The 3 Rookie Diet Problems Holding You Back Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Eating The 3 Rookie Diet Problems Holding You Back Avoid These Nutritional Stumbling Blocks by Tanner Shuck October 21, 2021October 15, 2021 Tags Feeding the Ideal Body Anyone can change their body by doing the right things consistently. And you'll automatically do the right things by avoiding the biggest diet problems. Here are the top three rookie nutrition mistakes. Diet Problem 1 Not Knowing Your Numbers The first place to start when trying to lean out or build muscle is to calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Your TDEE is basically how many calories your body needs to maintain your current body weight, given your current body composition and activity level. Without knowing yours, there's no way to accurately track whether you're eating in a caloric deficit, surplus, or maintenance. You'll never know where you're going if you don't even know where you are. (Try this calorie calculator to get started.) Diet Problem 2 Not Eating Enough Protein Protein is by far the most important macronutrient, but it's often the most under-consumed. Adequate protein helps build and repair damaged muscles and is also paramount to maintain existing muscle. If your goal is weight loss, aim to eat a minimum of one gram of protein per pound of body weight. You may even get even better results if you consume a bit more (1.1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound) as long as you remain in a caloric deficit. An important caveat here is if you're overweight or have more than 25% body fat. In that case, consume a gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (LBM). So if you're a 300-pound male who's 40% body fat, you'd need to do a little math to figure out approximate LBM. Just multiply 300 by .60, which will give you 180 pounds of lean body mass. In this case, you'd consume 180 grams of protein. Another caveat: If you're trying to gain weight and build muscle, you'd only need to eat 0.75 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Science has shown this amount of protein is enough to build muscle as long as you're getting adequate carbohydrates. Your carbs should be around 50% of your daily calories while you eat in a caloric surplus. Diet Problem 3 Not Understanding Your Relationship With Food Food is very personal to all of us. No one diet works for all people, which is why I never advocate specific diets, but rather specific principles. A good rule of thumb? If it didn't exist 100 years ago, then don't eat it. Avoid refined carbs and vegetable or seed oils. And rather than eating on impulse, take a moment and think about your food. Ask yourself these three questions: Why am I eating this? What's this going to do for my body? Is this meal helping or hurting me? When you eat more for purpose and less for pleasure, your entire perspective on food changes. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Diet & Fat Loss Tip Simple Macros for Muscle Building No need to overcomplicate things. Lift hard and follow these easy guidelines. Bodybuilding, Building Muscle, Diet Strategy, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips Eric Bach November 29 Eating Top 3 Nutritional Mistakes No reaching your physique goals? Are you making one of these common mistakes? Check out the list. Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements Mike Roussell, PhD May 3 Eating Tip The T-Boosting Tendon-Healing Vitamin To get jacked and heal injuries at the same time, make sure you're getting enough of this. Nutrition & Supplements, Testosterone Boosters, Tips, Vitamin B5 TC Luoma March 11 Supplements Tip Testosterone Blood Tests Are Garbage The President's total testosterone is 441. Does that mean anything? Here's what you don't know about T testing. Nutrition & Supplements, Testosterone Boosters, Testosterone Optimization, Tips TC Luoma October 22