By Ibrahim Farrukh – Fitness and Nutrition Advisor [First Nutrition]
“Help me! I can’t get more fit despite the fact that I eat healthy food and workout daily. A large portion of my dinners incorporate lean meats and loads of veggies. Alternate foods I eat are organic products, low fat dairy, nuts, beans, and entire grains. Once in a while eat food that contains sugar or a cheat meal. Why can’t I make any progress and get more fit?
A few things come into the scene when we tackle this:
First of all, you should track the quantity you eat and drink and not only the quality.
Every person has a BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is the number of calories your body metabolizes while sedentary (in rest). This BMR decreases with age, and therefore the number of calories you consume should decrease respectively.
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in years)
Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) – (6.8 x age in years)
Calculating the BMR allows you to know the right amount of calories to consumer per day, and according to your goal (lose weight or gain weight) you decide how much calories to add or take out.
Using the BMR above, and depending on the activity level, we can calculate the caloric need:
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
For example, if your BMR is 1745, and you are sedentary, multiply your BMR (1745) by 1.2 = 2094. This is the total number of calories you need in order to maintain your current weight.
Once you know the number of calories needed to maintain your weight, you can easily calculate the number of calories you need to eat in order to gain or lose weight:
Another important factor is selecting your macros. Always try to get enough protein. Fabricate your dinners and snacks around a decent wellspring of protein, and go for 0.7 to 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight every day. For example, if you weigh 90 kgs and need to get to 85 kgs, utilize 85 kgs to figure the 0.7-1 gram rule.
Depending on your goal, take a look at your calorie intake and mark it by 500 kcal less. For example, if you burn 2000 kcal per day, plan your meals to target 1500 kcal per day. This deficiency in calories will keep you feeling lighter and help you maintain your weight and body composition through the years.
Remember every 1g protein = 4 kcal, 1g carbohydrates = 4 kcal, 1g fat = 9 kcal.
Calculate all your food to meet the desired intake of calories daily.
Finally, try to have five to six small meals a day, making sure you eat properly but not till fullness.
References:
Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/
First Nutrition 