First, you must establish what your goals are… Are you looking to lose weight? Get lean? Get bigger?
You must always eat according to your goals!
There are 2 aspects you must consider when structuring your meal plan…
1. WHAT DO I EAT?
2. HOW MUCH DO I EAT?
Let’s examine the first issue, WHAT do you eat? Your food consists of 3 macronutrients and they each serve a purpose:
a. CARBOHYDRATES
b. FATS
c. PROTEINS
Choosing the right foods is how you sculpt your body. For example, if you are looking to get lean, you increase your protein and cut down on your carbs. If you are bulking and want to get gain some muscle mass, you increase your high-quality carbs and so forth. Here’s a visual look at how to structure your daily calories:
Next, HOW MUCH do you eat? First off, calories = energy. Energy requirements are based on multiple factors such as training frequency, type, intensity, body composition, size, age, and goals. One pound is equivalent to 3500 calories.
Our bodies use around 60% of the calories we consume just for bodily functions occurring at rest…heart beating, day dreaming, breathing, etc. The amount of calories being burned at rest is known as the BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR). The good news is that the more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your BMR, which is why I strongly encourage weight training!
It may sound tedious to count calories, but in the beginning, I personally feel it’s necessary. With time, it becomes second-nature as you will be more familiar with the nutritional value of the foods you eat.
SO HOW DO YOU CALCULATE YOUR DAILY REQUIREMENTS??
1. First, you need to establish your BMR… how many calories do you burn at rest?
You will need your:
a. weight (lbs)
b. height (inches)
c. age
FOR WOMEN –> BMR = 665.09 + (4.35 x weight) + (4.7 x height) – (4.67 x age)
FOR MEN –> BMR = 66.47+ (6.23 x weight) + (12.9 x height) – (6.75 x age)
2. Next, you need to multiply your BMR by your activity factor – check table below:
For example, if you are female, 140 lbs, 5’4 tall (64 inches), and 25 years old, your BMR is
665.09 + (4.35 x 140) + (4.7 x 64) – (4.67 x 25) = 1458.14
If you workout 4 times per week:
BMR = 1415.84 x 1.55 (moderate activity) = 2260
Therefore, you can intake 2260 calories per day and maintain your current weight.
Now if you want to lose weight….
To lose 1 lb per week, you need to cut 3500 calories from your total per week (or 500 calories per day).
Therefore, 2260 – 500 = 1760
SO TO LOSE 1 LB PER WEEK, YOU WOULD NEED 1760 CALORIES PER DAY, while exercising 4 times per week!
zulyfit 