide as crisp as possible and not bore you out.

I find these recommendations pretty much in sync with what Eric recommends in his
Muscle & Strength Pyramids.

If it is good for him, it is good for anyone.

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Let’s take an example of each:

Sample cutting: Rahul weighs 90 kilos and is at 20% body fat

Now as his fat% is 20, the lean body mass = 90 – (90*0.20) = 72 kilos.

As per the Katch-McArdle formula, his BMR = ~1900 kcal.

He exercises 4 to 5 times a week. Thus, TDEE = 1900 x 1.55 = 2950 kcal.

As he is in the range of 12 to 25% body fat, we can target 1% of body weight per week.
That is around 900 grams of fat (2 lb. of fat).

If you take a deficit of 500 kcal. per day, you lose one pound. So to lose two pounds,
we reduce 1000 kcal. per day.

Target daily calories = 2950 – 1000 kcal = 1950 kcal

Now again, there will be adjustments he has to make over the course of time as his
weight drops and his NEAT will vary.

In terms of calorie setting, it will be:

Protein = 2.2 grams per kilo of lbm. = 72 * 2.2 = ~160 grams.

Fats = 25% of calories = 1950*0.25 = 487.5/9 = ~54 grams.

Carbs = 1950 – (160*4) – 487.5 = 884 calories/4 = ~206 grams.

Again, this is just an example of how you would want to do it. For some people, it is a
good idea to burn some extra calories with a few sessions of cardio than eating lower
calories.

This would be the starting plan of action. This will definitely need adjustments time to
time. Too difficult to do all this? You can calculate your calories and macros in few easy
steps here: https://goo.gl/k9tVmP
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Sample meal plan for Rahul:

Breakfast:
Whey and oats porridge (40 grams oats + 200 ml double toned milk + 1
scoop whey protein)

P 36 C 38 F 8.5 Kcal 372

Lunch:
Tofu veggie stir-fry and cauliflower rice (200 grams tofu + 100
cauliflower grams rice + 100 grams non-starchy veggies + 10 grams
butter)

P 28 C 21 F 14 Kcal 322

Post-workout:

Protein milkshake with apple (1 scoop whey protein + 200 ml double

toned milk + 1 medium apple)

P 32 C 33 F 5.5 Kcal 311

Snack:

Protein bar and greek yogurt (1 protein bar + 100 grams greek yogurt)

P 18 C 18 F 2.5 Kcal 266

Dinner:
Soya Pulav with Almond Lassi (75 grams soy chunks and 50
grams white rice + 100 grams non-starchy veggies + 10 grams
butter + Lassi - 200 grams curd + 15 grams almonds + 1 sachet
sugar free)

P 53 C 83 F 22.5 Kcal 746.5

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Sample bulking: Ritika weighs 60 kilos and is at 18% body fat

Now as her fat% is 18, the lean body mass = 60 – (60*0.18) = 49 kilos.

As per the Katch-McArdle formula, her BMR = ~1450 kcal.

She exercises 4 to 5 times a week. Thus, TDEE = 1900 x 1.55 = 2240 kcal.

She is relatively new to training and has been lifting weights since 3 to 4 months.
Considering her status, we can roughly target gaining 1% body weight per month.

As she is 60 kilos, we will target gaining 600 grams (~1.35 lbs per month). We know
that 3500 kcal would be roughly a pound. So to gain 1.35 lbs., it will be 3500*1.35 =
4725 kcal surplus over the month.

Daily surplus = 4725/30 = ~160 kcal per day

Target calories = 2240 + 160 kcal = 2400 kcal

You see, for gaining muscle, you do not have to add a LOT of calories as you think.
Now again, there will be adjustments he has to make over the course of time as her
NEAT will vary (usually shoots up in a surplus).

In terms of calorie setting, it will be:

Protein = 2 grams per kilo of lbm. = 49 * 2.2 = ~110 grams.

Fats = 30% of calories = 2400*0.30 = 720/9 = ~80 grams.

Carbs = 2400 – (110*4) – (80*9) = 1240 calories/4 = ~310 grams.

Again, this is just an example of how you would want to do it.

This would be the starting plan of action. This will definitely need adjustments time to
time. Too difficult to do all this? You can calculate your calories and macros in few
easy steps here: https://goo.gl/k9tVmP
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Sample meal plan for Ritika:

Breakfast:
Omelet Sandwich with a glass of Orange Juice (2 whole eggs and
2 egg whites + 2 slices bread + 10 grams butter + 300 ml juice)

P 26 C 62 F 19.5 Kcal 528

Lunch:
Chicken Mayo Sandwich (100 grams chicken + 2 bread slices +
150 grams non-starchy veggies + 20 grams mayo)

P 34 C 38 F 20 Kcal 468

Post-workout:

Protein banana milkshake (1 scoop whey protein + 200 ml double toned

milk + 200 grams banana)

P 34 C 81 F 5.5 Kcal 510

Snack:
Home made trail mix (50 grams raisins + 10 grams almonds + 10 grams
walnuts)

P 05 C 40 F 12 Kcal 288

Dinner:
Beans and Rice with Almond Lassi (50 grams beans and 50
grams white rice + 100 grams non-starchy veggies + 10
grams butter + Lassi - 200 grams curd + 10 grams almonds
+ 1 sachet sugar free)

P 25 C 88 F 12 Kcal 560

Total: P 124 C 309 F 69 Kcal 2353

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Progress tracking
“I am doing everything right, following a proper diet and training schedule, but
still my weight is almost the same. What is going wrong?”

You probably have found yourself in the above position many times. Pulling your hair
out and on the verge of quitting. Hold on! What if I tell you that you are tracking your
progress wrongly?

First things first, relating progress to just change in weight is a sure shot strategy for
failure. Surprised?! You should be.

Weight depends on a lot of factors like hydration levels, bowel movements, humidity,
carbohydrate intake, fluid intake, electrolyte balance, periods (women), etc. It is quite
natural for your body weight to fluctuate up to 3% on a daily basis without any change
in body composition. Well, so how do we even track progress?

Firstly, take measurements. If your weight is stable but you are losing inches, you are
doing good. These cases could be of raised cortisol levels and your body holding water
due to that. Thus, inches are reliable. Do this once every week.

Image source: https://goo.gl/8jj6bZ

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Secondly, average weigh-ins. Make sure you check your weight at the same condition
(preferably empty stomach), first thing in the morning. But wait, isn’t that counter-
productive? Not if you do it the following way:

As you can see, there are fluctuations in weight daily and at times, higher than the
previous day. But when you compare the weekly averages, there is a weight loss of 0.9
kg.

Losing 0.5-1% of your body weight per week is usually a healthy pace for almost every
individual.
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Nutrition myths
This is a major problem in the fitness industry. Self-proclaimed gurus spreading ‘bro-
science’ has often led to people fall in a trap. Let’s dig in and debunk a few myths :

Myth: Eating throughout

the day, every 3 hours,
boosts metabolism.

Fact: Number of meals do

not affect your
metabolism. Your calorie
intake and activity levels
do. Eat as you please,
don’t be a Tupperware
slave.

Myth: Breakfast like a king, dine like a pauper. No carbohydrates post 6 pm, as it gets
converted to fat.
Fact: It is the total calorie intake that makes a difference and not a light dinner. Eat
carbohydrates when you prefer to.

Myth: Protein supplements harm your kidneys.

Fact: Protein supplements, in any way, do not harm your kidneys. It is your habit of
drinking less water and not having a healthy lifestyle that harms your kidneys in the
long run.

Myth: Eating fat makes you fat.

Fact: Again, a major caloric surplus makes you fat and not fat directly. Or for that matter
any particular macronutrient or food choice.
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Myth: You need supplements / fat burners to reach your goals.
Fact: As long as you have a good training and nutrition plan, with the food items
providing all the essential macros and micro nutrients, you do not need special
supplements.

Myth: Mass gainers help you build muscle.

Fact: A slight caloric surplus along with adequate protein intake, rest and progressive
overload help you build muscle.

Myth: Dieting means eating boring boiled food for extended amounts of time.
Fact: Moderation is the key, you can achieve your goals even if you enjoy an occasional
serving of a particular food item that you like. Also, eating nutrition rich food does not
have to come at the expense of taste.

You might find some interesting stuff here: www.facebook.com/groups/GetSetCook

Myth: More than two egg yolks will harm your heart.
Fact: It is true that egg yolks have cholesterol but research has proven that dietary
cholesterol has no direct effect on serum cholesterol levels. It is the overall fitness levels
and lifestyle that affect your health markers.

Myth: Artificial sweeteners cause health problems.

Fact: There have been enough studies done on the effects of consumption of artificial
sweeteners on human beings. None of them were successful in finding a link between
the two. Enjoy your diet soda.

I just covered the doubts that came to the top of my head while writing this piece at 3
AM. I am pretty sure I have not even covered 10% of them for you.

Have more such doubts? I would be more than happy to answer them. Join our
community on www.facebook.com/groups/GetSetGoFitness and ask us about it there.
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Clean eating vs
Being flexible
Which of the following meal do you think is healthy?

Image source: https://goo.gl/9MXsS3

I am pretty sure all of you would have pointed towards the right image already in your
head. Now, let’s look at the macro break up of each :

Burger : Fats - 26 grams, Carbohydrates 18 grams, and Protein 35 grams.

Total calories : 446 kcal.

Salad : Fats - 32 grams, Carbohydrates 36 grams, and Protein 28 grams.

Total calories : 544 kcal.

Mind blown, right?!

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Now, what am I trying to convey through this image :

‣ Clean food choices do not necessarily mean it is okay to consume it in any quantity.
Calories are king and macros are important.

‣ Dieting does not have to be boring. You can occasionally enjoy foods that you like
within your macro limits.

‣ You do not have to always eat junk just because it fits in your diet. Eat nutrition rich
food as it is rich in nutrients and more satiating.

‣ Following this technique will help you stay on diet for longer and make it sustainable
rather than cycles of restricted and binge eating.
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Tracking calories
Dieting should never be a binary approach, where you levitate between 1’s and 0’s.
The ‘all or nothing’ approach works well only till it does not. In most cases, the ‘does
not work’ phase hits you quite sooner than expected.

A pre-set plan is bound to fail if it involves extreme measures. Little bit flexibility is the
key to sustainability. But that does not mean going all out. With great power comes
great responsibility. Thus even while being a bit flexible, you need to be accountable
as well.

For tracking macros / calories, you could either install an application, read nutrition
labels on packets or Google your preferred food items. If not that, then you will have
to guesstimate the calories. Acquiring precision in guesstimating takes months of
tracking. So, if you are a beginner, the former approach is better.

A good way to start for a beginner is to maintain a food log for a couple of weeks along
with average weigh-ins. By comparing those stats, you could roughly estimate your
maintenance calories.

Now, there are two degrees of precision when it comes to tracking:

Commoner approach: You hit your daily calorie goal within a range with a +/- of
100 calories. A better way here is to hit your protein requirement precisely and then
hit your remaining calorie goals within a range of +/- 100 calories.

Athlete approach: In this case, hit your daily macro goals with a deviation of +/- 5
to 10 grams in terms of protein and carbohydrates and +/- 2 to 3 grams of fat.
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Eating out
As per our social settings or cultural practices, socializing usually involves food. If you
are on a diet, it does not mean you can not go out and enjoy a dinner party with your
friends or a date with your boyfriend. It is an obstacle to hit your macro targets while
being on the road too.

Having understood calories and macros, you should be able to guesstimate that in these
situations.

Again, subjectivity comes into the picture. If you are doing a contest prep or dieting
down for a photo shoot, you would want to be as precise as possible. You need to
accurately track macros and calories. This would mean, avoid eating out as much as
possible. Even if that involves planning meals or even days in advance while traveling.
For other not-so-hard dieters, 1 or 2 meals a week is fine.

Let us look at it this way, you eat an average of 5 meals a day. This means 35 meals in
a week. You eat 1 or 2 meals out, which were only 70% accurate. This won’t hit your
progress significantly.
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But, we also need to understand that a restaurant chef is not going to weigh food for
you and then serve it. His job is to put good food on the table. Thus, smart choice is
the key.

Let’s take an example.

You go to a restaurant and order tandoori chicken. It is served with a side of salad. You
can guesstimate the calories as you know that there is nothing else used for cooking
except spices. Your caloric estimate will be 70 to 80% accurate, which is great.

In a different situation, you end up ordering butter chicken. A simple addition of

around 20 grams of butter to the dish (over your assumption) shoots up the calories by
200 approximately.

You get my point here.

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Alcohol
Golden rule regarding alcohol, moderation is the key.

What does that mean? It certainly does not mean drinking till you pass out or wake up
with a hangover. What it means is you wake up the next day and feel normal and it does
not affect your performance.

Usually, I do not recommend alcohol while dieting as the person is actively trying to
adapt to a healthy lifestyle. But then, certain occasions or cultural practices involve
alcohol. So what does moderation mean? Moderation means having one to two drinks
in two weeks or so.

I did not discuss alcohol in macro nutrients but alcohol also contains calories. 7 calories
per gram and it is usually combined with carbohydrates. Wine is made from grapes,
beer from wheat and barley and so on.
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As alcohol is not supposed to be a staple, how do we accommodate it in our diet as it

has calories? The commoner approach to calorie tracking comes into the picture.
Suppose someone is on an 2000 calorie diet and has a pint of beer which comes
around 200 calories. That leaves him with a 1800 calorie target to hit. Now, the person
has to ensure that he hits the remaining 1800 calories of the day and not exceed it. A
better way here would be hitting the protein requirement first, then hitting calories.

A good practice would be to not exceed more than 15% of the calorie goal with alcohol.

Again, my intention here is not to promote alcohol as a part of a healthy lifestyle but if
one ends up drinking, they should be able to make sure it is accounted for.
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Supplements
You were expecting this to be somewhere at the top, weren’t you?

Supplements drive the fitness industry. They help businesses generate massive
revenues. There is a host of products that promise magical results in just a matter of
weeks. Who does not want a magic pill? A certain one which you can pop, sit on the
couch and get in shape.

If only it were that easy…

A lot of fitness models and athletes endorse supplements, some which even they do
not use. Why so? Their sponsorship and earnings are highly dependent on the product
they are able to sell.

Without getting into a rant about supplements and supplement industry, let me tell you
which are the supplements you need:
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The remaining half of the previous page was intentionally left blank as there is no such
supplement that you “need”. But if you end up using them, I should make you aware of
the ones worth investing:

Creatine Monohydrate: Creatine is an organic acid which is found in small quantities

in animal products. It is the most researched supplement and has over time proven it
benefits in terms of ATP production and energy output. If you go for it, monohydrate
is your best investment and the other glorified forms like ethyl ester, HCl, etc. have
shown no signs of supremacy over the good old monohydrate.
Suggestion: http://amzn.to/2sDSQbq or http://amzn.to/2rGZJnm

Fish oil/EFA’s: Unless you are from the stone age, you probably know the importance
of Omega 3 in your diet. An ideal balance of Omega 3 : Omega 6 should be between
1:1 or 1:4, but is seldom achieved. Thus fish oil supplementation aids to achieve this
balance. A good range would be 1.8-3.0 grams of EFA’s per day.
Suggestion: http://amzn.to/2sm9cTa or http://amzn.to/2tyK4I5

Caffeine: Everyone knows that a cup of black coffee in the morning charges you up
and gets you going. Caffeine is a stimulant which improves performance and
suppresses appetite.
Suggestion: http://amzn.to/2rH4DRC (hands down the best instant coffee)
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Whey Protein: This could be a smart addition to the diet for people who are not able
to hit their daily protein requirement from the diet. It does not have any other benefits.
If you can get protein from whole foods while staying within your macros / calorie intake
limits, you do not need it.
Suggestion: http://amzn.to/2sB0XoC or http://amzn.to/2smeoXj

Multivitamin: A good option while dieting down, when the food choices are limited.
It will help to fill the micronutrient gaps that the diet fails to fill.
Suggestion: http://amzn.to/2sEaMTy or http://amzn.to/2sB7nUL

The brand suggestions here are from my personal usage and experience. By no
means do I promote or recommend the usage of the mentioned brands or
supplements. Usage of any supplement or brand is at the sole risk of the user.
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Final notes
If you are still reading this manual and have reached here, I would firstly like to thank
you for your time. I hope that this manual has helped you to simplify or at least help
you chalk out a path you can follow.

The purpose of this was to simplify things and tell you ‘what to do’ rather than ‘what not
to do’.

If you liked the manual, please do share it with your family and friends.

You could visit our website www.getsetgo.ae if you need professional help to achieve
your fitness goals.

Other places where you can find us:

– www.facebook.com/groups/getsetgofitness (highly recommended that

you join here)

– www.facebook.com/getsetgofit (Do give us a like)

– www.instagram.com/getsetgofit (Follow us here, you are awesome!)

www.getsetgo.fitness

About the author

Pratik Thakkar is a certified nutrition expert from the British Nutrition Council and
NESTA. He is a business graduate in finance and marketing and has previously worked
in the online advertising sector. But due to varied interests, he soon shifted to the
fitness industry. In his stint as an online fitness coach, in over three years, he has helped
over 500 people get fit.

This manual, as he says, “is to help people

understand the basics and to learn how to start
and what to do, rather than what not to do.”

He believes that simplification is the key. If you are

loaded with too much information, it is not going
to take you anywhere. It has to be one step at a
time.

Pratik is a strong antagonist of the ‘All or nothing’ approach when it

comes to fitness. He strongly propagates flexibility as it is only
sustainable and leads to long-term success. Fitness, after all, should
be a lifelong pursuit.