Lowering calorie consumption without considering your body’s needs and the quality of the food being consumed can be more dangerous than helpful. Not eating sufficient calories can result in muscle loss which does not promote fat loss. Doing large amount of cardio to burn calories is great for your heart and endurance but if you want to transform your body, how you fuel your body will play an integral role. When weight loss comes predominantly from the loss of lean muscle mass and not fat, you will lose the valuable, calorie-burning effect of muscle, resulting in a higher percentage of body fat and unhealthy body composition.
Is a Calorie Just a Calorie?...What do you think?
Do you think that a “calorie-in” is a “calorie-out,” regardless of the quality of the food. In other words, is 1000 calories of Twinkies the same thing as a 1000 calories of meat and vegetables? Do you think that the quality of food is more important than the amount of calories associated to that food?
This is a hot topic for some and many debates have been had behind this subject. I personally believe a calorie is not just a calorie and I believe that the quality of food is very important. To me, it is important to consider various things like; the nutritional value of the food consumed, can your body process the food, what kind of effect will it have on your internal organs and is it giving your body the fuel it needs to perform optimally for you.
Losing weight is a science and calorie counting has its benefits. Counting calories allows you to strategize your weight loss plans; the tricky part is not starving yourself. Regardless of the method you choose, integrate the following to your plans.
Eat a wide variety of vegetable and in large amounts at every meal; vegetables have fiber and help with your digestion.
Include the right amount of protein at every meal and vary it up; eat fish, chicken, turkey, lamb, beef and choose lean cuts.
Complex carbohydrates play an important role; these will be your main source of energy. Complex carbs are found in legumes (beans), quinoa, fruits, sweet potatoes, etc.
Eat your carbs at the beginning of the day so your body can utilize the energy throughout the day.