It seems to be quite wide spread that people out there are
unhappy with their body image, and what they're doing about it is
actually very unhealthy and almost certain to not work.
If you have a goal weight, or an ideal physique / body type in mind... there's really only one way to achieve it. And that is by consuming the amount of calories required to maintain that body weight, along with an appropriate exercise program. In other words, "eat for the weight you want to be".
For people trying to gain weight, it's pretty simple; you have to eat more. If you're not gaining weight, you're not eating enough.
For weight loss it's still quite simple although there can be more than one reason why you are not losing weight. If you're not losing weight, there's could be two possible explanations. One, as you'd expect is "you're eating too much". The other, you probably won't expect and will be reluctant to accept is "you're eating too little".
To lose weight, you need to be eating below your maintenance requirements; that is, the amount of calories required to maintain your current weight. This is referred to as "calorific deficit". However, there's a limit on how low you can go with your intake of calories. Your body requires a minimum amount to be able to function properly... and believe it or not, going below that minimum amount actually results in the body holding on to it's fat reserves, rather than burning them off.
I'll digress for a moment to say that in many cases having too strict of an idea of your "ideal weight" is a bad idea in the first place. Your goal should be to be healthy, look good and feel great. If you're feeling good and looking good, who cares if the scale says 63kg instead of 60kg? Also the inverse is true, you might hit your "goal weight", but if you've done so by sacrificing muscle mass and not nourishing yourself properly, you're still going to feel crappy and be happy with the way you look.
So while I don't agree with being too obsessed about a goal weight, for the purposes of determining how much to eat each day it is useful to choose a weight right in the middle of the healthy weight range for your height, age and gender based on the Body Mass Index. And then, CONSUME PRECISELY THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF CALORIES EACH DAY TO MAINTAIN THAT WEIGHT.
Here's how NOT TO do it, or in other words how to ensure failure:
As an example; Lets say you're a 20 year old girl of average height (that's about 160cm here in Australia) and you want to be as thin as possible. I'm going to say 50kg because it's a nice round number, and going any lighter than that is bordering on unhealthy. I personally think that most people look better at the higher end of the healthy BMI, but that's a subjective opinion and yours may differ. Anyway, I digress...
There are dozens of calculators online to work out your nutritional requirements. For our example above, a 160cm tall 20 year old female of 50kg would require around 1700 calories per day to maintain her weight.
So, if you're 160cm tall and eat 1700 calories a day, eventually you'll end up at 50kg.
Also you should note, as long as you hit your daily target of calories (with a sensible balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates) you can really eat whatever you want, and still lose weight. This is referred to as the "If It Fits Your Macros" (or IIFYM) approach to nutrition.
So, I repeat - Eat for the weight you want to be!
If you've been eating the right amount to maintain your goal weight, you'll stay there. You'll already be in the habit of eating precisely the correct amount to maintain your goal weight once you achieve it. Even with the occasional blow out along the way, on average you are going to be hitting low enough calories to steadily lose weight, but not so low that you sabotage yourself.
Again though, in the long term you should forget about the scales anyway and focus instead on how you feel, how you look in the mirror, and how your clothes fit.
The bottom line:
Eat the right amount for your height & age. Not too much, not too little. Do some resistance training as well. Good nutrition and exercise will help with any mental or emotional issues as well, so that when you do achieve a healthy weight and slim toned physique, you're going to realise it and be happy & proud of yourself rather than thinking it's still not enough.
Choose health and happiness!
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Hargreaves
If you have a goal weight, or an ideal physique / body type in mind... there's really only one way to achieve it. And that is by consuming the amount of calories required to maintain that body weight, along with an appropriate exercise program. In other words, "eat for the weight you want to be".
For people trying to gain weight, it's pretty simple; you have to eat more. If you're not gaining weight, you're not eating enough.
For weight loss it's still quite simple although there can be more than one reason why you are not losing weight. If you're not losing weight, there's could be two possible explanations. One, as you'd expect is "you're eating too much". The other, you probably won't expect and will be reluctant to accept is "you're eating too little".
To lose weight, you need to be eating below your maintenance requirements; that is, the amount of calories required to maintain your current weight. This is referred to as "calorific deficit". However, there's a limit on how low you can go with your intake of calories. Your body requires a minimum amount to be able to function properly... and believe it or not, going below that minimum amount actually results in the body holding on to it's fat reserves, rather than burning them off.
I'll digress for a moment to say that in many cases having too strict of an idea of your "ideal weight" is a bad idea in the first place. Your goal should be to be healthy, look good and feel great. If you're feeling good and looking good, who cares if the scale says 63kg instead of 60kg? Also the inverse is true, you might hit your "goal weight", but if you've done so by sacrificing muscle mass and not nourishing yourself properly, you're still going to feel crappy and be happy with the way you look.
So while I don't agree with being too obsessed about a goal weight, for the purposes of determining how much to eat each day it is useful to choose a weight right in the middle of the healthy weight range for your height, age and gender based on the Body Mass Index. And then, CONSUME PRECISELY THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF CALORIES EACH DAY TO MAINTAIN THAT WEIGHT.
Here's how NOT TO do it, or in other words how to ensure failure:
- Extreme calorie restriction aka starving yourself.
- Fasting.
- Purging.
- Excessive amounts of "cardio" exercise.
- Diet pills.
- Fad diets that you can't possibly stick to long term.
As an example; Lets say you're a 20 year old girl of average height (that's about 160cm here in Australia) and you want to be as thin as possible. I'm going to say 50kg because it's a nice round number, and going any lighter than that is bordering on unhealthy. I personally think that most people look better at the higher end of the healthy BMI, but that's a subjective opinion and yours may differ. Anyway, I digress...
There are dozens of calculators online to work out your nutritional requirements. For our example above, a 160cm tall 20 year old female of 50kg would require around 1700 calories per day to maintain her weight.
So, if you're 160cm tall and eat 1700 calories a day, eventually you'll end up at 50kg.
Also you should note, as long as you hit your daily target of calories (with a sensible balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates) you can really eat whatever you want, and still lose weight. This is referred to as the "If It Fits Your Macros" (or IIFYM) approach to nutrition.
So, I repeat - Eat for the weight you want to be!
If you've been eating the right amount to maintain your goal weight, you'll stay there. You'll already be in the habit of eating precisely the correct amount to maintain your goal weight once you achieve it. Even with the occasional blow out along the way, on average you are going to be hitting low enough calories to steadily lose weight, but not so low that you sabotage yourself.
Again though, in the long term you should forget about the scales anyway and focus instead on how you feel, how you look in the mirror, and how your clothes fit.
The bottom line:
Eat the right amount for your height & age. Not too much, not too little. Do some resistance training as well. Good nutrition and exercise will help with any mental or emotional issues as well, so that when you do achieve a healthy weight and slim toned physique, you're going to realise it and be happy & proud of yourself rather than thinking it's still not enough.
Choose health and happiness!
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