Calorie Basics

Calories 101

• Calories are a measure of energy, we need energy to run basic metabolic functions
• Your body burns calories constantly to live - just breathing burns almost a calorie a minute
• To lose 1 pound (approx. half kg) you must burn 3500 more calories then you ingest.

Calories Body Clock

• Think of your body operating on a 24 hour clock, working at a constant level.
• Your body adjusts its needs based on the nutrition its currently getting
•  To utilise the calories you consume effectively and prevent the body from storing calories as fat you need to eat small meals often.
• Eg On a maintenance diet (1400 cal per day) the body will use the calories you consume more effectively if you split it over 5-6 meals per day (at approx. 280 cals per meals). This is because if you consume an excessive amount of calories in one sitting your body will not be able to use all of the energy provided and begin to store it.

BMR and Calories Deficit

• Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories or amount of energy your body needs to survive the day.
•  A healthy deficit is around 500 per day (resulting in half a kg to one kg per week in weight loss)
• To work out the ideal calories deficit amount for you:
•  (BMR x activity level) + (exercise calories burned) – (food intake) = deficit
• You can work out your BMR here 

The Evils of Starvation Mode

•  Your body needs a certain number of calories to operate and will use whatever energy it can process the fastest.
• Muscle is a faster conversion to energy then fat so will be used first if the body does not have enough calories available.
• If the body feels that is it being deprived it then stores any food consumed as fat as a security blanket as it does not know when it will get it’s next meal.
• You need to consume enough calories to allow you body to have the time to reach the fat stores in energy conversion without it having to worry about running out of all of it’s energy stores.

So your body need to be consuming enough calories so that is can function but few enough to make a healthy deficit if fat loss is your goal. This way you will lose FAT and keep it OFF.

“To be successful, pursue your goals with unstoppable determination. As long as you know exactly what you want and possess an incessant desire to acquire it, you will prevail.”

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