Tweaking Calories

Determining the basic caloric intake or maintenance calories takes some time and should be done gradually through a few weeks to months for the body to adapt to this new pattern. The key here is proper digestion and adequate enzymes to consume the amount of food that is required.

If the body does not digest the nutrients provided due to a sudden excess, it will either store it or get rid of it. Patience is virtue.

Take some measurements and monitor them monthly to make sure you are on track. If you have been gradually increasing calories but weight is still the same and body fat is decreasing or even maintaining, then good, keep increasing, you would be surprised how much your body requires. 

How often should I increase? The increments should be around 5% weekly for weight gain or even monthly depending on your goal. The weight gain is around 1 to 2 lbs per month. Take note that you want to have a good muscle : fat ratio! Meaning 2:1 or better.

However, if you notice your waist measurement is increasing quickly, perhaps it is good to slow the increase of calories as the body is starting to store fat due to the rate of absorption being low, low to slow metabolism or the workouts are not intensive enough to justify the increase in calories.

The key to success is consistency and understanding how your body works. For example if you are consuming too much simple carbohydrates through the day the insulin levels will be spiked and that slows metabolism. That is the reason why people feel sleepy if they consuming too much carbs after lunch. 

Choose slow digesting or carbohydrate choices that have lower glycemic scores such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, or rolled oats. Breads that are high in fiber would have a lower glycemic score compared to white bread.

If insulin is kept low to moderate and consistent throughout the day, metabolism will be kept stable. This in turn encourages fat loss. Exercise will always be the main method of heightening your metabolism and keep it high throughout the day. This is the most natural and best way to burn fat safely!

Next topic: Metabolism in a nutshell

Written By: Ryan Lye

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How to reduce body fat?

In my last article i mentioned about Macros and how we can continue to eat most foods and still be healthy. But before i get to that i want to touch on fat and how it accumulates in our body.

Blame it on low metabolism, too much work, lack of exercise. I am sure we all battle with it at some point. It is truly frustrating and the odds seem to be against us. 

But there is another reason why we store fat that most people don't realize.

Most people aren’t eating enough. 

When I asked my clients what they eat on a regular basis, some find it like a trick question or struggle to remember what they had yesterday. You see folks most of us just want to fulfil our body’s natural response. Satisfy hunger. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it fills us up. 

 

But what if you found out that you were eating too little and it actually caused you to store fat? 

The body is built for survival. If you are not eating enough the body’s natural response is to store fat. It’s that simple. But wait! If i eat very little carbs and more protein and vegetables for my meals why then does one still store fat? The key thing is calories. Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats all have calories. If the body is undernourished it will convert calories into fat and store it in the fat cells. Once the cells are full, they multiply. The source of the calories does not matter. 

The quality of each meal is also essential but overall if we eat adequately and moderately, the body will be inclined to not store fat as it knows that it has enough REGULARLY. 

That is why most fitness enthusiast understand this and they keep their meals consistent and maintain a proper caloric intake daily. Ever wondered how they maintained their slim fit figures and eat ice cream and fried chicken even though they eat fried chicken and ice cream regularly?

Well i am going to teach you how.

 

Stay tuned for the next topic: Finding my Maintenance calories

Ryan Lye

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