SIMPLE??? YES!!!
As I mentioned in a previous post, our body is smart and usually very adaptive at allowing more calories to be consumed than need to be used. Which is why we store "fat". All "fat" is is extra calories we have consumed, but never used. Think of that roll around your belly or those saddlebags on your side as stored fuel. Eating "Fat" the macro nutrient, does not necessarily mean you will become "fat". We have a tendency to think of these two entirely different things as the same concept.
I blame the media, lack of education, and overall societal retardation for blending these two "fats". Did you know that excessive carbohydrates will be stored as "fat"? Also too much protein will also be stored as "fat"? We all know alcohol is stored as fat, but did you know that alcohol rarely, if ever, contains any fat at all? Why is soda bad for you when we know that our body relies on "sugar" as a primary source of fuel? Lots of questions I know, but all will be answered. Maybe not in this post, but soon.
HOW MANY CALORIES DO YOU NEED TO CONSUME IN A DAY?
Do you know the answer to this question? I do. The first step in creating true change is understanding all of the contributing factors that go into the overall equation. Eat less and exercise more. Sound simple and easy? It is, but it is too vague. How many calories did you eat yesterday and how many calories did you burn yesterday? Did you burn more than you ate? If you did, you will lose weight, if you ate more than you burned you will gain weight. But the first step is KNOWING!
So where do "Twinkies" come into play? I am using this analogy to drive home a point. Eating right and exercising enough is a mathematical equation. If my body burns 2200 calories in a day and I eat 2200 calories in a day, I am guaranteed to maintain my weight.
SIMPLE MATH!!
It is easy people. The hard part is plugging the variables into the equation. I am a 6' 3" tall, 32 year old male who weighs 191 lbs. I have a fairly active lifestyle and I work out 5-6 times a week. If you want the exact formula, I suggest you look back through a couple of posts. I really encourage you to go find it, write it down, and figure it out. You need to know how many calories you burn in a day if you want any chance at losing weight and getting healthy.
So based on my height, weight, age, and activity level, I burn 3100 calories a day. Seem like a lot? It might for some. If you work out a lot you get to eat a lot. Michael Phelps was reported to eat between 8,000 and 11,000 calories a day while he was training for the Olympics. If you like food so much, exercise.
OK, back to the "Twinkie" One "Twinkie" has 150 calories in it according to http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-hostess-twinkies-i113361. Not bad except when you consider how many chemicals and preservatives are used to create this little monstrosity. I will save that nutrient dense not eating crap tirade for another post.
As previously stated, I burn 3100 calories in a day, therefore, I need to eat 20.6 "Twinkies" to equal out the equation. It doesn't matter how much sugar or fat or chemicals or ingredients are in those 20+ "Twinkies" All that matters is that I eat exactly 3100 calories worth of "Twinkies" and I will not gain nor lose any weight.
IT ALL STARTS WITH MATH!!
Now in no way do I recommend doing this. All I am trying to do is to get a concept to take root in your mind. Did it work? It did if you are now going to take the time and put in the effort to figure out how many calories you burn in a day and to start calculating how many calories you burn in a day. The tools to lose weight and get healthy are all around us, PLEASE put in a little time and effort to figure out your own caloric equation.
A great tool I use, but not the only tool out there, is www.Myfitnesspal.com, You can use the website, or like me, you can download the app for your smart phone. This allows you to accurately count the amount of calories you consume in a day. If you only do one thing this year with regard to losing weight, I implore you to start counting calories. It is the most effective and enlightening thing you can do to lose weight.
ONE LAST THOUGHT!!
3500 calories equals 1 lb of body fat. Therefore, if you consume 3500 more calories in a week than you burn, you will GAIN a pound at the end of the week. Conversely, if you consume 3500 calories less than you burn in a week, you will LOSE a pound at the end of the week. Broken down even further, 7 days in a week leaves you with 500 calories a day. You will need to create a 500 calorie deficit per day in order to lose 1 pound a week. You can even go as high as a 1000 calorie deficit a day while still maintaining an adequate fuel intake and lose 2 pounds a week.
This is why it is SO DAMN EASY to put on weight and SO DAMN HARD to lose it because it is far easier to eat 8000 calories in a day than it is to burn 8000 calories in a day. How many calories you consume is far more important than how much you exercise!!
I have you given you the tools. Research them if you don't believe me. You CAN start using them, but WILL you?
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