Both in
theory and practice, weight loss can be as easy as following
simple physical principles. You must not ingest more calories
than you expend in order to maintain or reduce your body mass.
If you learn how to effectively apply this principle to your
energy requirements, it is a physiological certainty that
you will not gain weight. As simple as this sounds, it is
our sedentary society, work environments, poor nutrition and
lack of exercise that makes this simple physical principle
an extremely difficult and painful process for many.
Many people
concerned about weight loss become overly preoccupied about
the types of foods they eat. Although it is more beneficial
for your long-term health to maintain a healthy balanced diet
comprised of fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean meats/fish and
complex carbohydrates, your body does not differentiate between
these foods when comes to storing extra calories as fat. If
you maintain a daily calorie surplus, that is, if you ingest
more calories than you expend, you will gain weight regardless
of the types of calories you ingest.
For example,
lets say your total energy requirement (calculation
here) is equal to 2000 calories per day and you've ingested
2012 calories per day. This means you've ingested 12 calories
more than you've expended. Regardless of what types of foods
these extra 12 calories consist of, whether it be a liquid
or solid, fat or protein, fruit or chocolate bar, salad or
french fries, your body will turn these extra calories into
fat. Your body will then store this fat until it is needed
for energy.
In theory,
if you continue to maintain this calorie surplus daily, you
would end up storing an additional 84 calories per week, 336
calories per month and 4368 calories per year (that's over
1 pound of fat). Keep in mind that this calculation is based
on exceeding your daily energy expenditure by only 12 calories.
That's equivalent to just over 1 cup of lettuce, 2 cups of
plain black coffee, 1 M&M peanut or 1 glass of Kool-Aid.
Since most people exceed their calorie expenditure by far
more than 12 calories per day, it's no surprise that obesity
is becoming the number one health problem in developed nations.
By calculating
your total energy requirement (BMR
+ AMR), you will be able to roughly assess your daily
calorie expenditure and calculate the amount of calories you
require to maintain a daily calorie deficit. A daily calorie
deficit, that is, expending more calories than you ingest,
will allow you to lose weight regardless of the type of calories.
If you
find yourself ingesting more calories than your daily total
energy requirement, you need to either reduce the amount of
calories, increase the amount of daily physical activity,
or preferably both. Both are preferential because increasing
your BMR through daily physical activity will effectually
allow you to burn more calories in the long-term. If you consistently
decrease your calorie intake (through dieting) without increasing
your physical activity levels, you risk reducing your BMR
levels, forcing your body to burn less calories, which may
eventually lead to further long-term weight gain and make
it more difficult to lose the weight you've gained. Unfortunately,
this is the scenario that most dieters face as they continue
their desperate attempts to lose weight through dieting without
physical activity. As we age, those who solely depend on dieting
as a method of weight loss become even more frustrated since
BMR levels naturally decline as we get older.
So how
do you avoid falling into this vicious cycle? If your between
20 - 55 years of age, your AMR should consist of at least
120 - 200 minutes of moderate or heavy physical activity weekly.
To prevent injuries and enhance recovery, the older you are,
the more you will have to stay in the lower end of this range.
If you're 55+, you should seek the guidance of an Exercise
Specialist and your Physician for an appropriate guideline
according to your health and fitness level.
Building
muscle via strength conditioning is probably the easiest way
to naturally increase your BMR. By incorporating weight training
in your fitness regimen, your body will maintain or build
more muscle which will burn more calories at rest, increasing
your total daily energy expenditure. Cardiovascular exercise,
eating small portions more frequently, supplementation, increasing
protein intake, moving to a warmer climate, and adequate sleep
are other ways to increase your BMR.
There
are no quick fixes, pills or easy one-step diet solutions
that will keep you fit and at a healthy weight. It's a lifestyle
and requires programming, hard work and dedication. Inevitably,
those who don't have time for such a lifestyle will soon have
to make time for mental and physical illness. Prevention works
and your health depends on it!