Last week we learnt that using simple lifestyle interventions i.e regularly exercising and eating healthy helps to control our weight. The most interesting thing to note is having more muscle will burn more kilojoules and therefore resistance training is paramount.
Following on, weight is accurate when you measure it 2 to 3 days post good behaviour, i.e you can’t expect to eat healthy one day and the following day you’ve lost weight. More so, the positive reflection is shown on the scales after days, weeks, months, and years of good behaviour. In the reverse, negative behaviour isn’t reflected in a day. The 5 or 10kg you’ve put on has accumulated over the weeks, months and years.
Calories in v Calories out is TRUE.
Simply, if you consume more than you expend, you will put on weight. If you expend more than you consume, then you will lose weight.
There are however some factors that impact calories in and calories out.
Calories in are affected by digestion and absorption. These are uncontrollable.
Calories out are affected by gender, exercise, muscle mass, and Base Metabolic Rate (BMR). All but your gender are modifiable and we’ll explain how.
How do we create a body that produces more carbon dioxide and water, and therefore breaks down more fat?
In order to increase energy our body demands we need to build a system that optimises calories out. To do this we need to increase our BMR. BMR is reflected via exercise and muscle mass.
Lean Body Mass (LBM) is a controllable measure and therefore the more you have, the more you burn at rest, whilst performing activities of daily living, and exercising.
To determine your own BMR, use the Katch-McArdle Formula (Resting Daily Energy Expenditure):
P = 370 + (21.6 X LBM) = x calories.
The average person requires 8700 kj per day (~2000 calories) for normal activities of daily living.
Participating in exercise will increase the amount of daily energy required. If you’re exercising at the intensities listed below, you can consume these amounts of kj before gaining weight. To lose weight, we must consume less than these.
- Mild exercise > 8 700 x 1.25 = 10 875kj (2601kcal)
- Moderate exercise > 8 700 x 1.5 = 13 050kj (3122kcal)
- Intense exercise > 8 700 x 1.75 = 15 225kj (3642kcal)
- Very high intensity exercises > 8 700 x 2.0 = 17 400kj (4162kcal)
Longevity Personal Training and Exercise Physiology utilise Tanita scales to assess body composition. To find out how much lean muscle mass you have, contact the team at Longevity on 1300 964 002.
Next week we will learn about the quality and quantity of nutrition. Watch this space…
Written by Angela Vitucci
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