Weight Loss is all to do with Calories

What is a calorie? The definition of a calorie is “the amount of energy, or heat it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius”. A calorie is a unit of energy that is associated with food and drink and is a measure of the energy, or heat, that food produces as your body uses it as fuel. The first step in counting calories for your personal weight loss is to calculate how many calories you burn in a day (your total daily energy expenditure), this is the total number of calories that your body expends in 24 hours, including all activities. This is known as your maintenance level and will be the reference point (number of calories) from which to start your dieting. The average calorie maintenance level for women in the United States is approx 2000 per day and the average for men is approx 2500 per day. These are only basic averages and are usually much higher for athletes or active individuals. A quick and easy method to find out how many calories you require per day for weight loss and maintenance is to calculate a calorie value with a multiplier as set out below. Fat loss = multiply your bodyweight in pounds with 12 calories (12 x lb). Maintenance = multiply your bodyweight in pounds with 15 calories (15 x lb). This is a very easy method to estimate your daily caloric requirements, but it has its drawbacks as it doesn't take into account your particular activity levels or body fat levels. Despite this it will give you a good estimated figure that you can work with. The maintenance figure that you get is the amount of calories that you need to consume to stay at your current weight. To lose weight your calorie intake must be lower than the calories you burn. In order to lose one pound of fat per week, you must reduce your weekly calorie intake by 3,500 calories, which works out at five hundred calories per day. This can be done by reducing your calories by 500 or combining a diet with physical activity. The bottom line is to balance your caloric intake with the amount of calories that you are burning, that's the secret to successful dieting and weight maintenance. Becoming more conscious of counting calories in your everyday eating regime is imperative if you are trying to lose weight. Studies have shown that men and women underestimate their daily calorie consumption by 500 to almost 1000 calories. You can get a truer picture by keeping a, seven day eating plan of what you typically eat and drink during the day. At the end of each days eating, add up the total amount of calories consumed and write them down on to the eating plan. At the end of the seven days, add the total calories for the whole week and then divide by seven, you now have your daily calorie intake. Using a calorie calculator can make counting calories easier - you can total how many calories you will need for your daily activities to give you more control over how many calories you should include in your daily diet. Another technique for low calorie eating is to watch your fat intake as this has the most calories. Moderation is always important when you are counting calories, severely restricting calories, causes the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat. At the same time, hunger signals increase and you quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar, the same foods you are trying to do without. This is because when you return to normal eating habits, the drop in metabolic rate caused by the restriction in calories means that your old eating habits actually represent excess in calories. Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but also you may even gain a bit extra. Dieting by counting calories means that all foods are allowed, nothing is forbidden as long as the calories consumed don’t go over your daily calorie allowance. Counting calories can also be flexible enough to accommodate most busy lifestyles. Health professionals agree that healthy eating which includes counting calories and a low fat diet are essential for long-term healthy weight loss. The way to lose body fat and maintain muscle is to have a food program for life. Quality food and more energy output are the basics you’ll need to go for. Bulk foods that fill you up and don’t fill you out, foods that are low in fat and sugar which aren’t refined should be the ideal. Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle mass and energy levels. As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can’t, utilize a blender to make mixtures from skim milk with whatever nutrient additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total. Now use these out of the blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day.

Weight Loss Myths

Every regime has its supply of useless folk lore and half-truths that get passed on down the line from person to person. But I'd put weight loss up against any of them for what has to be the most time wasting and even the most dangerous myths out there. There is a ton of free advice seen in the media these days and if it is taken seriously, can really set you back on your weight loss endeavours. This can lead to the kind of frustration that makes people think they are "destined to remain fat for life”. This in not true, Have a look at the Weight loss myths below and draw your own conclusions. Exercise on an empty stomach and burn more fat. Effective weight loss is the total amount of calories burned during the day, not how or why they were burned. It doesn't matter if it is night or morning, so exercise early in the day has no advantage to exercise later in the day. Studies show that increased metabolism induced by anaerobic exercise is actually less after a large meal. Which probably means that more energy is being used for digestion than what is being used to repair muscle. More exercise is better. Every exercise session is beneficial to each individual, however more is not always better. It depends on what is trying to be achieved. There is a level and frequency required to achieve results. After this level is reached, additional exercise can have the opposite effect, not allowing the body to recuperate and adapt to the stress induced by the exercise, which can be detrimental to your results. After stopping exercise muscle will turn to fat. This in not possible, Muscle and fat are two different types of tissues in the body and you cannot convert one into the other. This is like trying to turn water into milk. If you stop training, the muscles will shrink in size - and do not disappear. The more calories taken in that are not burned off will be deposited as fat. If you’re not sweating, you’re not working hard enough. Sweating is the body's way of cooling itself down. Many factors contribute to body temperature, including room temperature, types of exercise done, body-fat levels, clothing, and exercise intensity. The intensity for exercise can't be judged by the amount you sweat. A well-trained person will often sweat a lot because their body can more efficiently regulate heat. Taking sugar before exercise to raise energy levels. Ingestion of sugar will lead to a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. This rapid rise stimulates a release of insulin, which quickly removes the excess sugar from the blood system, often causing your blood sugar levels to drop, sometimes below the level that it started at, leading to faster exhaustion. Gaining weight is just a part of getting older. Getting older is not an excuse for gaining weight! As we age and begin a more sedentary lifestyle we start to lose muscle mass. The efficiency of your metabolism is directly linked to how much muscle you have on your body. The most efficient way of maintaining your body's muscle mass and keeping your metabolism from dropping, is by doing a high intensity strength training workout once a week. X is the best form of exercise. Claims like this are usually based on marketing strategy and personal bias. Even when claims are based on factual information, they have little practical value to the average exerciser. The most important thing is to choose an activity that you like, and perform it properly and consistently. If it’s fat free I can have as much as I want. Unfortunately fat free doesn't mean calorie free. The word fat free is misleading because if you overeat on anything, even fat free foods and you don't burn off those calories, your body will store the excess as fat. Don't drink water when you exercise or you will get cramps. By drinking litres of icy cold water in one go while exercising you will probably suffer from cramps. This is why it is important to drink water continuously before, during and after exercising to replace the fluid you've lost and avoid any discomfort. By not having a personal trainer I wont make gains. Hiring a personal trainer is one way you can use to reach your goals, but you are an adult capable of making decisions and setting your own goals once you have the knowledge of how to go about it. Following a good exercise program and eating plan does not require someone standing over you and telling you how to do it. By exercising my abs I will lose my pot belly. Exercising your abdominals will help to tone and firm the abdominal region, but it will not reduce fat deposits that are responsible for a pot belly. Fat reduction comes from burning more calories than you take in. Fat is reduced uniformly throughout the body there is no such thing as spot reduction.

Weight Loss Strategies

If you want any weight loss program to work you have to perform "Strength Training". It's absolutely imperative during the course of a lifetime not only for weight loss goals but also for general health and well-being. For years we have been told to diet the excess fat from our bodies and throw in some fast walking to hasten the process. The trouble with this is that the low calorie restricted diet would throw the body into starvation mode, with the body holding onto the fat and using precious lean muscle tissue for energy. This would "Lower Your Metabolism" causing greater muscle loss and once the diet was broken the original fat returned, and you would have greater chance of gaining even more fat. "A Vicious Cycle" Eventually, your body would become used to the diet and then you will reach a point where nothing was happening. So what do you do now? Try weight loss supplements, creams, massage, toning tables, drugs. You should know by now that these don't work. There is a better way, it's simply... "Strength Training" Many studies are showing that Strength Training is a superior method for weight loss. (Ladies, you won't bulk up by using weights, you don't have the testosterone to get big and muscular, so don't worry). If you don't incorporate Strength Training into your weight loss program then look forward to "disappointing results". The days of strength training three to five days a week in the gym, an hour at a time are long gone. That just doesn't work. One short strength-training workout a week done at home or in the gym will melt away more fat than you would have ever thought possible. Fats, Figures and Cardio Work We've already found out that by increasing the functional muscle on your body, you increase your resting metabolic rate. Due to the HIGHER metabolic rate you can now eat MORE calories, which means that you won't need to starve anymore to lose weight. In a sense, fewer calories have to be cut back from our daily intake of food and successful dieting (provided that you eat the right foods) will become more likely. As far as Fats are concerned, they're burned from the body when cells oxidize to release energy in the form of exercise. When exercise is done slowly to moderately for 20 to 30 minutes, then the majority of energy is TAKEN from the fat stores. It's important to understand that the loss of fat comes from fat cells ALL OVER the body, NOT just from one or more specific areas. Therefore, fat reduction of a certain area is not generally possible. The best exercise for the purpose of fat loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors. Walk until you are mildly puffing and hold that rate for the allotted time. If your cardio activities leave you panting or breathless ~ you are going too hard. Your energy will be then coming from your carbohydrate reserves and not from your fat stores. Nutrition For Weight Loss Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle and energy levels. Foods with vital vitamin and mineral supplements should also be taken on a daily basis. By decreasing the amount of calories you eat per day to the weight loss amount, you should start losing weight. Don't go any lower and check the mirror regularly to judge your progress. If you don't have an accurate idea of how many calories your consuming a day, how will you know whether you’re overeating or not? Another word about diets... They'll send the body into starvation mode; a survival mechanism from long ago when humans faced periods of famine. Cutting back on your calories too low will cause the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat. At the same time, hunger signals increase and we quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar. The same foods we are trying to do without. Here are some great eating tips for you to consider:  Reduce both obvious and hidden fats.  Record food intake to identify problem areas.  Be aware of times when you over eat.  Avoid severe food restriction.  Monitor body fat levels, not weight.  Aim for moderate fat loss (one pound per week)