Calorie Content

Calorie content of food is the most important thing to know if you want to lose fat, gain muscle or both. Calories in food determines what you will will weigh. If you consume the same amount that you burn each day, you will maintain your weight. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight. Eat more than you burn and you will gain weight. It doesn't matter where they come from, protein, carbohydrates, fat or alcohol all of them have calories. Water has zero calories. The more water a food contains the less calories it will have. Use a food diary to track your calories.

Calories are also referred to as being burned up. Just as you can eat them, you can also use them up (burn). This is done through your every day activities, breathing, sleeping, moving, functioning. In order for you to survive, calories are being burned around the clock. The number you burn in a day is referred to as your metabolism. When someone has a high metabolism, this means they burn more in a 24 hour period than the average person. So how many should you be consuming each day?Work out your individual calorie count

There are many ways to speed up your metabolism, exercise is one. However all the exercise in the world will not help you if you are unaware of the calorie content of the food and drink you are consuming. I find this to be most peoples downfall, they do everything right, exercises wise, they train hard, they even eat well most of the time. Still results are minimal. This is because they have not been tracking the calorie content of what they are consuming. If your maintenance level is is 2,500 and you burn 300-400 most days through exercise, but you are consuming 2,800-3000 per week, your weight will not change. Likewise if you are trying to gain muscle but your training burns enough to get you back to maintenance again.

You must track the calorie content of food at least for a few weeks, to give you an idea of portion sizes and what will be most beneficial for you to reach your goals. Keep a record of your calorie count for a few weeks. You can purchase a pocket book calorie counter, you can use online calorie software. It doesn't matter how, but if you have had minimal results or no results it is the calories. I guarantee if you start tracking today you will start making progress. The average male can maintain their weight with 2,500 calories and the average female with 2,000. Making sure you consume 500 less each day will make all the difference in the world. It is a law of physics, calories in vs calories out. As true as gravity holds you down each day, calories determine your weight and body fat levels.

We have determined you need to know the calorie content of the food and drink you consume, but how do we find out how many calories we need per day. The above figures are just an average. There are a couple of formulas that are much more precise. A good idea is work out your maintenance level and deduct 500 calories per day. Don't go over this amount each day. Add in exercise and you create a calorie deficit, this forces your body to burn the stored fat off your body. It needs the fuel from somewhere, you haven't provided enough from eating, so it goes to the stored fat on your body. Over time you end up getting losing fat and getting ripped.

Check out the pros and cons of the Body Mass Index

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