Often, people tend to believe that fitness is all about the gym and your workout. Not quite. What you do at the gym is probably 30 percent of the job. The remaining 70 percent is governed by your diet. Try as you may, no matter how hard you workout, if it is a big Mac, fries and a large Coke you're going back to, at the end of the day, it is never going to happen!
As I have mentioned previously, you should be looking at building more muscle and reducing the fat. Naturally, that would entail a diet which apart from carbohydrates, is slightly low on fat and has enough protein. Proteins are rich in amino acids which are required for the growth and repair of muscles.
Every person has a different metabolism and due to this has different energy requirements. The calories you require would depend on your body fat percentage. If you are leaner then you would require more calories just because your muscles would need energy. Based on your body fat and other physical characteristics, a person's metabolism can be understood to a certain extent. Your 'maintenance calories' indicates the amount of calories you require on a daily basis, just to carry out your basic functions. Ideally, eating that amount of calories *should* result in you maintaining your weight, which is why it is called 'maintenance calories'.
After this it's fairly simple to work out the math. If you have to lose fat, you will have to maintain a calorie deficit and if your goal is to gain muscle, you will have to maintain a calorie surplus. How much should the deficit/surplus be? It is recommended that you be within (maintenance calories) +- 500. Ideally, sticking to that kind of a diet should reduce/add 1 pound to your body weight per week. Remember, if you are losing weight, it should be fat and if you are gaining, it has to be muscle. Getting your body fat percentage measured is a good way of ensuring that you are going on the right track. Instruments to measure the body fat percentage are usually available at gyms.
In essence:
To lose fat, maintain a calorie deficit of 500, do a proper workout and have a diet which is low fat. You can keep it down to 10-20 percent of your net intake.
To gain muscle, maintain a calorie surplus of 500, do a proper workout and have a diet which is low fat and has enough protein.
Small and frequent meals is the way to go! A good plan would be to roughly distribute your calories among carbohydrates, protein and fat in the ratio 50:30:20. So as long as you approximately adhere to that, you should be getting closer to your goals!
Lastly, nutrition is such a vast topic that it would take a number of posts to do any justice to its significance in fitness and well being. So, stay tuned!
Totally agree. I see people who think just because they had a good work out at the gym, they are entitled to pig out and it won't have any effects.
ReplyDeleteThts cool……….!!
ReplyDeleteOK, with this I also want to add something that with our hectic schedules and hundreds of responsibilities, exercising and taking care of ourselves becomes quite tough. Now I don't mean to say that you should search for alternative techniques to keep calories out of your diet and avoid exercising completely. What this means is that if you are in a constant struggle with yourself on keeping weight off or can't find the right amount of time to workout and eat healthy, then perhaps there are certain areas where you can cut down on the total calorie intake. Let's take snacks and alcoholic drinks for example. While hanging out with friends and colleagues, dinner parties, and at other social gatherings, you are bound to have a some snacks & few drinks. So one way you can keep yourself away from unwanted calories is by ordering Low fat high protein snacks & few healthy alcoholic drinks…..i mean, Yes! It is possible for you to get low calorie drinks also that aren't filled with hidden calories & at least for one thing, you can keep the worries aside and enjoy yourself.
well,Eating unhealthy snacks every now and then is one of the most common reasons for unusual weight gain. The need to consume healthy snacks in small portions arises from this fact. Low fat high protein snacks are good ways to satisfy the hunger pangs that are more likely to strike during long intervals between meals. Some examples of Snacks may be like….,
Peanut Butter Sandwich: Spread a thick layer of peanut butter over slices of brown bread and roast. You can also stuff the bread with mashed potatoes and make a mini burger out of it.
Baked Fish: Baking retains the nutritional content. Do not add spices and keep the recipe simple
Protein Bars: The quantity of protein in protein bars depends on the size of the bars. It's high protein snack and is essential in your diet if you are following weight loss programs.
Protein Shakes: Purchase protein powders from health stores to make the shakes.
You can mix peanut butter with fruit punches as well.
Popcorn: Popcorn is the world's favorite snack, which is low in calories and good to eat.so just switch on some movie and binge on it.
Fruits and Nuts: Cashews, walnuts, peanuts and almonds have a high nutritional value that makes them the healthiest variety of snacks. You can have them during the interval between your lunch and dinner. Similarly, have fruits and fruit juices at regular intervals. Avoid canned juices added with sweeteners and preservatives.
Apart from these, there are many more categories of high protein low fat foods, forming wonderful dishes for snacks,some of them are like Lentils,Tuna Salad,Boiled Eggs,Soy Milk,Low-fat Yogurt ,Soy Nuts etc .
In case of drinks, If, at any party, you don't have the option of concocting your own variation of lowest calorie alcoholic drink, then perhaps a light beer or low calorie wine can do the trick. But when you do have the time and the opportunity, then there's nothing wrong with taking advantage. You can try some drinks recipes like Cranberry Vodka tonic,Merlot Spritzer,Moscow Mule,Caipirinha,Island Lemonade,Whiskey highball etc..(am feeling like a bartender now )..Anywayz, When you're mixing healthy alcoholic drinks together, keep sweet liqueurs out as they are filled with calories. Also, let the recipes be simple with minimal mixers as any cocktail or drink with multiple mixers can increase the calorie count. And last, but certainly the most important... Don't drink and drive, please.
@ Aman: I know quite a few ones which are low on fat.. Amul Lite for one. And anyway, some amount of fat is still needed. Be rest assured, it won't hurt you in the least.
ReplyDeleteNice Article.
ReplyDeleteWhat is better to lose weight - Jogging or Gymming?
@prakhar: gymming!!..if u wanna lose weight in a less time, but if u jst wanna lose weight, & dnt bothering abt time then start jogging frm tommorrow morning....u can save some bucks also but dnt spend it in the afternoon for those fatty fast foods.
ReplyDelete