Advice about Calorie Counting

Dear Jessy,

I currently have been working outwith a trainer consistently. My workouts have been intense, combining heavy weights and shorter rest periods. I have seen results, but it is happening slowly as with anything that is worthwhile. My question to you is about dietand nutrition. I have asked people time and time again whether I should be concerned with counting calories or just making sure that I am getting the appropriate macronutrients in every meal. I wanted to get a final answer on this, so any help or advice on this would be appreciated. Currently I am 136 pounds and about 25% body fat which is still high. I would like to see that number come down to about 17, so I know I have my work cut out for me

Thanks,

Jill

Dear Jill,

By now you probably know that it takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose one pound of body fat. It is certainly not an exact science but one rule of thumb that I follow is to multiply my ideal weight (allowing for muscle growth, which weighs more than fat) by 10 to get the number of calories my body needs just to survive on a daily basis.

So, for me, at 5'6", I feel that my ideal weight is around 120. This puts me at 1200 calories. Next you have to figure in the amount of calories needed to fuel your daily activities.

If you have a sedentary lifestyle, sitting at a desk all day, no exercise, you would likely add about 300 calories to come up with your daily total. This would put me at 1500 to keep me from gaining weight with such little activity in my life.

If you are moderately to very active, add between 500 - 800 calories. This would put my daily total between 1700 - 1900 calories. You may need to play with these numbers over time to find your true caloric needs, because all of our metabolisms are different, some slow, some moderate and some quick.

Once you've established your caloric needs, divide that number by 5 or 6, depending on the number of meals you have throughout the day. Smaller, more frequent meals will boost your metabolism and give you quicker results than the usual 3 meals a day that we are all accustomed to.

For example, as of today I am lifting heavier and harder than usual. I have decided to follow a meal plan for 1900 calories, which divided by 6 meals, puts me at 300 calories per meal. I then keep the ratio of macronutrients to about 50% protein, 30% carbohydrates and 20% fat.

I am not typically concerned with keeping this exact. I just try to keep my protein at enough grams to promote muscle growth, so about 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, so 110 - 160.

I keep my carbs just below those numbers and only incorporate good fats into my diet, remembering that too much fat, good or bad, will ultimately make you fat. However, some fat is necessary to maintain hormones and keep our metabolism running. I typically cut out carbsother than vegetables for my last meal of the day.

This is the formula I follow throughout the year. As competitions and photo shoots approach, that’s a different story. Bottom line, it is all about finding a balance. Too many calories and you will likely gain fat. Too few calories and your metabolism will slow down, kick into preservation mode and once again, likely gain fat. Your body will store anything you eat to protect its organs and keep from starving. Find a balance by paying attention to the numbers if you really want to make a difference in your physique. It is amazing how much eating and/or starving ourselves we tend to do, without even realizing it.