Calories
Extreme Diets: Why Do People Do Them?
A few days ago, I was watching a 20/20 episode we recorded a while ago. It discussed a number of diets out there that are controversial, yet a lot of people follow them.
First, the episode showed more about the feeding tube or K-E Diet. This in particular was extremely concerning. Basically, a doctor puts a tube in your stomach through your nose and a pump provides you with a blend of nutrients throughout the day, for a total of 800 calories a day.
This amount of calories is shockingly low as it is not even enough to support your body’s basal metabolism (the amount of energy your body needs to keep vital functions going without any extra activity). Therefore, you end up losing a lot of important tissue in your body which is not fat, plus it is not enough to support your organs to function properly.
Surprisingly, many brides do this diet since it gives quick results for their special day. However, it is not without danger for your health. It also makes your body retain more after the diet and I can imagine many people splurge and gain more weight back later.
The statistics show that 80% of people on diets regain their weight. Now why is that? One reason for it is that most diets are so extreme that people can’t stay on them. They get some results (often not as much as they are hoping for) and they get back in their old habits. Other diets revolve around pills, of which many are nonsense. Some that do have active ingredients may have some effect. However there is no such thing as a magic pill. Instead, you need to change your habits, eat well, work out responsibly and adjust your lifestyle.
Also please be wary of ‘before and after’ pictures. Just check out this video.
We all know obesity rates are extremely high and it is a huge problem. Even though we live longer than we did hundreds of years ago, we can do much better. Many companies and individuals take advantage of people feeling desperate and helpless and promise them amazing results. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way and even more sad is that so many people believe these ads or claims.
Please do not let someone talk you into spending tremendous amounts of money for something that doesn’t really work or may be hazardous for your health. Instead, find an honest professional who will tell you the truth. And you may not really like it but at least you will do the right thing and get your body healthier. Instead of losing 30 lbs. in 30 days, it may take you 90 days but at least you can rely on this information and your body will become healthier without any exaggerated stress, chemicals or deprivation. Plus you will not have to spend an extraordinary amount of money.
With hard work, dedication and good support, you can change your lifestyle and become a healthier you. However, be cautious and critical when looking for ‘magical’ solutions.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
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Carb Loading for Athletes
07/06/12 14:51 Filed in: Fitness | Nutrition | My experiences | Martial Arts | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu | Other | Strength & Conditioning
If you are familiar with the term carb loading, you know it’s a method used by a lot of endurance athletes to increase the storage of glycogen (for energy use) in the body.
For many martial artists, this does not necessarily apply if you are cutting weight for tournaments. You can still cut carbs the days before (which you have to anyway) and then maximize your intake after weigh ins but you will by far not have the same exact effect as for example a cyclist doing carb loading because you do not have enough time to load carbs after weigh ins, which are often the day before the event.
An average person in normal circumstances has enough glycogen stored in the body to last you for 90 minutes when doing a physical activity, such as running, cycling, etc.
When you carb load, you can increase the amount of glycogen stored from 25-100% (for adult men shown in some studies, results for women are less steady), which means it your body’s reserves will last you longer than 90 minutes so any loss in performance by lack of energy will be postponed or not be present at all if you fuel your body during the activity.
First and foremost, it is important to increase your carb intake the last few days before your goal event or race. You do need to make sure this does not cause any intestinal problems that may affect your performance. If you have never done carb loading before, try it out before during training to see how your system reacts.
The first phase of carb loading:
A week before the race, decrease your carb intake (don’t cut them out all together) and resume your training as normal. Increase your protein and fat intake to compensate for the lowered carb intake. This will make your body react to the lack of carbs but not deteriorate your body of performance by cutting calories. About 50-55% of your caloric intake should come from carbs during these two to three days.
The second phase of carb loading:
Three to four days before the event or race, increase your carb intake drastically and cut back on your fat intake. At this point, about 70% of your total calorie intake should consist of carbohydrates. Lower your training intensity and frequency to allow your body to store more glycogen (converted from carbs) than normal. The day before the race, rest completely or do an extremely light workout to loosen your muscles.
Even though you do carb loading, you may still feel fatigued during or after the race. This may be muscle damage, buildup from lactic acid etc. Energy storage and processes are only one piece of the puzzle. However when done right, it may benefit your performance drastically. Don’t forget to continue to fuel your body during the race to prevent fatigue. When carb loading, a temporary weight gain is seen frequently. When your body stores more carbs it also stores more water, therefore the weight gain. This should however be temporary. If you have long term weight gain, you are most likely consuming too many calories overall.
Every individual responds differently to carb loading and discuss the process with your doctor, trainer or nutritionist in more depth before attempting.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
30 Day Paleo Challenge: Final Article
During March, I participated in a 30 day Paleo challenge. As you may have read in my previous posts, my experience was double sided. I did really enjoy some of the healthy changes I had to make, such as eating more fruit, vegetables, soup and nuts. This made a huge difference and got me more into a routine of eating these items, which are of course fantastic for your body and health. Please note I will not go into the details of the diet and what to do, this is purely about my experience and not intended to explain what you should be eating.
Other things, I wasn’t as much a fan of. So many things were cut out of my diet that it caused me to get very bored of certain foods. Also, dropping so much water weight (6lbs. at a certain point) wasn’t very fun. I was thirsty all the time and got dehydrated very quickly, not to mention I looked very deflated (since you retain more water when you eat more carbs).
During the challenge, I ran into a bigger problem though. Since my work requires me to stand, run, exercise and do many more things for long periods of time, my total exercise duration every week (with individual training as well) easily exceeds 15-18 hours of sports. Doing the Paleo diet caused my performance to go down. As I wrote in my previous article, I switched to Paleo for Athletes and reintroduced carbs to accommodate my high levels of exercise. This made a huge difference and got my performance levels back to their original levels (and went up since). This was more in line with how I normally cut weight and watch my food intake when cutting. It is a very manageable way of eating and fueling your body right. The right amount of carbs in the right times are hugely important, combine that with the health benefits of some Paleo ideas and you’re on the right track! Since starting on March 1st, I lost 10lbs, am close to my goal competition weight and did not compromise my performance or lean mass.
In my opinion, athletes need to eat more carbs than the Paleo diet can offer, that is why Dr. Cordain, who wrote the books on the Paleo diet, recommends athletes to make these adjustments.
Even though it was not ideal for me (which I knew beforehand but I considered this an experiment), the Paleo diet may work much better for others. Certain ideas of it make perfect sense and most importantly of all, it does not allow you to eat manipulated and processed foods, chemicals etc. These foods are a huge reason why so many individuals are unhealthy and obese. In my opinion, eating unprocessed foods is one of the most important changes you can make in a diet.
People need guidance. Perhaps that is why the Paleo diet is so popular and I am positive it works for many people. If you are looking to cut weight and you are not very active, it is likely to do just that for you. If you are very active, it may still work but I think there may be better ways. There are many articles and studies out there that tell you why to eat and why not to eat certain foods. Many foods have changed (the nutritional value) over the last 10,000 and even 50 years. However, for every pro study there is a con study. At the end, you need to do what works for you, using common sense.
You should strive to eat as healthy as possible, fuel your body and give it what it needs and don’t get frustrated along the way because if you do, you are likely to give up. Go ahead and cheat a bit every once and a while, just be smart and disciplined about it. If you need help or you plan on starting a new nutrition or training program, go to a professional and ask for advice and motivation, both for nutrition and training needs.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
Switching to Paleo for Athletes!
Since my latest blog I’ve made quite a few changes in my 30 day Paleo experiment. I have also made a lot of progress!
In my second week of doing the Paleo diet, I found myself to be lacking energy to work out hard and also my performance went down. Especially with weight lifting, the difference was remarkable. Perhaps I didn’t eat enough of certain things or too many of others but whatever caused this, it was a problem. The fact that I teach martial arts and do personal training for a living has surely something to do with it. My body definitely needs more fuel than others since I am on my feet all day and I try to participate when teaching as much as possible. This easily adds up to 18 hours of training every week.
One more problem I had with the diet (which is a personal fault) is that I got bored of most foods. As mentioned before, if you are a picky eater it will become frustrating since you can’t eat certain things and you have to eat tons of others. This is of course a personal problem and most people are not as picky as myself (if in doubt, talk to my mom or wife about my eating pickiness!)
With these issues in mind, I decided to keep the general ideas of the Paleo diet but modifying it so I could again eat more carbs. Therefore, I switched to the Paleo for Athletes diet. This is a customized Paleo diet with the needs of athletes in mind. Our bodies need more energy and need quicker recovery. When training in and outside of classes as much as I do, I believe it is necessary. The first week I seemed to have no issues but after, I felt this was the right thing to do for me personally.
After the first week I dropped 7 lbs. As mentioned before, most of that was water weight, which I didn’t like. Once I started eating carbs again, I retained that water weight back (thankfully because I seemed very deflated!) Once retaining the water put to normal levels, I weighed 210.5 lbs. Since I switched to the Paleo for Athletes method, I dropped to 207 lbs. I feel great and energetic and feel like this is the best way for me to go Paleo. I can sustain my blood sugar levels, am not losing lean mass and am dropping the right weight. I’m looking forward to keep going on the Paleo for Athletes diet and continue to get leaner in my preparation for my triathlon races and Tough Mudder!
Again, this is my personal experience and does not reflect on anyone else and should not be considered nutritional advice.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
In my second week of doing the Paleo diet, I found myself to be lacking energy to work out hard and also my performance went down. Especially with weight lifting, the difference was remarkable. Perhaps I didn’t eat enough of certain things or too many of others but whatever caused this, it was a problem. The fact that I teach martial arts and do personal training for a living has surely something to do with it. My body definitely needs more fuel than others since I am on my feet all day and I try to participate when teaching as much as possible. This easily adds up to 18 hours of training every week.
One more problem I had with the diet (which is a personal fault) is that I got bored of most foods. As mentioned before, if you are a picky eater it will become frustrating since you can’t eat certain things and you have to eat tons of others. This is of course a personal problem and most people are not as picky as myself (if in doubt, talk to my mom or wife about my eating pickiness!)
With these issues in mind, I decided to keep the general ideas of the Paleo diet but modifying it so I could again eat more carbs. Therefore, I switched to the Paleo for Athletes diet. This is a customized Paleo diet with the needs of athletes in mind. Our bodies need more energy and need quicker recovery. When training in and outside of classes as much as I do, I believe it is necessary. The first week I seemed to have no issues but after, I felt this was the right thing to do for me personally.
After the first week I dropped 7 lbs. As mentioned before, most of that was water weight, which I didn’t like. Once I started eating carbs again, I retained that water weight back (thankfully because I seemed very deflated!) Once retaining the water put to normal levels, I weighed 210.5 lbs. Since I switched to the Paleo for Athletes method, I dropped to 207 lbs. I feel great and energetic and feel like this is the best way for me to go Paleo. I can sustain my blood sugar levels, am not losing lean mass and am dropping the right weight. I’m looking forward to keep going on the Paleo for Athletes diet and continue to get leaner in my preparation for my triathlon races and Tough Mudder!
Again, this is my personal experience and does not reflect on anyone else and should not be considered nutritional advice.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
30 Day Paleo Challenge: Day 7
07/03/12 14:07 Filed in: My experiences | Nutrition
Let’s start with the numbers: 7 lbs. in 7 days! I know, I was shocked too. However, keep in mind that a big part of this amount is water weight. Since I eat much less carbs, my body also retains less water. Fortunately, I still feel energetic and have no dips in my energy levels throughout the day. Also, after weight lifting my muscles seem to be recovering at the same pace as they did before the Paleo diet. This seems to demonstrate that my post training recovery is similar and this should prevent muscle atrophy (I hope)! I am keeping a close eye on feeling weak or lacking energy since that may be a concern (although there are no signs at all yet).
As I mentioned before, Saturdays are a pretty intense workout day for me. This is what I did last Saturday:
- Youth martial arts class (teaching and joining in the interactive games)
- 60 minutes of weight lifting (chest and shoulders)
- 30 minutes of a Modern Martial Arts class (Drew taught the rest of the class)
- 30 minutes of a Strength & Conditioning class (instructed the rest without joining)
- 1.5 hour Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, of which about 40 minutes rolling (grappling with your opponents)
As you can imagine, I was eating all day (to a point that my clients said: ‘Are you eating again??’) Nonetheless, I dropped a good amount of weight that day, mostly because I couldn’t keep up with my water intake vs loss.
Sunday and Monday I was mostly out of town, which did not make this diet any easier. Luckily, we were able to bring a lot of previously prepared foods and we had access to an empty fridge where we stayed. This made it more manageable but it was still not easy at all.
So far I have been able to keep up with the diet but it is definitely a challenge. This is not how I normally eat at all. I can imagine the Paleo diet is a slight change for many people but for me it’s pretty much a complete turnaround. The temptation is not a major issue right now, however the biggest problem is variety. This is why we’re exploring more options to cook the same foods, the problem is that I am a picky eater so I am forced to resort to the same foods pretty often. I have to say I am eating many different things but considering the amount of food I have to eat, it gets quite boring.
So far this week these have been my workouts:
Monday:
- 45 minutes weight lifting (chest and shoulders)
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class (60 minutes)
- 30 minutes Strength & Conditioning
- Modern Martial Arts (60 minutes)
Tuesday:
- 30 minute run
- 45 minutes weight lifting (back)
- Modern Martial Arts (of which I joined 30 minutes)
Wednesday:
- 60 minutes weight lifting (upper back and shoulders)
- 60 minutes Strength & Conditioning
- 60 minutes Modern Martial Arts
I have not yet measure my body fat % but will most likely do tonight. I will keep you posted!
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Getting in shape with Define Defense and Max Muscle Boulder
As you may know, Define Defense and Max Muscle Boulder have partnered up to provide our clients with special offers and benefits for them to reach their physical goals.
A few things our clients can benefit from:
Max Muscle does not only sell supplements and sports nutrition but can also help you with you nutrition planning. This is what the owner of Define Defense did in combination with his martial arts and circuit training. Underneath is what he experienced:
When I went to Max Muscle to start my nutrition plan, my goal was to get leaner without losing any muscle mass. Every year from fall to spring I tend to be less strict with my nutrition and go to a positive calorie diet. The reason I do this has multiple reasons such as wanting to gain mass, having a higher body fat % to prevent getting sick in the winter and giving myself a mental break. Since I naturally have a high metabolism and train many hours per week (12 to 18), I can eat a ton of food while keeping my body fat % in check. When I went into Max Muscle, we went over my daily routines/meals and it was clear that some changes had to happen if I wanted to get leaner. This was about the time of the year I wanted to shed my extra few percentages so I was ready to go for it!
Week 1:
After consulting with Craig (owner of Max Muscle Boulder), I was really motivated to make some changes. He gave me some great advice on how to (and why) keep my blood sugar levels steady and how to fuel my body right. At this point in time, I was training approx.. 18 hours per week so it was important to continue fueling the right way and giving my body enough carbs, unsaturated fats and protein while still cutting away from the total body fat %.
In combination with the nutrition planning, I worked out a training schedule at Define Defense to continue weight lifting and martial arts but also incorporate more interval/circuit training to cut more weight.
My initial measurements indicated that I had 8.4% body fat for a total lean mass of 187.78 lbs. and 17.22 lbs. of fat mass. My total weight was 205 lbs. Not that bad but not where I wanted to be. Please note, normal body fat percentages are 10-20% for men 20-40 years old and 20-30% for women 20-40 years old. This is perfectly normal and healthy! However I have been doing sports all my life and my goals are different than the average person. My number one priority is my health and if I ever would feel it has a negative impact on my body, I would reconsider my goals.
After the first week, in which I ate 5 to 6 times a day and in every meal, consumed carbs, protein and unsaturated fats, I weighed in at 205.75 lbs. Yes I did go up a bit but that didn’t matter to me since my body fat went down to 7.68% and my lean mass actually went up to 189.94 lbs.!
This showed me that even though I was eating a ton before and thought I consumed enough protein, I wasn’t. My body needed more protein and this new diet was giving it to me. I gained muscle while I was losing fat!
Week 2:
Week 2 was great, we made a few slight changes but my body was being very responsive and I felt fantastic! My energy levels were up and I never felt hungry or sluggish. At the end of week 2, my body fat went down to 6.74% while my lean mass stayed at the same level. This means that I lost 2.25 lbs. of fat mass while keeping my lean mass intact. My total weight was 203.5 lbs.
Week 3:
Week 3 was a little harder since I was travelling quite a bit and everyone knows how this can mess up your body. Nonetheless, I still stayed on track but my progress was less. I went down to 6.52% and gained 1.15 lbs. of lean mass.
Week 4:
At this point, following this plan seemed natural to me and extremely easy to do. Once you know your routine and the important basics behind it, you start doing things automatically, for example what to get in the grocery store or what to pack for your snack etc.
At the end of week 4, we reached my goal. I went down to 5.92% body fat and was a whole lot leaner than when we started. 2.48% to be exact and my starting point wasn’t all that high to start with. My final weight was 203.25 lbs. The lean mass was at 191.22 lbs., which went up 3.44 lbs. My fat mass was now only 12 lbs., which went down 5.22 lbs. This means I lost over 5 lbs. of fat mass while gaining 3.44 lbs. of muscle mass! This is exactly what I wanted to accomplish and the combination of paying attention to my dietary needs and responsible, well thought out training paid off!
I had a great experience with Max Muscle Boulder and think it would be beneficial for anyone to do. No matter if you want to lose weight, gain muscle or just be and feel healthier. Please remember you do not have to train 10 hours per week to make progress. Getting some nutrition advice and working out 4-5 times per week will go a long way and give you results! It is not always how much you train, it’s about how smart you train. That is why getting professional advice always gives you an advantage. We at Define Defense and Max Muscle Boulder are looking forward to assist you in your physical training and nutrition needs!
A few things our clients can benefit from:
- All Define Defense adult members receive a $75 gift card and a 15% discount for all products at Max Muscle
- Max Muscle customers can enjoy a 10% discount off services and programs at Define Defense
Max Muscle does not only sell supplements and sports nutrition but can also help you with you nutrition planning. This is what the owner of Define Defense did in combination with his martial arts and circuit training. Underneath is what he experienced:
When I went to Max Muscle to start my nutrition plan, my goal was to get leaner without losing any muscle mass. Every year from fall to spring I tend to be less strict with my nutrition and go to a positive calorie diet. The reason I do this has multiple reasons such as wanting to gain mass, having a higher body fat % to prevent getting sick in the winter and giving myself a mental break. Since I naturally have a high metabolism and train many hours per week (12 to 18), I can eat a ton of food while keeping my body fat % in check. When I went into Max Muscle, we went over my daily routines/meals and it was clear that some changes had to happen if I wanted to get leaner. This was about the time of the year I wanted to shed my extra few percentages so I was ready to go for it!
Week 1:
After consulting with Craig (owner of Max Muscle Boulder), I was really motivated to make some changes. He gave me some great advice on how to (and why) keep my blood sugar levels steady and how to fuel my body right. At this point in time, I was training approx.. 18 hours per week so it was important to continue fueling the right way and giving my body enough carbs, unsaturated fats and protein while still cutting away from the total body fat %.
In combination with the nutrition planning, I worked out a training schedule at Define Defense to continue weight lifting and martial arts but also incorporate more interval/circuit training to cut more weight.
My initial measurements indicated that I had 8.4% body fat for a total lean mass of 187.78 lbs. and 17.22 lbs. of fat mass. My total weight was 205 lbs. Not that bad but not where I wanted to be. Please note, normal body fat percentages are 10-20% for men 20-40 years old and 20-30% for women 20-40 years old. This is perfectly normal and healthy! However I have been doing sports all my life and my goals are different than the average person. My number one priority is my health and if I ever would feel it has a negative impact on my body, I would reconsider my goals.
After the first week, in which I ate 5 to 6 times a day and in every meal, consumed carbs, protein and unsaturated fats, I weighed in at 205.75 lbs. Yes I did go up a bit but that didn’t matter to me since my body fat went down to 7.68% and my lean mass actually went up to 189.94 lbs.!
This showed me that even though I was eating a ton before and thought I consumed enough protein, I wasn’t. My body needed more protein and this new diet was giving it to me. I gained muscle while I was losing fat!
Week 2:
Week 2 was great, we made a few slight changes but my body was being very responsive and I felt fantastic! My energy levels were up and I never felt hungry or sluggish. At the end of week 2, my body fat went down to 6.74% while my lean mass stayed at the same level. This means that I lost 2.25 lbs. of fat mass while keeping my lean mass intact. My total weight was 203.5 lbs.
Week 3:
Week 3 was a little harder since I was travelling quite a bit and everyone knows how this can mess up your body. Nonetheless, I still stayed on track but my progress was less. I went down to 6.52% and gained 1.15 lbs. of lean mass.
At this point, following this plan seemed natural to me and extremely easy to do. Once you know your routine and the important basics behind it, you start doing things automatically, for example what to get in the grocery store or what to pack for your snack etc.
At the end of week 4, we reached my goal. I went down to 5.92% body fat and was a whole lot leaner than when we started. 2.48% to be exact and my starting point wasn’t all that high to start with. My final weight was 203.25 lbs. The lean mass was at 191.22 lbs., which went up 3.44 lbs. My fat mass was now only 12 lbs., which went down 5.22 lbs. This means I lost over 5 lbs. of fat mass while gaining 3.44 lbs. of muscle mass! This is exactly what I wanted to accomplish and the combination of paying attention to my dietary needs and responsible, well thought out training paid off!
I had a great experience with Max Muscle Boulder and think it would be beneficial for anyone to do. No matter if you want to lose weight, gain muscle or just be and feel healthier. Please remember you do not have to train 10 hours per week to make progress. Getting some nutrition advice and working out 4-5 times per week will go a long way and give you results! It is not always how much you train, it’s about how smart you train. That is why getting professional advice always gives you an advantage. We at Define Defense and Max Muscle Boulder are looking forward to assist you in your physical training and nutrition needs!
Calories
Yesterday my wife found a great article and sent it to me since she knows I enjoy reading these and may share them on our Facebook page: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/health/nutrition/19best.html?_r=2&ref=health
This article gave me the idea of writing just a few more thoughts and tips down that are related to burning calories and working out.
What many people don’t realize is how many calories the body uses and needs. Depending on your size, gender, muscle mass and personal genetics, you burn a certain amount of calories without doing anything. This is called your Basal Metabolic Rate. Approximately 60% of the total amount of calories burned is just to keep your body working to stay alive (lungs, heart, organs etc.)
When you start moving, your body will burn more calories because your skeletal muscles need energy to make the movement happen. This is a long and complicated process which I’ll address in another post but your body need some kind of fuel to create ATP, which makes muscle function possible.
A few fun facts:
Now how much is your BMR and how much do you eat or burn during exercise?
Well without going into details, my personal estimated BMR is 2,069 calories/day. Some people will have a higher BMR but most people will have a lower estimate. Men automatically have a 10-15% higher BMR than women. This number is what my body needs just to function well. This does not include activities, going grocery shopping or working out! When I work out and for example join a martial arts class, I burn more than 900 calories so I need to make sure my body gets enough calories to work properly and recover well.
Of course there’s a huge difference in types of calories. You can get them from different foods. A few examples are complex carbs or protein... or saturated fats. Clearly this makes a huge difference. Eating the same amount of calories in a healthy or unhealthy way will have a huge influence on your body structure, health and even mood. Be aware of restrictive diets, these are known to have a huge negative effect on your BMR. It will lower your BMR so in long term, you will gain weight even easier and your body will suffer. Try to eat as much as your body needs and don’t forget that when you work out, your body needs more! But eat and work out responsibly, you only get one body!
For more information on healthy eating, please visit www.mypyramid.gov/
This article gave me the idea of writing just a few more thoughts and tips down that are related to burning calories and working out.
What many people don’t realize is how many calories the body uses and needs. Depending on your size, gender, muscle mass and personal genetics, you burn a certain amount of calories without doing anything. This is called your Basal Metabolic Rate. Approximately 60% of the total amount of calories burned is just to keep your body working to stay alive (lungs, heart, organs etc.)
When you start moving, your body will burn more calories because your skeletal muscles need energy to make the movement happen. This is a long and complicated process which I’ll address in another post but your body need some kind of fuel to create ATP, which makes muscle function possible.
A few fun facts:
- 10-15% of the calories you put in your mouth are burned during digesting the food
- During rest, your respiration uses approximately 3-5% of the total energy your body needs but when you do heavy exercise, this level rises to 8-15%.
- For every pound of muscle you put on, your body will automatically use about 50 calories more per day
- Regular weight training increases the basal metabolic rate by about 15%
Now how much is your BMR and how much do you eat or burn during exercise?
Well without going into details, my personal estimated BMR is 2,069 calories/day. Some people will have a higher BMR but most people will have a lower estimate. Men automatically have a 10-15% higher BMR than women. This number is what my body needs just to function well. This does not include activities, going grocery shopping or working out! When I work out and for example join a martial arts class, I burn more than 900 calories so I need to make sure my body gets enough calories to work properly and recover well.
Of course there’s a huge difference in types of calories. You can get them from different foods. A few examples are complex carbs or protein... or saturated fats. Clearly this makes a huge difference. Eating the same amount of calories in a healthy or unhealthy way will have a huge influence on your body structure, health and even mood. Be aware of restrictive diets, these are known to have a huge negative effect on your BMR. It will lower your BMR so in long term, you will gain weight even easier and your body will suffer. Try to eat as much as your body needs and don’t forget that when you work out, your body needs more! But eat and work out responsibly, you only get one body!
For more information on healthy eating, please visit www.mypyramid.gov/
