calories in and calories out-please explain

[monnie32]

I was wondering if someone could explain the whole "calories in, and calories out" equation. I understand that in order for one to lose weight they need to eat less and exercise more. however, i know there is a certain amount of calories that one needs to eat because if you eat too little your body will hold on to fat more tightly (starvation mode) and your metabolism slows down instead of speeding up to perserve energy.

question is, how do you know the amount of calories you body needs from food in order to lose weight and at the same time how many calories should i be burning a day in order to lose about 2 lbs per week.

I am 21 currently 5'4 and 139 lbs. short term goal is too get down to 130 by july 17th. long term goal is to get down to about 120 possibly by september. I try and workout 5 days a week with cardio and wts but was wondering if someone could explain to me roughly how many calories i should be eating and how many calories i should be burning off through exercise in order to lose 2 lbs a week.
what are your suggestions?

thanks in advance!

[swanso5]

you need to find out your base metabolic rate which is the amount of cal's you need to sustain your current wt at your current activity level then once that is found you can increase activity/decrease cal's to what you need to lose/gain wt...pop base metbaolic rate calculator in google...try 4 - 5 of them as there are many versions and get an average
- don't have a "wt loss per week" goal, you'll only get dissapointed when if you don't reach it...stick with your long term goal (lose 20pds etc) and be consistent enough with training and diet to get there but don't be in a hurry...you didn't get out of shape in 8 weeks so don't expect to get into shape in the same time frame
- you might struggle to get there from now depending on how much fat/muscle you have now...120 by sep may be a doable target though
- cal's start 2000/day then slowly work down...for training i bet your not doing it either hard, heavy or fast enough...post training and food for a looksey

[cassiegose]

The “calories in and calories outâ€

[monnie32]

I have been currently eating about 1200-1400 calories a day. So, if I jump to 2000 calories won't that cause body to gain weight? How can I slowly increase calories without gaining anymore weight?

will post today's meals and workout later tonight!

[cassiegose]

It shouldn't make you gain weight if you do it correctly. I told you that body tends to go into "starvation mode" (as I like to call it) at 1200-1400... Over a month ago I increased from that to about 1900 a day. I haven't gained any weight... in fact, I've gone down 1% in body fat. I think increasing your calories will actually help rev your metabolism to get you to start losing weight. I know it goes against everything we've been taught about weight loss but sometimes upping calories really is the key to getting that fat off. With the right combination of diet, weight routine, and cardio workout you should be on your way to losing that weight in no time. :)

Keep the questions coming if you have any!!

[monnie32]

did you go from 1200-1400 to 1900 over night or did you incease your calories slowly each week going from let's say 1200 to 1300 one week then 1300 to 1400 calories the next,etc.? metabolism and body are both screwed up from yo-yo dieting that i am afraid of going all the way up to 1900 calories when it is used to only on average of 1400. I feel that if I do I will end up gaining weight and not burning enough through out the day.

Which leads to next question..how much exercise would body really need? would running a couple times a week and lifting weights be enough?

[Christopheel]

did you go from 1200-1400 to 1900 over night or did you incease your calories slowly each week going from let's say 1200 to 1300 one week then 1300 to 1400 calories the next,etc.? metabolism and body are both screwed up from yo-yo dieting that i am afraid of going all the way up to 1900 calories when it is used to only on average of 1400. I feel that if I do I will end up gaining weight and not burning enough through out the day.

Which leads to next question..how much exercise would body really need? would running a couple times a week and lifting weights be enough?

Increase over 1 or 2 weeks your calories or yes it's true that your body won't make good usage of the incoming nutriments.

For training usually 3 times weights (Heavy compounds over single joint shit exercises) a week and 2 times Cardio.

[cassiegose]

I increased mine up to about 1600 one week then around 1900 the next. I did that for about 3 weeks and now I’m eating around 1800 a day. Keep in mind that I didn’t up calories by eating big macs and ho-hos. Its pretty much all whole clean food. A good diet plan that you’ll see posted numerous times throughout these forums… and the one that I’m currently on… looks something like this:

Meal 1: fruit, carb, protein
Meal 2: fruit, protein
Meal 3: protein, veggies
Meal 4: protein, veggies
Meal 5: protein, veggies
Meal 6: protein, veggies.

The key is to eat every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism revved all day long. By eating your fruit in the morning you will be more likely to burn that instead of storing it (fruit has fructose in it which is a sugar). By eating veggies and protein afternoon your body will have a hard time storing those as fat. Also, remember this meal plan can be pretty flexible. I like to eat a big bowl of oatmeal (carbs) in the morning when I am done working out. If you are working out at night you’re probably going to want to eat some carbs then after working out to help refuel your body. You could also add some carbs to meal three if you feel its necessary. Good carb choices include: oatmeal, whole wheat couscous/pasta/bread, quinoa, sweet potato, ect. Remember fruits and veggies also have carbs so youre getting some there. For protein some good choices are: chicken breast, eggs/eggwhites, lean red meats, soy/tofu, and protein powder (for after workouts). Also remember that foods like nuts, legumes, and veggies all have carbs and protein in them.

For your workout I really like doing weights on Mon Wed and Fri and cardio on Tues and Thurs and recreational cardio (kayaking, biking, hiking, walking ect) on Saturday. For weights and cardio make your workout between 30-60 minutes. Cardio should be high intensity: sprint repeats, intervals, stair running, jumping rope, plyometics ect.

Going to 2000 calories really shouldn’t make you gain any weight. As long as you keep your diet clean and eat often you should be fine. Plus, adding an intense workout to that diet will help with fat loss and will help keep your metabolism revved all day long. :)

Hope this helps! Keep the questions coming if you have anymore! :)

[monnie32]

Breakfast
Oatmeal, 0.5 cup
Peppers, sweet, red, fresh, 0.5 cup, chopped
Egg white, 3 serving
fat free cheese, 1 serving
Onions, raw, 0.25 cup, chopped
Soy Milk Plain Light, 1 cup
Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average, 1 medium whole (2-3/5" dia)
GNC Fish Body Oils 1000 Dietary Supplement, 3 serving
hood lowfat cottage cheese, 0.5 cup
Lunch
Cucumber (peeled), 1 cup, pared, chopped
green Peppers (bell peppers), 0.5 cup, chopped
Onions, raw, 0.25 cup, chopped
Iceberg Lettuce (salad), 4 cup, shredded or chopped
Chicken Breast, no skin, 3.2 ounces
Kraft, Light Done Right Salad Dressing, Zesty Italian, 2 Tbspn
teriyaki auce, 1.3 tbsp
Dinner
Chicken Breast, no skin, 5.05 ounces
Spinach, fresh, 28.34 grams
Peppers, sweet, red, fresh, 0.5 cup, chopped
Onions, raw, 35.43 grams
Cucumber (peeled), 94 grams
Iceberg Lettuce (salad), 68.03 grams
teriyaki sauce, 1 tbsp
kraft roasted pepper italian with parmesan, 2 tbsp
Snacks
Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop Kettle Korn whole bag 225 calories
m&mpeanut fun size (2 bags;180 calories) yes i know bad but i needed to satisfy craving!!
Apples, fresh, 1 medium
Kraft Jell-o Brand Sugar Free Low Calorie Gelatin Dessert (Jello),

workouts:
monday: interval training listed below, wts
tuesday: cardio usually running
wed: interval training listed below,wts
thursday: cardio
friday: interval training listed below, wts

running on treadmill looks like this:
Interval Workout #1 (40 minutes)
2%inc
Minutes speed
0-3 3.5
3-5 4.5
5-8 5.5
8-10 3.5
10-13 4.5
13-13:30 6.5
13:30-14:30 5.0
14:30-15 5.5
15-18 6.5
18-18:30 5.5
18:30-19:30 6.0
19:30-20 5.5
20-23 6.5
23-23:30 7.5
23:30-24:30 8.0
24:30-25 6.5
25-28 3.5
28-28:30 6.5
28:30-29:30 4.0
29:30-30 6.5
30-33 4.5
33-33:30 5.5
33:30-34:30 6.0
34:30-35 7.0
35-37:30 5.0
37:30-39 4.5
39-40 3.0

it is about 3.5 miles and i wear a heart rate monitor which says i burn 400 calories

i am having trouble really developing a workout schedule and thinking of different cardio activities and weight training. i know that running is a good cardio activity. is it ok for me to do it everyday as long as i change it up? any suggestions?

[Christopheel]

You should really increase your number of meals,
Cardio isn't the key for fat lost, it's diet, diet and weights mostly.

The machine says 400 Calories ? ... Calories counter on machines aren't viable.

Workout wise read this article written by Swanso, it's so well explained, after reading it come back with your plan and we will help you improve it !

Program Design

There are many variables that need to be taken into account when designing any training program.

These include:
- previous training experience
- training goals
- exercise selection
- training scheduling
- structural balance

I’ll address these points and more to provide some guidelines so you can design your own training program.

Training Goals

As with anything we do, we need to determine the reason for actually doing to make it worth while for this will keep us disciplined and consistent going forward. Many trainers don’t actually have specific or even general goals, and are usually the one’s who train for a while before dropping off when nothing seems to be happening.

You need to set both short term and long term goals. A long term goal might be to lose 10kgs in 6 months with a short term goal being to drop a dress size in 4 weeks. Your short term goal should generally be related to your long term goal, otherwise you’re trying to accomplish too many things at once and you’ll end up spinning your wheels.

Previous Training Experience

Your previous training experience will determine what program you’ll do. It will affect sets, reps, exercise selection and training schedule. If you’ve had a break from training for longer than 6mths or so, than it’s always best top drop back a “levelâ€

[monnie32]

wow so much information. thank you! now i just have to be able to apply it all.

i do realize that the heart rate monitors on the machines are not correct which is why i bought a heart rate watch which also came with a chest strap. i use this when i do cardio.

next, short term goal is to get down to 130 lbs possibly by the end of july and long term goal is to be 120 by the middle of september.

I try to eat about 5 to 6 meals a day each about 3 hours apart. It is difficult for me to eat a lot considering i have been used to eating about 1200 calories which has lead me to gain weight. I end up getting bloated and stomach stretches out when i eat a lot in one meal. Now i just need to learn how to reverse the damage that i have done without gaining anymore weight.

according to the research that i have done online, resting metabolism is 1461.75 and then it says that for activity i should be eating 2009.9 calories to maintain current weight.

So if i want to lose weight, can i cut 500 from meals and eat about 1500 calories and burn off 500 calories? I was looking to lose about 2 lbs per week.

lastly, if i am doing a full body workout 3x week, how many exercises should i be doing during workout?
for example, currently i am doing this:

workout A:
1. squats- 2 sets of 15 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
2 sets of 12 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 8 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
2. Alternating exercises
Push-ups- 2 sets of 15 reps 60 sec rest
2 sets of 12 reps 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10 reps 60 sec rest
3 sets of 8 reps 60 sec rest

Bent over rows- 2 sets of 15 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
2 sets of 12 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 8 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest

3. Alternating exercises
Step ups: 2 sets of 15 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
2 sets of 12 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 8 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest

Prone jack knife- 2 sets of 15 reps 60 sec rest
2 sets of 12 reps 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10 reps 60 sec rest
3 sets of 8 reps 60 sec rest

Workout B
1. Lunges- 2 sets of 15 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
2 sets of 12 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 8 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest

2. Alternating exercises
dumbbell shoulder press-
2 sets of 15 reps using 10 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
2 sets of 12 reps using 10 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10 reps using 10 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 8 reps using 10 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest

bent over dumbbell lateral raises-
2 sets of 15 reps using 10 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
2 sets of 12 reps using 10 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10 reps using 10 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 8 reps using 10 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest

3. Alternating exercises

Deadlifts-2 sets of 15 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
2 sets of 12 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 8 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest

Dumbbell pull overs-
2 sets of 15 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
2 sets of 12 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 10 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest
3 sets of 8 reps using 20 lb dumbbells 60 sec rest

I alternate workout A and B
for example:
monday: A
tuesday: off
Wed:B
Thurs: off
Friday: A
Sat: off
Sun:B

and so on....

[Christopheel]

Awesome ! You seem determined, for diet, if you get 1900 calories instead of 1500 only, you will have an healthier fat lost. And remember that building muscles help in fat lost process and is a part of "definition". Don't worry, lifting heavy and building muscles won't make you look manly unless your taking steroids.

For your workout, just two thing, always the heaviest exercises to the lightest (Biggest muscles to the smallest) And your having too much volume, aim for 25-30 repetitions per exercises.

You don't have a barbell ?

and are you strong enough for Vertical Pull ? (Chin/Pull up)

Workout A

Squat

10 sets of 3 reps, the third rep should not be failure but the fifth yes. 60sec rest

Lunges Variations

3x10 90sec rest

Inverted Row or Bent Over Row Paired with Push-Ups

3x10 90sec rest


Workout B

Deadlift

10x3 60sec rest

Step-Up

3x10 90sec rest

Overhead Press or Olympic Lifts Paired with Diamond Push Ups

3x10 90sec rest

Core Exercises (Plank, Stomach Vaccum etc.) paired with vertical Pull if you're able or Inverted Row/Bent Over Row



Something like this would lead you too success ! I am not an expert on the volume require in fat lost process, but a program like this one would be doable and productive. Not too heavy, correct amount of volume, wait on Swanso and he will confirm If this program is viable during fat lost. I strongly believe it is. But remember, your goal can only be obtain if your diet is solid, really solid.

[swanso5]

monnie, i'm answering all your posts here...somethings may have been answered befor though....

- you need to get those cal's up...how youm handle extra cal's will depend on how you'll get there...if youm tend to increaze wt easily from a blow out week etc then you'll need to do it over 3 - 4 weeks...if your naturally lean than you can do waht the lovely cassie did...if you seem to be gaining "fat" than maintain that kevel for a 3 - 5 days, exercise a little harder and go again
- if you give it an excuse to require more cal's (intense wts/cardio, more frequent meals etc) then metabolism will have no choice but to increase
- don't try breaking land speed records to get these cal's up by any means
- wts 3/week...sprints 2/week
- you want 80% spread over breakfast and the meal after training
- increase oatmeal to a full cup
- aff fruit to breakfast
- you need to eat every 3hrs you're awake so follow what cassie suggested above with meals...smaller and more frequent meals are the way to go, not 3 big one's
- you don't need all these gram measurements either...eat until your content, not stuffed then eat again when you're hungry...simple
- limit snacks...actually don't have 3 meals and 2 snacks...have 6 meals
- sugar free means artificial packed...you're better off with the regular sugar packed one's...even better, neither
- intervals should be 20mins max, otherwise tyour hard intervals are actually hard...they may get you puffed but they're not mobilising fat...they need to be "getting naesous" type hard so short and as hards as you can with rest, rinse and repeat
- don't worry about heart rate either, just make sure you're going as hard as you can...ou knoe perfectly when you have more left in you...better than some machine does anyway
- 2300 cal's is spot on then...i'm a better than i give myself credit for...
- you should lose wt from increasing cal's at the moment...i don't like the 500cal thing, there is no factual basis for it at all...i'd rather you increase activirty (intensity, vol etc0 and then drop cal's a LITTLE rather than simply dropping cal's or your metbaolism will be back to where it started
- for full body workouts check back to the program chris posted
- you're better off doing say 3 x 10 and using the same wt for all sets...once all 3 sets are reached for 10 reps with one wt, increrase the wt the very next time and work back up again
- deadlifts should be first, hard and heavy
- drop any single joint exercises (raises, pullovers etc)

[cassiegose]

Swanso... what did you mean by this "you want 80% spread over breakfast and the meal after training"? That confused me...

[cassiegose]

Just a couple more things...

Good job! Your diet doesn't look too bad. Just a couple of things here...

For snacks you have m&m's, popcorn, and sugar free jello listed. I LOVE m&ms so I understand the appeal there. If you must eat them I would do time it close to a workout so your body has a better chance of burning them off instead of storing them. I've found that when I cut that kind of stuff out of diet I no longer craved it. Your cravings will be pretty strong for sweets the first two weeks after cutting them out but then they pretty much go away making sugary treats much easier to resist (trust me on this one... I LOVE sugar and I really don't crave it much any more). As for the sugar free jello... Its basically a bunch of chemicals which (in opinion) is probably doing more harm to your body than good. Also, I've found that eating sugar free stuff when I have a sugar craving pretty much just makes me crave sugar even more. As for the popcorn... thats really not the best choice either. Even though it says "low fat" it still has more carbs than you need and not enough protein. Plus that stuff is usually loaded with sodium and i believe kettle corn also has sugar and some hydroginated stuff in it.

If I were you I would replace those three snacks with either fruit and protein (before noon) and then veggies and protein (after noon). You could also replace that ice burg lettuce with romain and spinach as they have more nutritional value. Lastly, make sure your spreading your calories out so youre getting around 6-8 balanced meals a day. If your shooting for 2000 calories a day and 6 meals you're eating about 330 calories a meal.

As for cutting the 500 calories... you will eventually start cutting calories but its best to start a little higher and then slowly reduce over the weeks to prevent your body from adapting. Remember that calories in/calories out equation tends to be a little more complicated than it seems... less is not always better when talking calories and more is not always better when talking exercise. By bumping your calories up and eating more often you can get your metaboslim going again. Once it's up and going we'll starting gradually cutting calories. You really don't want to go below 1400-1600 calories so if you immediatly bump it down to 1500 you will have no where to go once your body adapts.

Does this all make sense? We've really been loading you with info lately!! Feel free to ask more questions if necessary!