How calories work

[bwerb]

The other kicker relating to calories and metabolic rate is that you need to ensure your body doesn't kick into starvation mode where you pack on the fat because you aren't eating enough and your body makes arrangements to ensure you "make it through the lean times".

Hence the eat smaller meals more frequently mantra...eat 6 times a day instead of the "skip breakfast...coffee for lunch...pig out for dinner" approach...or a version there of.

Also...a body with more muscle needs more calories to maintain the muscle. Your body will start breaking down the muscle when you start into a caloric deficit. Therefore, add weights to your routine...build some muscle along with the cardio for maximum benefit.

 

[Sue-ba]

Thanks for the info.

It is true. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. Each body is different. Some burn up more calories each day than others but the principle is a cold hard, fact. Even with problems like thyroid, from which I suffer, which means that without medication, I can only eat about 100 calories a day if I do not want to gain weight. No matter how low that number is, it is true that I will gain weight if I do not maintain that balance of caloric intake and caloric burn off.

Now having the will power to keep the balance...

 

[RichLockyer]

The other kicker relating to calories and metabolic rate is that you need to ensure your body doesn't kick into starvation mode where you pack on the fat because you aren't eating enough and your body makes arrangements to ensure you "make it through the lean times".

Abso-freakin-lutely. Too few calories will result in a major shutdown of the BMR and subsequent loss of energy and possible weight gain.

Also... BUY A DRYSUIT!

One of the functions of fat is insulation. If the body is chilled, it will tend to "want" more insulation. Take a look at Olympic swimmers and compare them to the runners. The runners are very well defined, while the swimmers tend to be a bit "softer". You're probably looking at a difference of 3-5% bodyfat between the two.

 

[Sue-ba]

The other kicker relating to calories and metabolic rate is that you need to ensure your body doesn't kick into starvation mode where you pack on the fat because you aren't eating enough and your body makes arrangements to ensure you "make it through the lean times".

This is true but only for a time. Eventually, the body will start to respond again to the fewer calories. The best way to prevent this is to gain in your body muscle mass. The increased muscle using more calories to survive will counteract the metabolism slowdown.

 

[bwerb]

Uh...ok...I'm talking about the practice we see far too often of people "dieting" by reducing their caloric intake to stupid levels and skipping meals. Your body will totally rebel against this approach. Yes reducing calories is good as long as it is gone about intelligently. You need to keep "stoking the fire" as it were. One of the hardest things for people to grasp is that eating isn't the enemy. What you eat and how you eat is.

 

[neil]

Congrats on your good work Neil!
I use a day book for recording my calories and food. I also weigh and measure for clarity - my eyes and mouth are no good at judging.
,

Thanks, and same to you. I'm using Diet Power to track calories and exercise. Keeps me on track.
Neil