What is a calorie?
Before we go into how many calories your body needs, most people don’t actually know what a calorie is. A calorie is a unit that is used to measure energy.The calorie you see on a food package is actually a kilocalorie, or 1,000 calories.A calorie (Kcal) is the amount of energy needed to raise temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Celsius.
How many calories does your body need?
Now that you know what a calorie is how many calories does your body need.The NHS as a guide say Men need 2500 Kcal to maintain a healthy body weight and Women need 2000 Kcal. However, these values are just a starting point the amount of calories needed daily can vary depending on age, size, specific training goals and daily levels of activity.
What is a caloric deficit?
A caloric deficit is when the number of calories you consume is less than the amount of calories required for bodyweight maintenance therefore if I was to drop my calorie intake to 2,700 calories and kept my activity levels the same I would lose weight. If you are trying to lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit which suits your own body and lifestyle.When trying to lose weight it’s so important to weight train to sustain your muscle mass and also fill your calories with plenty of protein to help repair muscles.
What is a calorie surplus?
A calorie surplus is the opposite to a deficit where by you eat more calories than you burn.When your body is at a calorie surplus you either use the extra calories to build muscle or they store as fat.
To build muscle you need to be combining your calorie surplus with a weight training routine to overload the muscles then the body will direct the extra calories to build muscle. If you don’t provide the body with enough calories you will not gain weight or get stronger.A greater calorie surplus generally leads to faster weight gain however if you eat too much you will build muscle but then also gain fat.
My DAILY ROUTINE
When weight training to build muscle (small calorie surplus)… 6:00am protein shake with water – I struggle eating early and need some calories in my body to kick start the day (250 calories) 9:30am porridge with skimmed milk and blueberries and glass of water and a large coffee and scrambled egg and salmon (850 calories). I like having a big breakfast as this gives me plenty of energy to train myself and clients through the day.
12:30pm small jacket potato tuna and cheese and saladpint of water and coffee (600 calories) I chose this meal because its high in protein and carbs Outdoor Pitches to help fuel my body and give me the energy I need to train. 2:00pm weight training and high intensity cv. 3:00pm granola, small banana and natural yoghurt with an orange juice (500 calories) this is a good post workout snack as its high in protein and carbohydrates and a fair number of calories to refuel my body after a heavy workout. 6:00pm lasagne and salad and green tea (750 calories) I chose this as I enjoy the food and it keeps within my calories for the day. 8:00pm rice pudding (350 calories) I enjoy rice pudding and it’s my treat for the day. Total amount of calories = 3,300
Don’t overthink nutrition as it’s pretty straight forward.A lot of people try to over complicate diet.You need to enjoy life so eat the foods which you enjoy having and if you fancy a beer, have a beer ,but try and keep to your own calorie control. If you eat too many calories and you’re not active enough, then you’ll gain fat. If you eat less calories and are active, then you’ll lose weight. It’s not rocket science so choose what you want to do and do it.
EAT WELL. TRAIN HARD. GET RESULTS Andy