 By Elena Voropay
Sound nutritious diet and regular exercise will help you stay healthy. If you are not satisfied with your weight, you need to modify your eating and/or physical activity habbits. Weight loss is actually quite simple. Either eat less food (less calories) or eat different food (same volume, less calories), and add exercise. To lose a pound of weight, you need to burn 3,500 more calories than you take in. Same thing applies to gaining body weight. But how many calories do you already burn every day?
1. Calculate your BMR.(the number of calories needed for survival) Remember that resting metabolic rate is the largest contributor to total energy expenditure, accounting for approximately 60% to 75% of daily energy expenditure. It is a measure of the calories required for maintaining normal body functions such as heart beat, breathing, thinking, and even regulating body temperature. You can increase your resting metabolic rate by adding lean tissue (or building muscle) and by engaging in physical activity. However, there are other factors that influence your energy expenditure. Hyperthyroidism, menstrual cycle, younger age, and increased body temperature all increase your resting or basal metabolic rate. On the other end, low caloric intake, hypothyroidism and loss of lean tissue contribute to slower metabolism. 2. Figure out how many calories you burn during physical activities throughout the day: Multiply your BMR by : - 0.2 if you hardly ever exercise - 0.3 if you do light exercise (walking for no more than 2 hours a day) - 0.4 if you do moderate exercise, like heavy housework, gardening, dancing, and rately sit down during the day - 0.5 if you are very active in sports, have a physically demanding job, or train hard in the gym 3. Add your BMR and physical activity calories together - now you've got some idea how many calories you expand every 24 hours. This is approximately how much you need to maintain you weight. 4. Depending on your goal - to lose or to gain weight - adjust your fuel intake. Reasonable expectations for fat loss (without sacrificing lean tissue) fall around 1-2 pounds a week. If you are looking to add muscle mass, the mechanism is more complicated. Your increased caloric intake should be accompanied by intense, but well-developed periodized weight training program. One thing to remember is that it is virtually impossible to lose fat and gain lean mass at the same time. To lose fat you have to eat less. To gain muscle you have to eat more. And these two are mutually exclusive strategies. |
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