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CountryLife4U
Fitness
Stuff
you Should Know About Calories!
I
am not going to go on about calories and their importance
because I think too often people get carried away with
counting calories and becoming obsessed with ridiculous ideas
about the whole concept of "calories".
There
is nothing wrong with having some knowledge of calories but
how you use that knowledge is what concerns me the most. You
will see by the examples that I give below why it is so easy
for people to "freak out", so to speak, over their
calorie intake.
Info
on Calories:
- 1 kg of
excess body fat = 7600 calories
- Fat is
higher in calories than carbohydrates
- Energy
Values Per Gram
1 gram of Carbohydrates = 4 calories
1 gram of Protein = 4 calories
1 gram of Fat - 9 calories
1 gram of Alcohol = 7 calories
- If once
per fortnight you didn't have those 3 slices of your
favorite pan fried pizza you would deduct over 23000
calories from your eating program in one year.
- If you
changed from 2 cups of full fat milk per day to 2 cups of
skim milk per day you would reduce your calorie intake by
over 57000 calories!
Becoming
obsessed with calories
Once
again, it's easy to understand when you see the above figures why
people tend to obsess over their calorie intake. Whether you are
young, older in your teens it doesn't matter it is still just as
easy to caught up in the round 'a' bout of making radical
decisions when it comes to losing weight.
Common
occurences, symptoms and stupid things to do when going over the
top with calorie controlled diets.
Unless
there is some medical reason, that has been advised by your
doctor, aim for at least 1500 calories when using a calorie
controlled diet. The larger your body frame and training needs the
more calories your body requires.
Example of a reasonable calorie intake: A female who weighs
around 56 kgs, is 1.7 m tall, around 30 years old and performs
light exercise 1-3 days per week should be consuming around 1800
low fat calories per day.
This same woman's basic caloric needs, just to keep her body
running (without the exercise) is around 1300! You can test your
own Resting Metabolic Rate at: http://www.virtualfitnesstrainer.com/cooltools/What_is_Your_Resting_Metabolic_Rate.htm
Choose
low fat calories to fill you up and lose body fat!
Don't
let yourself get to the point where you are nearly crawling on the
floor with hunger, headaches and feeling lethargic. If you are
constantly feeling like this you need to "up" your
calorie intake.
Just
because you are losing weight it doesn't mean you are healthy.
Keep your eating program balanced. If you think your nutritional
needs are lacking take a good quality daily allowance vitamin and
minerals supplement - I am sure your doctor could recommend one
for you.
Just
because your stomach and body is reducing in size this doesn't
mean you are going to increase muscle tone. To prevent yourself
from losing firmness exercise regularly with resistance and
fat burning programs.
If
you decide you can't follow your program don't rush out and gorge
yourself with ridiculous amounts of food. Change your diet to a
more adaptable eating program that you can stick to long term.
If
you have lost weight fairly dramatically you will probably find
that you will put it back on again just as fast when you have
completed your eating program. So slowly introduce new foods back
into your diet and keep up with your exercise too.
WHAT
EVER YOU DO ...... DON'T think that because you have an allowance
of 1200 calories for the day you can eat a large bag of potato
crisps and nothing else. WOW! Just some food for thought there...
excuse the pun!
Keep
this in mind! In place of a 1 large packet of potato crisps you
could have a small bowl of cereal with skim milk, a lean meat and
salad sandwich, grilled fish and veggies plus a low fat snack.
WOW!
Just
one more thing...
If
you really want to be successful in losing weight and keeping if
off, then concentrate more on reducing your fat intake. You can
still have your naughty food days here and there and you can use
these days as rewards for the hard work you have put in up to that
point in time. As they say "everything in moderation".
Don't make your eating program a chore. Make it enjoyable to stick
to.
Click
here to try your hand at the Calorie Quiz!
Kind
Regards
Yours
in fun, health and fitness
Mandy
Gibbons
http://www.virtualfitnesstrainer.com
Persons
who are of good health, suspect of their health or are aware of
any conditions, physical deficiencies or diseases should always
consult a physician before undertaking any eating or exercise
program. Mandy Gibbons, Virtual Fitness Trainer,
www.virtualfitnesstrainer.com.au and www.virtualfitnesstrainer.com
disclaims any liability or loss in connection with the above
program or advice given in this article.
Mandy Gibbons, Personal Fitness
Trainer info@virtualfitnesstrainer.com
http://www.virtualfitnesstrainer.com
http://www.virtualfitnesstrainer.com.au
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