WEIGHT LOSS BASICS – A, B, C’s of Weight Loss
Most people get caught in the quick sand of information overload and never endeavor on their path to actual fitness and weight loss. They get too caught up with current fads and shortcuts, that they forget that there is actual work involved, whether it be planning your meals, planning your routines, or actually working out, they think that a magical pill or elixir will be developed to get them the body of their dreams.
So where do you begin? Start with the Basics – Calories that you consume versus Calories that your body uses for energy will determine if you have a net deficit or net surplus, and thus will determine if you will gain or lose weight, or in some cases, stay the same.
In summary, the net expenditure (how many calories you burn in excess of what you consume)
Counting calories: Get back to weight-loss basics
Calories play a humongous role in the balancing act known cablevideostore as weight loss. They are the ultimate determining factor as to what your weight is.
Despite the innumerate diets, weight loss strategies, and supplements, weight management basically boils to the calories – that is the number of calories you take in (eat) versus those you burn off.
So, forget those fad diets and miracle pills and get ready to dig into the leanest morsels of weight loss information you can sink your teeth into! Calories – your body’s main fuel source
Despite their reputation, calories are not bad – they are simply the energy in food. I know what you’re thinking, if it wasn’t for those pesky calories, you would have never thrown out that pair of jeans which is now two sizes too small… well, it turns out that your body has a constant demand for energy and uses the calories from food to keep functioning.. Energy from calories fuels every action in your body, including brain function, involuntary and voluntary muscular movements, etc. C, F, Ps explained
Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are the types of nutrients (macronutrients) that contain calories and are the main energy sources for your body. Most everything that you eat has a certain amount of calories from the three categories above. The amount of energy in each varies. Proteins and carbohydrates have about 4 calories per gram, and fats have about 9 calories per gram. Alcohol also is a source of calories, providing about 7 calories per gram.
Now that you know where the calories come from, it is important to understand what happens to them once you eat them. Regardless of where they come from, the calories you eat are either converted to physical energy or stored within your body as adipose tissue (the fat everyone hates). These stored calories will remain in your body as adipose tissue (fat) unless you use them up, either by reducing calorie intake so that your body must draw on reserves for energy, or by increasing physical activity so that you burn more calories. Remember, this fatty tissue is not the same as dietary fat, so please try to not confuse the two. Tipping the weight loss scale in your favor: Cutting calories
Simple equation for balancing the weight loss scales:
- If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight.
- If you burn more calories than you eat, you lose weight
I told you this would be simple!
On to some real math… don’t be scared, this is painless, I promise.
One pound of bodyweight equals 3,500 calories… this is true for all body tissue – to burn off that 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) of adipose tissue, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in.