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Understanding and Working With Calories
Understanding and Working With Calories
By Adam Sinicki
We
are all familiar with the idea of calorie counting and we all know
that essentially eating lots of calories means becoming very large.
However what most of us don't know is what calories are, how many
we're supposed to be eating, how to lose them or really anything
useful about them. If you're into bodybuilding then this can all be
very useful as correctly managing your calories means providing
yourself with the right amount of energy to get through your workouts
while ensuring not to pile on the extra weight and lose your
definition.
What Are Calories?
Essentially calories are energy. A calorie is a measure of energy
that comes from our food and this is what our body uses to power
itself and to perform all kinds of daily tasks. This energy comes in
the form of glucose which is broken down into ATP (adenosine
triphosphate) and then used for the energy that forms its powerful
bonds. This energy is just the same really as the kind of energy that
powers a lamp and that's why you can get those little lamps that are
powered by potatoes (remember having those as a kid?). In fact one
calorie is equal to 4184 joules. Most of these calories are found in
the carbohydrates in our food as these contain the most glucose,
however they can also be found in any other sources of food.
What happens then is that when your body needs energy for exercise
or for general bodily processes, it will burn the calories that you
have in your food to do this. Any calories that are then left over at
the end of the day will then be stored as fat cells deposited around
the body just below the skin and this is why you need to make sure
that you don't consume many more calories than you burn – because
otherwise they will be stored.
On
the other hand if you exert yourself and your body doesn't have
enough calories available as food, it will look elsewhere and will
start to burn off your fat stores for energy which will make you
appear leaner again. However if this continues and you're fresh out
of fat cells then it will have to look elsewhere again in order to
find something to burn, and that's when it will start to
'cannibalise' your body – burning off your muscle tissue and
eventually even your vital organs. That might sound a bit extreme but
you need to remember – even breathing requires energy so if it
couldn't get the energy from somewhere
you'd
eventually become completely static and err... die.
How This Helps You
So that's how calories work and why we care about them. Now the
question is, how does this relate to getting yourself into tip top
shape? The answer is that you need to provide your body with the
exact amount of calories you need – no more and no less – if you
want to stay the size you are now. If you want to cut fat you need to
eat fewer calories than you use (though still some). To eat fewer
calories you need to eat fewer carbs, and to get an exact figure you
should read the packet which will normally tell you how many carbs
are involved.
Of course though you also need to know how many carbs you need
before this number is any good to you and this will depend on who you
are and what your lifestyle is like.
Working Out Your BMR
This is where your 'BMR' comes in which is your 'basal metabolic
rate'. This is a number that assumes that you're not going to move –
not go running or walking or partake in any exercise. All your body
literally has to do then is to keep itself running – pump your
blood around your body, keep you breathing, maintain your immune
system, blink, produce saliva etc etc. It is the very minimal amount
of calories it takes your body to run. To work out yours:
Calculating Your BMR
655 + (4.3 X Weight in lb) + (4.7 X Height in inches) – (4.7 X Age
in years)
This number then gives you the minimum amount of calories you need
to stay alive and if you do any exercise you'll need more in order to
provide you with enough energy. This is your energy usage and this
too is something you need to calculate.
To
work out the amount of energy you'll use in a day with
your
exertion do the following sum:
Sedentary people (couch potatoes): BMR x 20%
Lightly active people (where most people fit): BMR x 30%
Moderately active people (you exercise on most days): BMR x 40%
You are highly active (you exercise for an hour a day): BMR x 50%
You're an athlete or something: BMR x 60%
Thus this then gives you the exact number of calories you will use
per day. So now if you want to lose weight you could do lots of
activity and only eat your BMR x 30%, or to stay the same you would
just eat the same number of calories your body needs (though it
doesn't hurt to have some left over).
And there you have it! You can now become an official calorie
counter. Or just eat fewer carbs...
Copyright 2012 The Biomatrix.Net
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Understanding and Working With CaloriesBy Adam SinickiWe are all familiar with the idea of calorie counting and we all know that essentially eating lots of calories means becoming very large. However what most of us don't know is what calories are, how many we're supposed to be eating, how to lose them or really anything useful about them. If you're into bodybuilding then this can all be very useful as correctly managing your calories means providing yourself with the right amount of energy to get through your workouts while ensuring not to pile on the extra weight and lose your definition.
What Are Calories?
Essentially calories are energy. A calorie is a measure of energy that comes from our food and this is what our body uses to power itself and to perform all kinds of daily tasks. This energy comes in the form of glucose which is broken down into ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and then used for the energy that forms its powerful bonds. This energy is just the same really as the kind of energy that powers a lamp and that's why you can get those little lamps that are powered by potatoes (remember having those as a kid?). In fact one calorie is equal to 4184 joules. Most of these calories are found in the carbohydrates in our food as these contain the most glucose, however they can also be found in any other sources of food.
What happens then is that when your body needs energy for exercise or for general bodily processes, it will burn the calories that you have in your food to do this. Any calories that are then left over at the end of the day will then be stored as fat cells deposited around the body just below the skin and this is why you need to make sure that you don't consume many more calories than you burn – because otherwise they will be stored. On the other hand if you exert yourself and your body doesn't have enough calories available as food, it will look elsewhere and will start to burn off your fat stores for energy which will make you appear leaner again. However if this continues and you're fresh out of fat cells then it will have to look elsewhere again in order to find something to burn, and that's when it will start to 'cannibalise' your body – burning off your muscle tissue and eventually even your vital organs. That might sound a bit extreme but you need to remember – even breathing requires energy so if it couldn't get the energy from somewhere you'd eventually become completely static and err... die. How This Helps YouSo that's how calories work and why we care about them. Now the question is, how does this relate to getting yourself into tip top shape? The answer is that you need to provide your body with the exact amount of calories you need – no more and no less – if you want to stay the size you are now. If you want to cut fat you need to eat fewer calories than you use (though still some). To eat fewer calories you need to eat fewer carbs, and to get an exact figure you should read the packet which will normally tell you how many carbs are involved. Of course though you also need to know how many carbs you need before this number is any good to you and this will depend on who you are and what your lifestyle is like.
Working Out Your BMR
This is where your 'BMR' comes in which is your 'basal metabolic rate'. This is a number that assumes that you're not going to move – not go running or walking or partake in any exercise. All your body literally has to do then is to keep itself running – pump your blood around your body, keep you breathing, maintain your immune system, blink, produce saliva etc etc. It is the very minimal amount of calories it takes your body to run. To work out yours:
Calculating Your BMR
655 + (4.3 X Weight in lb) + (4.7 X Height in inches) – (4.7 X Age in years)
This number then gives you the minimum amount of calories you need to stay alive and if you do any exercise you'll need more in order to provide you with enough energy. This is your energy usage and this too is something you need to calculate. To work out the amount of energy you'll use in a day with your exertion do the following sum:
Sedentary people (couch potatoes): BMR x 20% Lightly active people (where most people fit): BMR x 30% Moderately active people (you exercise on most days): BMR x 40% You are highly active (you exercise for an hour a day): BMR x 50% You're an athlete or something: BMR x 60%
Thus this then gives you the exact number of calories you will use per day. So now if you want to lose weight you could do lots of activity and only eat your BMR x 30%, or to stay the same you would just eat the same number of calories your body needs (though it doesn't hurt to have some left over). And there you have it! You can now become an official calorie counter. Or just eat fewer carbs...
Copyright 2012 The Biomatrix.Net
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