| Let me start off by briefly going over some very | | | | Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2 |
| basic, fundamental information about the constituents | | | | 2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days |
| of the foods that we eat and how our bodies are able | | | | week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375 |
| to utilize the calories, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats | | | | 3. If you are moderately active (moderate exercise |
| that make up these foods. | | | | sports 3-5 days/week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x |
| All of the foods that we eat, including meats, | | | | 1.55 |
| vegetables and fruits are made up entirely of either | | | | 4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 |
| one or more of the following 5 fundamental nutrients: | | | | days a week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725 |
| 1. Proteins | | | | 5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & |
| 2. Carbohydrates | | | | physical job or 2x training): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x |
| 3. Fats | | | | 1.9 |
| 4. Ethanol (Alcohol) | | | | Now that the 'daily caloric need' is known, it is very |
| 5. Vitamins & Dietary Minerals | | | | easy to figure out how many additional calories need |
| 6. Fiber | | | | to be consumed to gain weight or how many fewer |
| Of these 6 components, the first four in the list all | | | | calories need to be consumed to lose weight. For the |
| contain calories. Calories are basically the amount of | | | | person trying to gain weight, sufficiently increasing |
| energy stored within each of these nutrients. Calories | | | | calorie consumption over the 'daily caloric need' will |
| are needed by the human body to fuel metabolism. | | | | cause body weight gain. A pound of body weight is |
| Metabolism is the process responsible for turning food | | | | roughly equal to 3500 calories, so if the goal is to gain |
| into the energy needed to support life. The two basic | | | | one pound of body weight a week, 3500 excess |
| metabolic pathways responsible for the conversion of | | | | calories should be consumed during the course of one |
| calories to energy are the anabolic pathways and the | | | | week. Take 3500 and divide by 7 (days in a week), |
| catabolic pathways. Catabolism refers to the set of | | | | and the resulting 500 is the number of extra calories |
| metabolic pathways in which molecules are broken | | | | that need to be consumed each day to reach this |
| down into smaller units causing a small amount of | | | | goal. The composition of the food calories consumed, |
| energy to be released in the form of heat, while the | | | | ie. the amounts of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, is |
| remaining energy is used to drive the synthesis of an | | | | also very important to promote lean muscular gain. |
| energy transport molecule called adenosine triphospate | | | | See the article, Eating: Lean, Muscular, Weight Gain. |
| (ATP). | | | | While eating excess calories will invariably produce |
| ATP is basically a molecular form of stored energy | | | | weight gain, it is important to remember that the goal is |
| and allows the transfer of chemical energy from one | | | | to gain 'muscular' weight, not to increase storage of |
| metabolic process to another. The metabolic | | | | body fat. When using this method to gain weight it is |
| processes that use ATP as an energy source also | | | | highly recommended that considerably more intense |
| convert it back into its precursors allowing it to be | | | | exercise be performed to promote an increase in |
| recycled continuously. The ATP, created during | | | | muscular weight. |
| catabolism, is then available to fuel the processes | | | | For someone trying to lose weight, the same basic |
| within the other metabolic pathway - the anabolic | | | | principles apply. 3500 calories is roughly equal to one |
| pathway. Anabolism is the set of metabolic pathways | | | | pound of body tissue so therefore, limiting calorie |
| reponsible for the construction of new molecules from | | | | consumption to 3500 below the 'daily caloric need' in |
| smaller units. Anabolism is responsible for bone | | | | one week should produce weight loss close to one |
| mineralization, cell differentiation and growth, and | | | | pound a week. That's 3500 divided by 7, giving a result |
| muscle growth. | | | | of 500. So, 500 fewer calories than baseline |
| Regulating calorie intake can affect both gaining body | | | | (calculated above), need to be consumed each day to |
| weight and losing body weight. Generally consuming | | | | reach the goal for the week. Here again, the |
| more calories than the amount used by the bodies' | | | | composition of the food calories eaten during this time |
| current metabolic needs results in body weight gain. | | | | is very important. See the article, Eating: Lose Weight |
| Consuming fewer calories than the amount needed by | | | | & Retain Muscle. |
| the body to fuel its current metabolic needs results in | | | | Unfortunately reducing calories can also negatively |
| weight loss. For someone interested in attempting to | | | | affect the metabolic rate, slowing it down, and limit the |
| either gain or lose weight it is very useful to know how | | | | amount of weight that can be lost. To compensate for |
| many calories are needed, on average, to fuel the | | | | the slowing metabolism, an additional 30 to 45 minutes |
| bodies current metabolic needs. I will refer to this | | | | of cardio-vascular exercise, added to the daily |
| number as the 'daily caloric need'. To determine the | | | | exercise routine, will help stimulate metabolism and |
| 'daily caloric need' it is necessary to first ascertain | | | | increases the number of total calories burned. At a |
| what is called the BMR or 'basal metabolic rate'. The | | | | body-weight of 175 lbs., 30 minutes of cardio exercise |
| human body burns calories 24 hours a day, even | | | | will burn between 300-500 calories. This increases the |
| during sleep. The basal metabolic rate, which can be | | | | total daily caloric deficit to 800-1000 calories and the |
| estimated by using the very simple formula you see | | | | weekly deficit to 5600-7000. At 7000, that's going to |
| below, is the number of calories the resting body | | | | be very close to 2 pounds of body-weight lost each |
| would burn if absolutely no activity were performed in | | | | week. |
| a 24 hour period. | | | | Now it's important to remember that this is merely a |
| Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( | | | | guideline and many, many other factors can, and will |
| 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years ) | | | | produce great variation among the individual results |
| Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x | | | | realized through the use of this approach. Genetic |
| height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year ) | | | | factors, general health, a prior history of exercise |
| Now that the BMR is known, applying an activity | | | | experience and poor diet or nutrition can all contribute |
| multiplier to this number will result in a fairly accurate | | | | to a decrease in the effectiveness of this technique. It |
| estimate of the number of calories needed by the | | | | truly is not possible to emphasize enough the |
| metabolism to fuel typical activity level and basic | | | | importance of consuming good high quality protein, |
| metabolic processes. Here I am using the Harris | | | | adequate amounts of long chain complex |
| Benedict Formula. | | | | carbohydrates and at least some omega-3 fatty acids, |
| To determine the 'daily caloric need', multiply the BMR | | | | particularly while attempting to either lose or gain |
| by the appropriate activity factor, as follows: | | | | weight. More about this later. |
| 1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise): | | | | |