Because you are moderating your intake of protein/carbs/fat, you should allow yourself ONE day off per week. However, don't think of this as a time to hit the Chinese buffet and eat 5 days worth of calories in a matter of hours.
When I say "day off," it means maybe twice what you may normally eat. If you eat 1,600 calories, go have 3,200-3,500. If you are eating 1,200 calories, then go eat 2,400-2,600.
This is a time for you to remind your body not to get too settled into your new diet plan. It's always good to throw a curve ball in moderation.
For example - today I went out and bought all natural granola. I'll probably eat around 4,000 calories (I have an intake of 1,900) with 3x the carbs, 2x the fat, and a little extra protein.
I would highly suggest NOT to get fast food or anything like that. Be mindful and tasteful with your day off. Mine is filled with organic peanut butter and organic toast, natural granola, organic cinnamon cereal, etc. I would not suggest a Whopper if you can stand it :X
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Beginners!
I may be beating a dead horse, but I'm going to post a more simple guide for the starters who might come across this here blog:
If you are trying to lose dramatic weight (more than 20 lbs.), then you might be lost. Not only that, but you might have some misconceptions. I'll try to straighten that out and make it simple, but unfortunately that will require some lengthy explanations. Let's clear a few misconceptions quick:
1.) Just eat a lot less, and you'll lose the weight - NOT TRUE. If you eat too little, then you'll lose a lot of muscle. To girls, that might sound okay, but it's not. What it means is you'll lose weight, and be left with all that flab. It won't be attractive like you want it to be, I promise. If you are losing more than 10 lbs. per week, then you're burning too much muscle.
2.) Eat the appropriate amount of calories, and it's all good - NOT TRUE. Starting out that might be true, but when you want to lose the last 5-10 (or even 15) then you HAVE to look into the specific types of calories you are eating; protein, carbs, fat all matters.
3.) Weight training will make you look bulky - NOT TRUE. If you do weight training correctly, you will get smaller and more toned!
Let's begin with the basics:
DIET - the toughest part for sure. To start, let's find out how many calories you should be eating. Take your target weight. Multiply it by 10, and then multiply it by 12. This range of calories will be how much you should be taking in each day. Now, if you work out, then feel free to take in a LITTLE more. But jogging for 30 minutes doesn't constitute another 500 calories. Be fair about it. Take a few weeks to make this adjustment. Once you feel comfortable with this, let's get more specific.
Next let's focus on carbs. Now, 1 carb is 4 calories. That's just a nutritional constant and the genetic make up of a carbohydrate. What you want is for 40% of your diet to be made up of carbs - this is typically a pretty steep drop in carb intake. To figure this out, we need to do some math: take your caloric intake and multiply it by 40%. This will give you the number of carb calories you are to eat each day, but this is NOT the number of carbs you need to eat each day. Remember 1 carb is 4 calories, so take that number you just got and divide it by 4. THIS is the number of grams of carbs you need to take in each day. Never go below 100 carbs (regardless of what the math tells you). Take a few weeks on this, and once you feel comfortable with this diet, move on to the next part.
Next we'll focus on protein. This is easy, because you want to do the SAME EXACT equation as you did for carbs. 1 gram of protein = 4 calories, and you want 40% of your diet to be protein. So, whatever number you have for carbs, you have for protein. The only difference between protein and carbs is you do not want to go too short on your protein. This means that protein is more important than carbs, and if you have to eat less carbs or eat less protein, always eat less carbs. Take a few weeks for this to settle in, and then move on to the next part of the diet.
Last focus is fat. You do the same equation, BUT you change the numbers. We want fat to make up 20% of your diet, and 1 gram of fat is 9 calories. So instead of multiplying your caloric intake by 40%, multiply it by 20%, and instead of dividing this number by 4, you will divide it by 9.
At this point you should have your caloric intake, your protein intake, your carb intake, and your fat intake. What you absolutely must do is monitor your progress and results - if you aren't losing weight fast enough, then mess around with the numbers. If you are to drop your intake of anything, make it carbs/fat first. If this doesn't do anything, then up the carbs back to normal and drop the protein. It's up to you to adjust!
Also try to eat every 2-3 hours to keep that metabolism happy, and drink lots of water (3-5 liters) per day.
WEIGHT TRAINING - remember: weight training will NOT make you bigger if you don't want it to. Weight training will burn PURE fat, and it will help you tone. It will also boost your muscles' metabolism for up to 24 hours (or more) after lifting. Start your weight training out to 2 days per week. Perform 4-6 different exercises, with 3 sets per exercise, and aim for 16-24 reps if you don't want to gain any muscle mass. If you DO want to gain muscle mass, then aim for 8-12 reps. Let this routine settle in, and when you feel ready to go harder, move on.
Once you are in the groove, then start lifting 3 days per week, and aim for 6-8 different exercises. Maintain the same set/reps. Remember: you do not want to lift on back-to-back days. If you DO lift on back-to-back days, then work different muscle groups. If you work your abs on Monday, then you need to let them rest until at least Wednesday. Truly, this routine of 3 days per week is as far as you NEED to go. However, some people need to go harder to lose those last 15. If you are one of those people, read on.
The next and last step in losing weight and burning fat with weight lifting would be circuit training. Basically what you do is 1 set of an exercise, then immediately (without rest) do 1 set of your next exercise, and keep doing 1 set of each exercise back-to-back-to-back without any rest in between. Once you have done 1 set for each, then take a 2 minute break and do it all over again. Do this for 3 sets. This is the best way to burn fat for weight lifting - but it can be awfully intense. Though it's also the quickest way to lift. More bang for your buck!
CARDIO - cardio is the last thing (not the least important for weight loss, though!) and also the trickiest. There are 3 basic forms of cardio: slow/moderate, moderate/fast, and HIIT. Slow/moderate (a brisk walk as an example) is great for losing fat without burning muscle. Moderate/fast (jogging as an example) is great for burning more calories, but you will lose a little more muscle. HIIT (high intensity interval training) is where you work as hard as you possibly can for a short period of time (30-60 seconds), then you rest for a short period of time (30-60 seconds). That work+rest time = 1 interval, and you aim for 5-10 intervals. It's the most intense, but the best for boosting your metabolism and burning fat.
Basically, cardio is easy to do wrong. You never want to jump into it too hard, you need to work your way up. Start out with a brisk walk or light jog, and once a week you should increase your distance or speed (maybe by .5 mph, or by going an extra half mile, or both). Once you are proficient in these, then try HIIT. It's really, really effective for fat burning.
If you are losing more than 20 lbs., then the most important things are diet and cardio. If you are losing less than 20 lbs., then the most important things are diet and weight lifting.
You want to remember that losing weight is not losing weight is not losing weight. If you do it correctly; you will burn fat, and you will look more toned. If you do it wrong, then you will burn muscle, and you will look smaller yet still flabby. The toughest thing about losing weight is overcoming the fear of eating. You HAVE to eat, you just have to eat smarter is all.
Good luck, guys.
If you are trying to lose dramatic weight (more than 20 lbs.), then you might be lost. Not only that, but you might have some misconceptions. I'll try to straighten that out and make it simple, but unfortunately that will require some lengthy explanations. Let's clear a few misconceptions quick:
1.) Just eat a lot less, and you'll lose the weight - NOT TRUE. If you eat too little, then you'll lose a lot of muscle. To girls, that might sound okay, but it's not. What it means is you'll lose weight, and be left with all that flab. It won't be attractive like you want it to be, I promise. If you are losing more than 10 lbs. per week, then you're burning too much muscle.
2.) Eat the appropriate amount of calories, and it's all good - NOT TRUE. Starting out that might be true, but when you want to lose the last 5-10 (or even 15) then you HAVE to look into the specific types of calories you are eating; protein, carbs, fat all matters.
3.) Weight training will make you look bulky - NOT TRUE. If you do weight training correctly, you will get smaller and more toned!
Let's begin with the basics:
DIET - the toughest part for sure. To start, let's find out how many calories you should be eating. Take your target weight. Multiply it by 10, and then multiply it by 12. This range of calories will be how much you should be taking in each day. Now, if you work out, then feel free to take in a LITTLE more. But jogging for 30 minutes doesn't constitute another 500 calories. Be fair about it. Take a few weeks to make this adjustment. Once you feel comfortable with this, let's get more specific.
Next let's focus on carbs. Now, 1 carb is 4 calories. That's just a nutritional constant and the genetic make up of a carbohydrate. What you want is for 40% of your diet to be made up of carbs - this is typically a pretty steep drop in carb intake. To figure this out, we need to do some math: take your caloric intake and multiply it by 40%. This will give you the number of carb calories you are to eat each day, but this is NOT the number of carbs you need to eat each day. Remember 1 carb is 4 calories, so take that number you just got and divide it by 4. THIS is the number of grams of carbs you need to take in each day. Never go below 100 carbs (regardless of what the math tells you). Take a few weeks on this, and once you feel comfortable with this diet, move on to the next part.
Next we'll focus on protein. This is easy, because you want to do the SAME EXACT equation as you did for carbs. 1 gram of protein = 4 calories, and you want 40% of your diet to be protein. So, whatever number you have for carbs, you have for protein. The only difference between protein and carbs is you do not want to go too short on your protein. This means that protein is more important than carbs, and if you have to eat less carbs or eat less protein, always eat less carbs. Take a few weeks for this to settle in, and then move on to the next part of the diet.
Last focus is fat. You do the same equation, BUT you change the numbers. We want fat to make up 20% of your diet, and 1 gram of fat is 9 calories. So instead of multiplying your caloric intake by 40%, multiply it by 20%, and instead of dividing this number by 4, you will divide it by 9.
At this point you should have your caloric intake, your protein intake, your carb intake, and your fat intake. What you absolutely must do is monitor your progress and results - if you aren't losing weight fast enough, then mess around with the numbers. If you are to drop your intake of anything, make it carbs/fat first. If this doesn't do anything, then up the carbs back to normal and drop the protein. It's up to you to adjust!
Also try to eat every 2-3 hours to keep that metabolism happy, and drink lots of water (3-5 liters) per day.
WEIGHT TRAINING - remember: weight training will NOT make you bigger if you don't want it to. Weight training will burn PURE fat, and it will help you tone. It will also boost your muscles' metabolism for up to 24 hours (or more) after lifting. Start your weight training out to 2 days per week. Perform 4-6 different exercises, with 3 sets per exercise, and aim for 16-24 reps if you don't want to gain any muscle mass. If you DO want to gain muscle mass, then aim for 8-12 reps. Let this routine settle in, and when you feel ready to go harder, move on.
Once you are in the groove, then start lifting 3 days per week, and aim for 6-8 different exercises. Maintain the same set/reps. Remember: you do not want to lift on back-to-back days. If you DO lift on back-to-back days, then work different muscle groups. If you work your abs on Monday, then you need to let them rest until at least Wednesday. Truly, this routine of 3 days per week is as far as you NEED to go. However, some people need to go harder to lose those last 15. If you are one of those people, read on.
The next and last step in losing weight and burning fat with weight lifting would be circuit training. Basically what you do is 1 set of an exercise, then immediately (without rest) do 1 set of your next exercise, and keep doing 1 set of each exercise back-to-back-to-back without any rest in between. Once you have done 1 set for each, then take a 2 minute break and do it all over again. Do this for 3 sets. This is the best way to burn fat for weight lifting - but it can be awfully intense. Though it's also the quickest way to lift. More bang for your buck!
CARDIO - cardio is the last thing (not the least important for weight loss, though!) and also the trickiest. There are 3 basic forms of cardio: slow/moderate, moderate/fast, and HIIT. Slow/moderate (a brisk walk as an example) is great for losing fat without burning muscle. Moderate/fast (jogging as an example) is great for burning more calories, but you will lose a little more muscle. HIIT (high intensity interval training) is where you work as hard as you possibly can for a short period of time (30-60 seconds), then you rest for a short period of time (30-60 seconds). That work+rest time = 1 interval, and you aim for 5-10 intervals. It's the most intense, but the best for boosting your metabolism and burning fat.
Basically, cardio is easy to do wrong. You never want to jump into it too hard, you need to work your way up. Start out with a brisk walk or light jog, and once a week you should increase your distance or speed (maybe by .5 mph, or by going an extra half mile, or both). Once you are proficient in these, then try HIIT. It's really, really effective for fat burning.
If you are losing more than 20 lbs., then the most important things are diet and cardio. If you are losing less than 20 lbs., then the most important things are diet and weight lifting.
You want to remember that losing weight is not losing weight is not losing weight. If you do it correctly; you will burn fat, and you will look more toned. If you do it wrong, then you will burn muscle, and you will look smaller yet still flabby. The toughest thing about losing weight is overcoming the fear of eating. You HAVE to eat, you just have to eat smarter is all.
Good luck, guys.
BMI
For those of you who don't know, BMI is your body mass index. You tell your gender, weight, and height, and it gives you a number (usually between 18 and 30 - 30 is obese, and 18-19 is underweight).
A lot of people put a lot of stock into this measurement, but...Don't! It's silly. I have an unhealthy BMI because I am 6'0" and weight 185 lbs. Yet I could run a marathon, I can bike over 100 miles at an 18 mph average, I can bench press 250 lbs., I have a low body fat percentage, and I have a sub-60 resting heart rate.
If you're really concerned about health, then all that's truly relevant is your heart health, and your body fat percentage. Don't put too much stock into BMI, because if you did, then I'd be unhealthy :[
A lot of people put a lot of stock into this measurement, but...Don't! It's silly. I have an unhealthy BMI because I am 6'0" and weight 185 lbs. Yet I could run a marathon, I can bike over 100 miles at an 18 mph average, I can bench press 250 lbs., I have a low body fat percentage, and I have a sub-60 resting heart rate.
If you're really concerned about health, then all that's truly relevant is your heart health, and your body fat percentage. Don't put too much stock into BMI, because if you did, then I'd be unhealthy :[
Do you run on a tredmill?
So here's a quick tip for people who run on tredmills and outdoors - when you run outside, the ground is not moving (obviously), meaning you use your legs to pull your body weight. Running outside proportionally covers your quads and hamstrings (front and back of legs), though favoring hamstrings a little bit.
When you run on a tredmill, however, the ground IS moving. Thus there is not nearly as much "pull" when you run, as the tredmill is basically doing the "pull" for you. To correct for this, put the tredmill on a slight incline - just a few hits of the scale button, and then you'll get that "pull" back.
Most people find running on tredmills to be easier, and that would be why!
When you run on a tredmill, however, the ground IS moving. Thus there is not nearly as much "pull" when you run, as the tredmill is basically doing the "pull" for you. To correct for this, put the tredmill on a slight incline - just a few hits of the scale button, and then you'll get that "pull" back.
Most people find running on tredmills to be easier, and that would be why!
So, for clarification regarding caloric intake.
The 40/40/20 diet still holds true regardless of your intention, but some people might not be trying to lose weight. Just as a quick edit, I'll throw in the caloric intake range one should be aiming for if they are trying to lose weight, maintain weight, or gain weight.
Lose weight: desired body weight multiplied by 10 and 12 to find the range.
Maintain weight: desired body weight multiplied by 12 and 13 to find the range.
Gain weight: desired body weight multiplied by 13 and 15 to find the range.
These numbers are pretty accurate, but still MILDLY arbitrary. As always, it's up to you to keep track of your progress and results, and determine what adjustments must be made. Look at these as starting points, and then adjust as necessary.
Good luck ;]
Lose weight: desired body weight multiplied by 10 and 12 to find the range.
Maintain weight: desired body weight multiplied by 12 and 13 to find the range.
Gain weight: desired body weight multiplied by 13 and 15 to find the range.
These numbers are pretty accurate, but still MILDLY arbitrary. As always, it's up to you to keep track of your progress and results, and determine what adjustments must be made. Look at these as starting points, and then adjust as necessary.
Good luck ;]
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I think I'll just starve myself instead.
NO.
Look, I used to eat 800 calories a day for a month straight. On top of that, I still worked out and everything. It's appealing at first, and it makes sense to people who don't understand how the body works, but I'll tell you why this is a bad idea.
1.) Your metabolism - everyone's metabolism is different. Everyone has a certain number of calories they can eat where they won't gain or lose weight. This number is your threshold of calories. Let's pretend your threshold is 2,000 calories. If you decide to eat 800 calories a day for an extended period of time, then your body will adjust to this abrupt change. It will basically say, "Oh man, I'm getting way too few calories. I'm going to adjust my metabolism so I can better process 800 calories." In order to adjust, your body lowers its threshold. What this means is your threshold has dropped from 2,000 to 1,200 (for argument's sake). So now after you lose your weight and you return to a normal diet, your body won't be able to take the sudden surge of calories it has been deprived of. The first month (or more) of eating will be serious weight gain. You know how they say calorie-depriving diets don't work? They don't.
2.) Your muscle - our bodies are tuned according to evolutionary needs. Our bodies will change its mechanisms according to different variables. If you eat food, then your body is happy. If you don't eat food, your body is sad. The problem with this is when your body is sad, it will eat muscle and NOT fat. What does this mean? It means if you starve yourself, then your body will lose dramatic weight, but it will keep all the flubbery stuff. When your body thinks it is going to go long periods of time without food, then it preserves stored fat as stored fat is more valuable for survival. So will you lose weight? Absolutely. But you're still going to have that "jelly-like" fat around your belly.
Eat correctly, exercise. No way around this. Sorry :[
Look, I used to eat 800 calories a day for a month straight. On top of that, I still worked out and everything. It's appealing at first, and it makes sense to people who don't understand how the body works, but I'll tell you why this is a bad idea.
1.) Your metabolism - everyone's metabolism is different. Everyone has a certain number of calories they can eat where they won't gain or lose weight. This number is your threshold of calories. Let's pretend your threshold is 2,000 calories. If you decide to eat 800 calories a day for an extended period of time, then your body will adjust to this abrupt change. It will basically say, "Oh man, I'm getting way too few calories. I'm going to adjust my metabolism so I can better process 800 calories." In order to adjust, your body lowers its threshold. What this means is your threshold has dropped from 2,000 to 1,200 (for argument's sake). So now after you lose your weight and you return to a normal diet, your body won't be able to take the sudden surge of calories it has been deprived of. The first month (or more) of eating will be serious weight gain. You know how they say calorie-depriving diets don't work? They don't.
2.) Your muscle - our bodies are tuned according to evolutionary needs. Our bodies will change its mechanisms according to different variables. If you eat food, then your body is happy. If you don't eat food, your body is sad. The problem with this is when your body is sad, it will eat muscle and NOT fat. What does this mean? It means if you starve yourself, then your body will lose dramatic weight, but it will keep all the flubbery stuff. When your body thinks it is going to go long periods of time without food, then it preserves stored fat as stored fat is more valuable for survival. So will you lose weight? Absolutely. But you're still going to have that "jelly-like" fat around your belly.
Eat correctly, exercise. No way around this. Sorry :[
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Not working for you? No problem.
Diets are finicky. Sometimes certain diets won't work, sometimes they will. The suggestion of 1 gram per pound of desired body weight, for instance, does not work for me. I can't get as lean as I want with that, so I have to drop 5-10 grams of protein off this count. Remember - it's always up to you to keep track, and make changes along the way. Here's a new diet I'm working on (it's nothing new, and maybe you've come across it):
40/40/20 diet. What this means is 40% of your calories comes from protein, 40% from carbs, and 20% from fat. Here's how you calculate it all out (it's easier than you think):
Take your desired body weight (let's say 165), and multiply that by 10 and by 12. This is your range of calories in a given day. You come up with 1,650 - 1,980 calories per day.
Now take each number, and multiply by 40% and you get 660 and 792. Now, according to nutritional guides and science, 4 calories = 1 gram of protein, and 4 calories = 1 gram of carbs. So, divide each of these numbers by 4, and you have your range for both protein and carbs. So you get 165 - 198 grams of both protein and carbs per day.
Now do the same thing, but instead you are multiplying your range caloric intake by 20% for fat, and instead 9 calories is 1 gram of fat. So after the multiplication process you get 36 - 44 grams of fat per day. If you're still confused about this process, let me quick recap with an example:
1.) Desired body weight (165 lbs.) multiplied by 10 and 12 to get your target range of caloric intake each day. This comes to 1,650-1,980.
2.) 1,650 x 40% = 660; 1,980 x 40% = 792 - This tells you how many calories will be devoted to carbs and protein for the day, but you must convert this into grams.
3.) 660 / 4 = 165; 792 / 4 = 198 - So your range of grams for carbs and protein is 165 - 198 grams.
4.) Repeat this with fat, but instead of 40% you use 20%, and instead of dividing by 4 you divide by 9.
Good luck ;]
40/40/20 diet. What this means is 40% of your calories comes from protein, 40% from carbs, and 20% from fat. Here's how you calculate it all out (it's easier than you think):
Take your desired body weight (let's say 165), and multiply that by 10 and by 12. This is your range of calories in a given day. You come up with 1,650 - 1,980 calories per day.
Now take each number, and multiply by 40% and you get 660 and 792. Now, according to nutritional guides and science, 4 calories = 1 gram of protein, and 4 calories = 1 gram of carbs. So, divide each of these numbers by 4, and you have your range for both protein and carbs. So you get 165 - 198 grams of both protein and carbs per day.
Now do the same thing, but instead you are multiplying your range caloric intake by 20% for fat, and instead 9 calories is 1 gram of fat. So after the multiplication process you get 36 - 44 grams of fat per day. If you're still confused about this process, let me quick recap with an example:
1.) Desired body weight (165 lbs.) multiplied by 10 and 12 to get your target range of caloric intake each day. This comes to 1,650-1,980.
2.) 1,650 x 40% = 660; 1,980 x 40% = 792 - This tells you how many calories will be devoted to carbs and protein for the day, but you must convert this into grams.
3.) 660 / 4 = 165; 792 / 4 = 198 - So your range of grams for carbs and protein is 165 - 198 grams.
4.) Repeat this with fat, but instead of 40% you use 20%, and instead of dividing by 4 you divide by 9.
Good luck ;]
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