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Audrey D

Why Simply “Eating Less” Won’t Help You Lose Weight

August 10, 2016 by Audrey D

Eating _Less_

A big portion of weight loss advice gets boiled down to: “Eat less, move more.” Let’s tackle that first part: just eat “less”. That’s not very specific though, is it? How much less are you supposed to eat? And less than WHAT exactly? Less than before? Less than a breadbasket?

People generally go wrong with eating “less” in one of two ways. In one camp, we have those who cut way, way, WAY back, and start eating very little. Inevitably this leads to them being hungry all the time, and eventually they give in to their hunger and eat the entire kitchen. Then they feel awful about it, and give up, thinking they’ll never be able to lose weight.

On the flip side are those who know they should take things gradually, so they cut back a little based on their previous eating habits. Often, however, they aren’t relying on hard data. It could well be that previously, their eating regimen had them gaining weight at a slow creep of five pounds a year. Now they’ve cut back a tiny bit, so they’re only gaining at two pounds a year. While this is a step in the right direction, when they step on the scale and don’t see a change, they get frustrated, decide that eating less is of no use since the numbers aren’t going down anyway, and give up, thinking they’ll never be able to lose weight.

While eating “less” is generally accepted as true, one important piece that is missing is just how much less to eat. Eating the right amount will keep you on a steady pace to reach your goals. It is also important to eat enough, so you aren’t left “starving” and frustrated and wanting to quit.

So, exactly how much “less” should you eat so that you hit the sweet spot of not eating like a bird while still seeing results? For that, we’ll need to do some math. We need to determine, based on your current height and weight, how many calories your body burns just keeping you alive. Pumping blood, digesting food, breathing… all that stuff our brain handles for us without us having to think about it. Then we’ll multiply that by a factor of how active you are. That is how many calories total your body burns each day or your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). I won’t make you actually do all the math; you can use any number of online TDEE calculators to come up with your number. Take in fewer calories, and your body makes up the difference by burning some excess fat. Take in more, and your body stores the extra as fat. The generally accepted equation is that one pound of fat is around 3500 calories. So to lose one pound a week, we can divide that by seven, and you come up with needing to eat 500 calories below your TDEE each day to hit that one pound a week goal. If you are currently eating well above your TDEE, cut back slowly. Don’t make the mistake in the example above of cutting back too quickly without getting used to it!

Keep in mind that despite all the SCIENCE! and MATH! that goes into this, your TDEE calculation is still an estimate. If you are not seeing results after a few weeks, and you are certain you are tracking your intake correctly, you may need to adjust how many calories you are taking in.

Have you tried eating some arbitrary amount of “less” before? How did it work out for you? Let me know in the comments!

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Filed Under: Diet Tagged With: diet, tdee, weight loss

Benefits of Weight Lifting for Women

August 8, 2016 by Audrey D

Not lifting weights because you are afraid of looking like a body builder

Thankfully, the myth that lifting anything heavier than your purse will turn you into Mr. Olympia overnight is mostly dying down. On the other hand, with the growing popularity and proliferation of CrossFit gyms, we are seeing a lot more women with low body fat and well-defined, often prominent muscles. This can make some women nervous about venturing forth into the weights section of the gym. But ask anyone who is seeking “gainz” (adding muscle mass) and they will tell you: it is HARD. It takes *SO* much to get to that level: a LOT of time at the gym (and just a lot of time in general); a LOT of weight on the bar; and a whole LOT of protein. And without constant vigilance of diet to attain low body fat percentages, those muscles aren’t going to show through anyway. It’s even harder for women to build huge muscles due to lack of testosterone. The women you see in bikini bodybuilding competitions are often on steroids.

If you DO want to look very muscular, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT! Just be prepared to put in a lot of hard work. For the rest of you, I challenge you to lift heavy. You might be surprised just how much weight you can lift before you notice any visible muscle growth. The muscles you build will help you burn calories while you sleep, and you can always stop increasing the weight if you feel your physique is getting too “bulky” for your tastes.

Other benefits of weight lifting include:

  • Load-bearing exercise helps build stronger bones. (Women are more prone to osteoporosis later in life)
  • Burn more calories while at rest
  • Carry in all the groceries in fewer trips
  • “Toned” simply means low body fat and slightly defined muscles, so to get that “toned” look, you’ll need to lift
  • More confidence
  • Jars are easier to open
  • Furniture is easier to move
  • Feel like a total badass!

What’s your #1 reason for hitting the weights?

 

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Filed Under: Motivational Monday Tagged With: Motivation

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