18 September 2009 12:25 | Posted by: Gareth Nicholas
Tags: Nutrition, Weight loss
Recently, I was asked by a reader of men's health about what they should be doing to help with weight loss. It seems that it's a common question that we in with a westernised diet are faced with. The following information is inline with the current recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine and what I would view as realistic.
Firstly, I have taken the average height (177 cm) and build (80 kg) of UK male. With this and use of the Harris-Benedict formula I can predict an individuals Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This being the energy intake required to fulfil a sedentary lifestyle. This equates to 1843 Kcal per day, we can then add an additional calorific intake to meet the demand of an active lifestyle. The energy intake required for this individual is now 2534 Kcal per day.
To put this is perspective of macronutrients (food groups). This equates to Carbs 1520 Kcal (60% of your daily diet), Fat 634 Kcal (25% of your daily diet) and Protein 380 Kcal (15% of your daily diet).
Ok, so now if we manipulate this energy intakes in line with the research for weight loss. That being to have a calorie restrictive diet of approximately 300-500 Kcal per day; and conducting a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week. It’s worth stating at this point that the best method for increased weight loss should be to increase the amount of physical activity. The latest recommendation is to conduct between 250-300 minutes of activity per week.
So, what does this mean? Let me put this into a table for easy reference. The following suggestions would be are designed for an individual partaking in 3 days of resistance exercise, and 2 days of cardiovascular exercise per week.
Modified Intake Carbs Fat Protein Total
Original Intake 1520 Kcal 634 Kcal 380 Kcal 2534 Kcal
Resistance Intake 1220 Kcal 434 Kcal 380 Kcal 2034 Kcal
Cardiovascular Intake 1320 Kcal 334 Kcal 380 Kcal 2034 Kcal
Now, combined with the 500-700 Kcal expended through exercise this would certainly help you to lose weight. Please be mindful that any calorific weight loss should come from your main meals. You should avoid making significant changes in your carbohydrate consumption before and during exercise, especially your cardiovascular sessions.
Overall the answer to weight loss is a simple one; daily energy expenditure should be greater than energy intake. However in reality the answer is much more difficult. If you have found this useful or you would like more information why not check out our online nutritional tools
http://www.lucozade.com/sport/sport-science/nutrition-tools/nutrition-planner/default.aspx
This is just an example of how the nutritional tools maybe able to help you. This demonstrates the macronutrient intake in terms of food weights.
This depicts a timeline of when you should be eating.
Similarly if you have any questions or you would like more advice please ask away!
Gareth
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