Body Composition/Weight Management
 

Weight control is a very hot topic in both the general public and sports performance.  It is our belief that if you have some basic understanding of this subject, you will be more successful in your program. 

The basic premise of all weight control programs is that weight loss occurs when the number of Calories expended (or "burned") over a 24 hour period is greater than the number consumed.  The net deficit (covered by Calories from your fat reserves) results in weight loss.  (1 pound of body fat = 3500 Calories)

WEIGHT LOSS (IN POUNDS) = (CALORIES BURNED- CALORIES CONSUMED)/3500

It is the final balance between total Calories burned (from ANY source - carbohydrates, fats, or protein) and those eaten that determines whether weight is gained or lost.

Exercising will increase your daily Caloric output in two ways.  First, and most obvious, is the energy required to perform your exercise activity (running, cycling, swimming, weight training).  A second, more indirect effect is through subtle changes in your daily routine to include more physical activity (such as walking up a flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator) because of an increased sense of well-being.  Many dieters worry that increased physical activity will increase their appetite.  However a recent carefully controlled study of overweight individuals did not reveal a proportionate increase in appetite with exercise, lending support to the positive role of physical activity in reaching the goal of a negative Caloric balance and resulting weight loss.  In fact, vigorous exercise actually suppressed appetite for several hours, suggesting that this short term effect can be used as an effective appetite control strategy by planning your exercise immediately prior to your major meal of the day.  Regular exercise also increases your basal metabolism rate or BMR (the number of Calories utilized by the body at rest to maintain basic life processes).  An increased BMR is associated with all aerobic conditioning activity and is maintained with as little as 30 to 40 min. of exercise 3 to 4 times a week. Not only is there an increase in your overall BMR with regular exercise, there is an additional 12 hour post-exercise boost in the BMR.  As a rule of thumb, this adds 15 bonus Calories for every 100 Calories burned during your aerobic activity.  To capitalize on this post exercise, consider two workouts per day, one in morning and one in evening, rather than one of equal duration.  Finally, regular physical exercise will protect muscle mass (at the expense of fat) during periods of weight loss.  In, groups (one active and one more sedentary) with equally negative Caloric balance and an equal weight loss, the exercise group will lose less muscle mass than the diet only group.

OK, so now you are an expert on metabolism, how does that relate to you? 

Lets say your current weight is 135 lbs.  And you wish to loose 15 lbs.  Then you would state your "desired" weight is 120 lbs. Lets determine how many Calories you should eat per day.  There are many different methodologies of determining this, but I prefer to us this simple equation that is pretty accurate when even compared to the most sophisticated methods.

For our purposes, an athlete, you should use the moderate to heavy category depending on how much you exercise per day.  If you are working out 30-60 min per day use Moderate, if you workout for more than 60 min. use the Heavy category.  Based on the guidelines above, if you wish to lose weight, you should use your "desired" weight rather than your current weight in the equation.  If you wish to maintain your current weight, use your actual weight.  If you wish to gain weight add 10% to the total.

Please do not hesitate to contact our staff if you have any questions concerning your diet, or help in developing a more detailed weight control plan.