Post by julian on Feb 26, 2006 19:28:49 GMT
The key to weight control
Energy Balance & Metabolism
The key to weight control is to understand the concept of 'Energy Balance'. This means caloric intake must equal caloric expenditure to maintain the same weight...
A persons Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR) indicates the amount of energy used in the maintenance of the physiological processes involved in basic activities such as walking, eating, breathing, sleeping and even digestion...
If the number of calories consumed per day exceed the number of calories required to sustain the aforementioned physiological processes, an increase in weight will result...
If the number of calories consumed per day is less then the number of calories required to sustain the aforementioned physiological processes, a decrease in weight will result...
The more muscle an individual has, the more energy is required to maintain that muscle. Where there exists a greater proportion of fat to muscle, less energy is required to sustain the fat and maintain that body state...
Fat Loss
The key to fat loss is much more than just cutting calories by eating less food. Many people embark on crash diets and find that the results are not necessarily what they expected. Weight is often lost but it is invariably put straight back within a short period of time after completing the diet.
If an individual embarks on a low calorie diet, weight will be lost but up to 50% of that weight could be lean body weight...
A persons Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR) indicates the amount of energy used in the maintenance of the physiological processes involved in basic activities such as walking, eating, breathing, sleeping and even digestion...
When you lose weight, you want to lose fat and not muscle...
If you cut calories, make them fat calories. Your fat calorie intake should be no more than 25% of your daily caloric intake...
Eat five or six smaller meals throughout the day - the body will burn calories more efficiently if meals are smaller and more frequent...
Eat a greater proportion of calories earlier in the day - this is when the body’s metabolism is highest...
Exercise! All kinds of physical exercise will burn calories during the workout but will also speed up the metabolism so that calories continue to be burned for a few hours after the exercise session has finished...