Did you ever take a few seconds to really figure out and understand all those numbers shown on your MyFitnessPal food journal? I thought Id spend a few minutes tonight explaining where some of them come from... First, lets talk about your total calories. Forget the old school 1,200 calories for weight loss rule. Thats a subjective number that some fitness pro pulled out of their you-know-what... Honestly, you probably WOULD lose weight eating 1,200 calories per day... But half of the weight lost would could from a decrease in lean muscle mass, not fat! Youd end up being skinny fat, and likely still complain about the way you look, and especially the way you feel! I mean really... How much energy can 1,200 calories possibly provide!? With that being clarified, how DO you come up with a baseline number of calories per day? Why, you calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate) of course! This is the total number of calories your body burns each day, factored upon your height, weight, age, gender, and daily activity level. If you eat this number of calories each day, you will neither gain nor lose weight, and will maintain your current weight until you change your caloric intake one way or the other. For instance, right now my BMR (total calories to maintain weight) is about 2,300 calories. This may seem like a lot! But at 56 tall, 128 pounds, 29 years old, female, and 2-3 workouts per day, 5 days per week... Thats what I need to fuel my body without gaining or losing! Now, we start making adjustments to reach our fitness goals. One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories, so to lose one pound of fat per week, you need to cut 500 calories per day from your diet. To gain weight (either in general, or muscle mass), youd do the opposite. Now you have a new daily total calorie goal to work with. On to your macronutrients... The more intense exercise you do, the more carbs you need. Why? Because carbs provide the fast energy you need to fuel your high-energy workouts! My personal food journal is set at 45% carbs, 35% protein, and 20% fat. If you are not working out 2-3 times per day, you really dont need this many carbs. For general weight loss done the slow and steady (aka. healthiest way), I recommend a 40% carb, 40% protein, 20% fat division of your total calories. This macro-nutrient ratio provides enough carbs to fuel workouts and keep you feeling energized the rest of the day, enough protein to provide building blocks or lean muscle, and enough fat to keep you feeling satiated, but also low enough for your body to burn the fat it already has stored! MyFitnessPal shows both your goal numbers and your actual numbers. For the best results, you should try to meet your macronutrient goals as closely as possible! Remember what Ive said before... Sculpting the body of your dreams via a healthy diet involves three things: what, how much, and when! Follow the plan mapped out for you, and youll see amazing results! If you need help revamping your diet, you know who to ask :)
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 01:03:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015