Here’s the reality…
Everyone wants a lean, flat stomach with their abdominal muscles clearly showing, to feel better about themselves, to show off, and to take better care of their bodies. However, there is a great price to pay to pursuing a more lean and muscular you. In fact, it’s worth noting that you not only need to measure daily your caloric intake/outtake, but also your protein consumption in contrast to workout routines or exercise, and also close attention to your carbohydrate input/output.
While many people believe that the ‘fast solution’ to weight loss is depriving themselves of calories or carbohydrates, this is just not realistically the case. In fact, doing so will ‘shock’ your body so to speak, and it would instantly begin relying on and eating away at both your fat and muscle should you decide to do so, as it goes from preservation mode to survival mode, to ultimately starvation mode.
Alan Aragon, the longtime nutrition adviser for Men’s Health explains that when you lose fat, you also lose protein. This is a big reason that a lot of bodybuilders do not attempt or consistently do high-intense cardio routines such as running, jogging, or elliptical machines at the gym.
What can you do?
People want the best results, but often are not willing to, or do not fully understand the requirements for effective, safe weight loss. While it is recommended and projected to aim to lose 0.5 to 1 percent of your body weight each week. In doing so, it would be required to monitor your carbs, often taking them down to as much as 500 calories less per day. This is typically a safe approach, in addition to other proper weight training and dietary routines. However, many individuals not only seek weight loss but also muscle gain are below their required “maintenance” or amount of calories per day required to maintain that weight, so this is not always the solution. For example, you must first calculate what is necessary to maintain your current weight per caloric intake, and then measure and calculate how much more calories per day will be necessary to gain wanted wait, or in the example above to lose weight as desired. Individuals seeking to lose 5-10lbs per month are running a strong risk in their body going into ‘shock’ as mentioned previously, and ultimately what this leads to is excessive eating and weight-gain later on, post weight loss. So in the end, the best way is the most precise and responsible way.
In regards to protein-intake, mass building, and lean effectiveness it’s important to try your best to follow the daily consumption of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, which equates to 0.36 grams per pound. Most individuals are not consuming this much, however, and would be surprised to see how easy it ‘can’ be to achieve this through upping their intake of meats and fish such as chicken breasts and tuna. It can even be as easy as adding a few spoonful of peanut butter per day to your diet, as each one carries 100 calories alone, and a few grams of protein. Simple! Right?
Remember, at the end of the day, a multitude of essential ‘macronutrients’ will contribute to bettering your health, such as protein, carbohydrates, calories, and (good) fats. It’s necessary to have some level of fat on and in our bodies, as it’s what our bodies rely on for energy. Take your time, do your research, and never give up!
Image credit: Vladimirs Poplavskis