M4:D34 (D334) Cutting Calories?

  

What's on my mind today?

There are many approaches to losing fat and cutting calories is just one of them.  It is important to figure out what your body is doing and then come up with a plan to assist it in dropping body fat properly.

Your Body

Your body gets its energy from its tissues and stores when the total caloric intake is less than the total caloric output.  If you hit this point there will be fat loss and lean body mass loss.  Men lose fat easier than women because of the higher level of testosterone in their body. 

The woman's body resists changes in body composition as a protective mechanism to conserve energy stores.  This makes it harder for women to get down to an acceptable level of body fat, but I said harder, not impossible.

Cutting Calories Methodology

If you cut calories correctly it will assist you in losing fat.  One way is to reduce calories by about 4 calories per pound of lean body mass.  This aims to preserve as much lean body mass as possible.  You need to subtract calories from each meal.  Calories cut should come from dietary fat, saturated fats, cholesterol, sweets and sugar first.  These items are major fat causing culprits.

You should avoid reducing calories from complex carbohydrates because they help to maintain blood sugar levels and also provide a good source of energy for your body.  Fat also burns more efficiently in the presence of complex carbohydrates. 

You should never reduce calories from protein when trying to burn fat.  Processing protein in the body requires alot of energy and this aides in burning fat. 

Eating

You should be eating a minimum of 5 times a day.  This accomplishes several purposes.  You are providing your muscles with a constant source of materials to rebuild from your workout.  You also avoid the starvation response that happens when you don't eat enough. 

Just Calories?

Cutting calories will help with burning fat, but it is not the only avenue you should be traveling down.  You need to get on an intense weight training program as well.  By lifting weights and making your muscles grow you are creating a larger engine.  That larger engine will assist you in burning fat.  You will become an efficient fat burning machine.  That's the ultimate goal.
 


 
Find out what I'm doing to my body!

Today was an interval cardio day.  I did it on the bike today for variety.  This, of course, is my new interval method involving getting my heart rate up to 145 and then holding there for 2 minutes and then allowing my body to recover back down to 105.
 
Exercise the brain with the Thought of the Day!

"Your self image is your pattern!  Every thought has an activity visualized.  Every activity belongs to a pattern.  You identify with your pattern or thought.  Your patterns leads your life."  J G Gallimore
 
Get a discussion started by answering the question!

What patters are you setting that will lead your life?  Comment this post to answer the question.
 
 
  

Mission 2, Day 34: Round about

Until tomorrow...GET BACK TO LIFTING!

Posted by Michael Mahony at 9/23/2008 9:36 PM
Categories: Nutrition, Old Missions
 
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