Confusion: The Calorie-Restriction & Calories-Burned Ratio!
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ZenVen
Posts: 8
> One of the biggest topics that I read or hear about in the Weight-Loss-World invovles some variation of people begining to restrict their caloric intake and exercise more, and then becoming confused as to why they aren't losing the weight that at a rate they wish they were.
> This can be explained rather simply, as it was explained to me by my Sister who is a MEPS Trainer for the National Guard:
> Lets start with the basics: Weight loss is a journey that each person has to plan out on their own, to cater to their own body shape and preferences as well as both their short and long-term goals. No one (other than certified medical & weight loss prefessionals) should map out your weight loss plan for you. A large part of losing weight is re-learning what we think we already know about Food and Exercise and living a wholistically healthy life. Basically, High-School Nutrition all over again, with a few tweaks.
> So, Step One: Cut back on what you're taking in. Going from a 2,000 Kcal diet to a 1,500 Kcal diet alone will allow you to lose weight, though slowly. It's not just cutting back on calories,either, it also means that the calories that you are consuming come from vegetables and fruits and protines, rather than from sugars and fat and complex carbohydrates. Trading the BK Stacker and Fries for the Steamed Salmon and Veggies. Easy, right?
> Ok, lets add Step Two: Exercise More. Sounds simple enough, as long as you do something that gets you up off of the sofa and into the welcoming arms of Better Health. Jog, Swim, Walk the Dog; anything is a good thing as long as you get your heart pumping and your muscles moving. There is no rule for how long or how intense your work-outs have to be, all that is important is that you stick to it and train yourself to exercie on a regular basis. Cake, right?
> It's when you add the two together that people start to get confused.
> Lets say that you restricted your caloric intake to 1,200 Kcals a day. You've also decided that you're going to start working out at least once a day with a goal to burn, lets say, at least 100 Kcals per work-out. This plan doesn't sound too complicated on paper - but once you start doing the math, it starts to get a little odd.
> Your Brain requires a minimum of 500 Kcals a day to keep the organs in your body operating at Rest (1,200 - 500 = 700). After a long day of desk work (we'll estimate it at an 8 hour/480min* day), shuffling papers and getting up every now and again to use the restroom (700 - 200* = 500), you come home and decide that you'll go to the gym and burn a few calories (500 - 100 = 400) to make up for all of the food that you've eaten today.
> What you haven't realized is that throughout the day you've been burning away all of the calories that you've been eating, and you've left yourself with a small surplus of a meager 400 Kcals. This is a tiny number! Who knew? By this point your body is saying "Hey, 400 Kcals really isn't all that much - so I'm gonna hold onto all of the fats and sugars and weight that I can since I'm not being fed properly." Bam: Starvation Mode, the nemasis of all weight loss plans.
> Basically, if you don't eat back the calories that you burn (to an extent - I'm not saying calorie for calorie), your body will struggle with losing weight due to it being stress-shocked into thinking that it's starving. Eat something after a work-out, a pice of fruit or a protien shake. Train your body to understand that even after a work-out it will still be taken care of, that it's okay to drop the "bad weight" (fat) in favor of the "good weight" (muscle); and this way that plateu that you've been finding yourself on will slowly go away, until you find yourself at your desired weight.
> I hope that this hasn't been too rambly or ridiculous, I just wanted to part with some knowledge that was given to me so that you guys and gals could benefit too! ~ Cheers & Healthy Eating!
> Any Thoughts? :happy:
> *It's estimated that an 8 hour work day (desk job) burns anywhere between 200 and 300 Kcals as you do simple tasks, per the U.S. Health Status Calories Consumed / Calories Burned calculation system.
> This can be explained rather simply, as it was explained to me by my Sister who is a MEPS Trainer for the National Guard:
> Lets start with the basics: Weight loss is a journey that each person has to plan out on their own, to cater to their own body shape and preferences as well as both their short and long-term goals. No one (other than certified medical & weight loss prefessionals) should map out your weight loss plan for you. A large part of losing weight is re-learning what we think we already know about Food and Exercise and living a wholistically healthy life. Basically, High-School Nutrition all over again, with a few tweaks.
> So, Step One: Cut back on what you're taking in. Going from a 2,000 Kcal diet to a 1,500 Kcal diet alone will allow you to lose weight, though slowly. It's not just cutting back on calories,either, it also means that the calories that you are consuming come from vegetables and fruits and protines, rather than from sugars and fat and complex carbohydrates. Trading the BK Stacker and Fries for the Steamed Salmon and Veggies. Easy, right?
> Ok, lets add Step Two: Exercise More. Sounds simple enough, as long as you do something that gets you up off of the sofa and into the welcoming arms of Better Health. Jog, Swim, Walk the Dog; anything is a good thing as long as you get your heart pumping and your muscles moving. There is no rule for how long or how intense your work-outs have to be, all that is important is that you stick to it and train yourself to exercie on a regular basis. Cake, right?
> It's when you add the two together that people start to get confused.
> Lets say that you restricted your caloric intake to 1,200 Kcals a day. You've also decided that you're going to start working out at least once a day with a goal to burn, lets say, at least 100 Kcals per work-out. This plan doesn't sound too complicated on paper - but once you start doing the math, it starts to get a little odd.
> Your Brain requires a minimum of 500 Kcals a day to keep the organs in your body operating at Rest (1,200 - 500 = 700). After a long day of desk work (we'll estimate it at an 8 hour/480min* day), shuffling papers and getting up every now and again to use the restroom (700 - 200* = 500), you come home and decide that you'll go to the gym and burn a few calories (500 - 100 = 400) to make up for all of the food that you've eaten today.
> What you haven't realized is that throughout the day you've been burning away all of the calories that you've been eating, and you've left yourself with a small surplus of a meager 400 Kcals. This is a tiny number! Who knew? By this point your body is saying "Hey, 400 Kcals really isn't all that much - so I'm gonna hold onto all of the fats and sugars and weight that I can since I'm not being fed properly." Bam: Starvation Mode, the nemasis of all weight loss plans.
> Basically, if you don't eat back the calories that you burn (to an extent - I'm not saying calorie for calorie), your body will struggle with losing weight due to it being stress-shocked into thinking that it's starving. Eat something after a work-out, a pice of fruit or a protien shake. Train your body to understand that even after a work-out it will still be taken care of, that it's okay to drop the "bad weight" (fat) in favor of the "good weight" (muscle); and this way that plateu that you've been finding yourself on will slowly go away, until you find yourself at your desired weight.
> I hope that this hasn't been too rambly or ridiculous, I just wanted to part with some knowledge that was given to me so that you guys and gals could benefit too! ~ Cheers & Healthy Eating!
> Any Thoughts? :happy:
> *It's estimated that an 8 hour work day (desk job) burns anywhere between 200 and 300 Kcals as you do simple tasks, per the U.S. Health Status Calories Consumed / Calories Burned calculation system.
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this is awesome! thank you. x0
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