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.

The Basics on Weight Management and Caloric Intake!

 

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Losing weight, gaining weight or maintaining your weight depends on the amount of calories you take in and use up during the day, otherwise referred to as energy balance. Learning how to balance energy intake (calories in food) with energy output (calories expended through physical activity) will help you achieve your desired weight.

Although the underlying causes and the treatments of obesity are complex, the concept of energy balance is relatively simple. If you eat more calories than your body needs to perform your day's activities, the extra calories are stored as fat. If you do not take in enough calories to meet your body's energy needs, your body will go to the stored fat to make up the difference (Exercise helps ensure that stored fat, rather than muscle tissue, is used to meet your energy needs.) If you eat just about the same amount of calories to meet your body's energy needs, your weight will stay the same.

On the average, a person consumes between 800,000 and 900,000 calories each year! An active person needs more calories than a sedentary person, as physically active people require energy above and beyond the day's basic needs. All too often, people who want to lose weight concentrate on counting calorie intake while neglecting calorie output. The most powerful formula is the combination of dietary modification with exercise. By increasing your daily physical activity and decreasing your caloric input you can lose excess weight in the most efficient and healthful way.

Counting Calories
Each pound of fat your body stores represents 3,500 calories of unused energy. In order to lose one pound, you would have to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories by either taking in 3,500 less calories over a period of time than you need or doing 3,500 calories worth of exercise. It you want to lose two pounds a week then you would need to use up 7,000 calories in one weeks time if you are not changing your current diet plan.

Adding 15 minutes of moderate exercise, say walking one mile, to your daily schedule will use up 100 extra calories per day. (Your body uses approximately 100 calories of energy to walk one mile, depending on your body weight.) Maintaining this schedule would result in an extra 700 calories per week used up, or a loss of about 10 pounds in one year, assuming your food intake stays the same. (The amount of calories burned would increase with a more vigorous exercise program such as one you would get at a personal training gym like Peoria's Club Fitness.)

To look at energy balance another way, just one extra slice of bread or one extra soft drink a day – or any other food that contains approximately 100 calories – can add up to ten extra pounds in a year if the amount of physical activity you do does not increase. lf you already have a lean figure and want to keep it you should exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet that provides enough calories to make up for the energy you expend. If you wish to gain weight you should exercise regularly and increase the number of calories you consume until you reach your desired weight. Exercise will help ensure that the weight you gain will be lean muscle mass, not extra fat.

Source: http://health-vip.cn/