Nutrition Fundamentals

Fueling Your Progress

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, we built a structured workout plan with exercises, sets, reps, and progressive overload. Training breaks muscle down. Nutrition builds it back stronger. Without proper nutrition, even the best workout plan produces mediocre results.

There’s a saying in fitness: “You can’t out-train a bad diet.” It’s not entirely true—exercise has massive benefits regardless of diet. But if you want to maximize results from your training, nutrition is the amplifier.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

• Calculate your calorie needs based on your goals
• Set macronutrient targets for muscle building or fat loss
• Use AI to create a practical meal plan that fits your lifestyle

Calories: The Energy Equation

Your body burns a certain number of calories each day to stay alive and function. This is called your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).

TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier

The Three States

Caloric surplus (eating more than TDEE): Weight gain. Needed for muscle building. Caloric balance (eating roughly at TDEE): Weight maintenance. Caloric deficit (eating less than TDEE): Weight/fat loss.

✅ Quick Check: If your TDEE is 2,200 calories and your goal is fat loss, what’s your target calorie range?

How AI Helps

“I’m [age] years old, [height], [weight], [gender]. I exercise [frequency]. Calculate my estimated TDEE and recommended calorie target for [your goal: fat loss / muscle gain / maintenance]. Show your calculations.”

Macronutrients: The Big Three

Calories tell you how much to eat. Macros tell you what to eat.

Protein

Role: Muscle repair and growth, satiety (keeps you full), metabolic support.

How much: 0.7-1.0 grams per pound of body weight for active individuals.

Sources: Chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils, tofu, protein powder.

Example: A 160 lb person training for muscle building should aim for 112-160g protein daily.

Carbohydrates

Role: Primary fuel for exercise, brain function, recovery.

How much: 40-50% of total calories for active individuals. Adjust based on activity level.

Sources: Rice, oats, potatoes, bread, pasta, fruit, vegetables.

Note: Carbs are not the enemy. They fuel your workouts and aid recovery. Cutting them too low reduces training performance.

Fats

Role: Hormone production (including testosterone, crucial for muscle building), joint health, vitamin absorption.

How much: 20-30% of total calories. Don’t go below 20%.

Sources: Olive oil, avocado, nuts, fatty fish, eggs, cheese.

Putting Macros Together

Example for a 160 lb person eating 2,000 calories for fat loss:

How AI Helps

“I weigh [X] lbs and my daily calorie target is [Y] calories for [goal]. Calculate my macronutrient targets in grams. Then suggest a sample day of eating (3 meals + 1 snack) that hits these targets using foods I enjoy: [list preferred foods].”

Meal Planning Made Simple

Forget complex meal prep systems. Start with a simple framework:

The Plate Method

For each main meal, aim for:

• 1/3 protein (palm-sized portion)
• 1/3 complex carbs (fist-sized portion)
• 1/3 vegetables (generous portion)
• Small serving of healthy fat (thumb-sized)

This visual approach gets you close to good macros without weighing everything.

Meal Timing

Research shows meal timing matters far less than most people think. The basics:

• Eat protein across the day (3-4 servings spread out works better than all at once)
• Eat something before training if your session is intense (even a banana)
• Post-workout nutrition within 2 hours supports recovery (protein + carbs)
• Total daily intake matters more than when you eat it

How AI Helps

“Create a 7-day meal plan for me:

• Daily targets: [calories], [protein]g protein, [carbs]g carbs, [fat]g fat
• Dietary preferences: [any restrictions or preferences]
• Meals per day: [number]
• Cooking time: [max minutes per meal]
• Budget: [any constraints]

Include a grocery list organized by store section.”

Common Nutrition Mistakes

Eating too little protein. Most people eat half what they need for fitness goals. Prioritize protein at every meal.

Cutting calories too aggressively. A 1,000-calorie deficit feels productive but leads to muscle loss, metabolic slowdown, and binge eating. Stick to 300-500 below TDEE.

Demonizing food groups. No macronutrient is inherently bad. Carbs fuel training. Fats support hormones. Extreme elimination diets are rarely sustainable.

Perfectionism. Hitting your targets 80% of the time produces 95% of the results. One bad meal doesn’t ruin your progress.

Try It Yourself

Build your personalized nutrition plan:

“Here’s my profile: [age, weight, height, gender, activity level, goal]. Calculate my TDEE, daily calorie target, and macro targets. Then create a simple 3-day meal plan with:

• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and one snack each day
• Approximate calories and protein for each meal
• A grocery list for all 3 days
• One simple meal prep tip to save time during the week”

Key Takeaways

• Calories determine weight change: surplus for gain, deficit for loss, balance for maintenance
• Protein is priority #1 for anyone who exercises: aim for 0.7-1.0g per pound of body weight
• The Plate Method (1/3 protein, 1/3 carbs, 1/3 vegetables) simplifies meal building
• Consistency beats perfection: hitting targets 80% of the time produces excellent results
• AI creates personalized meal plans with grocery lists in minutes

Up Next

In Lesson 5: Progress Tracking, we’ll build systems to measure whether your training and nutrition are actually working. What gets measured gets managed—and what gets managed gets improved.