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By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com

Most fitness conscious people have heard that there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, so if you create a deficit of 3500 calories in a week, you lose a pound of weight. If you create a deficit of 7000 calories in a week, you lose two pounds, and so on. Right? Well, not so fast…

Dr. Kevin Hall, an investigator at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda has done some interesting research about the mechanisms regulating human body weight. He recently published a new paper in the International Journal of Obesity that throws a wrench in works of the “3500 calories to lose a pound” idea.

Some of the equations in his paper made my head hurt, but despite the complex math he used to come to his conclusions, his article clearly prompts the question, “3500 calories to lose a pound of WHAT?” His paper also contained a lot of simple and practical tips you can use to properly balance your caloric intake with output, fine tune your calorie deficit and help you retain more muscle when you diet.

Below, I’ve distilled some of the information into a simple bullet-point summary that any non-scientist can understand. Then I wrap up with my interpretation of how you can apply this data in your own fat loss program:

Calculating the calories required to lose a pound and fine-tuning your caloric deficit

3500 calories to lose a pound has always been the rule of thumb. However, this 3500 calories figure goes back to research which assumed that all the weight lost would be adipose tissue (which would be ideal, of course).

But as we all know (unfortunately), lean body mass is lost along with body fat, which would indicate that the 3500 calorie figure could be an oversimplification.

The amount of lean body mass lost is based on initial body fat level and size of the calorie deficit. 

Lean people tend to lose more lean body mass and retain more fat.

Fat people tend to lose more body fat and retain more lean tissue (revealing why obese people can tolerate aggressive low calorie diets better than already lean people).

Very aggressive low calorie diets tend to erode lean body mass to a greater degree than more conservative diets.

Whether the weight loss is lean or fat gives you the real answer of what is the required energy deficit per unit of weight loss.

The metabolizable energy in fat is different than the metabolizable energy in muscle tissue. A pound of muscle is not 3500 calories. A pound of muscle yields about 600 calories.

If you lose lean body mass, then you lose more weight than if you lose fat.

If you create a 3500 calorie deficit in one week and you lose 100% body fat, you will lose one pound.

But if you create a 3500 calorie weekly deficit and as a result of that deficit, lose 100% muscle, you would lose almost 6 pounds of body weight! (Of course, if you manage to lose 100% muscle, you will be forced to wear the Dieter’s Dunce cap.)

If you have a high initial body fat percentage, then you are going to lose more fat relative to lean, so you may need a larger deficit to lose the same amount of weight as compared to a lean person.

Creating a calorie deficit once at the beginning of a diet and maintaining that same caloric intake for the duration of the diet and after major weight loss fails to account for how your body decreases energy expenditure with reduced body weight

Weight loss typically slows down over time for a prescribed constant diet (the “plateau”). This is either due to the decreased metabolism mentioned above, or a relaxing of the diet compliance, or both (most people just can’t hack aggressive calorie reductions for long)
Progressive resistance training and or high protein diets can modify the proportion of weight lost from body fat versus lean tissue (which is why weight training and sufficient protein while on calorie restricted diets are absolute musts!)

So, based on this info, should you throw out the old calorie formulas?

Well, not necessarily. You can still use the standard calorie formulas to figure out how much you should eat, and you can use a 500-1000 calorie per day deficit (below maintenance) as a generic guideline to figure where to set your calories to lose one or two pounds per week respectively (at least that works “on paper” anyway).

Even better however, you could use this info to fine tune your caloric deficit using a percentage method and also base your deficit on your starting body fat level, to get a much more personalized and effective approach:

15-20% below maintenance calories = conservative deficit
20-25% below maintenance calories = moderate deficit
25-30% below maintenance calories = aggressive deficit
31-40% below maintenance calories = very aggressive deficit (risky)
50%+ below maintenance calories = semi starvation/starvation (potentially dangerous and unhealthy)

(Note: According to exercise physiologists Katch & Mcardle, the average female between the ages of 23 and 50 has a maintenance level of about 2000-2100 calories per day and the average male about 2700-2900 calories per day)

Usually, we would suggest starting with a conservative deficit of around 15-20% below maintenance. Based on this research, however, we see that there can be a big difference between lean and overweight people in how many calories they can or should cut.

If you have very high body fat to begin with, the typical rule of thumb on calorie deficits may underestimate the deficit required to lose a pound. It may also be too conservative, and you can probably use a more aggressive deficit safely without as much worry about muscle loss or metabolic slowdown.

If you are extremely lean, like a bodybuilder trying to get ready for competition, you would want to be very cautious about using aggressive calorie deficits. You’d be better off keeping the deficit conservative and starting your diet/cutting phase earlier to allow for a slow, but safe rate of fat loss, with maximum retention of muscle tissue.

The bottom line is that it’s not quite so simple as 3,500 calories being the deficit to lose a pound. Like lots of other things in nutrition that vary from person to person, the ideal amount of calories to cut “depends”…

Note: The Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle program not only has an entire chapter dedicated to helping you calculate your exact calorie needs, it was designed very specifically to keep a fairly conservative approach to caloric deficits and to maximize the amount of lean tissue you retain and minimize the amount of metabolic adaptation that occurs when you’re dieting. The approach may be more conservative, and the fat loss may be slower, but it has a better long term track record… You can either lose weight fast, sacrifice muscle and gain the fat back like 95% of people do, or lose fat slow and keep it off forever like the 5% of the people who know the secrets. The choice is yours. For more information, visit: www.burnthefat.com

References:

Forbes GB. Body fat content influences the body composition response to nutrition and exercise. Ann NY Acad Sci. 904: 359-365. 2000

Hall, KD., What is the required energy deficit per unit of weight loss? Int J Obesity. 2007 Epub ahead of print.

McArdle WD. Exercise physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human performance. 4td ed. Williams & Wilkins. 1996.

Wishnofsky M. Caloric equivalents of gained or lost weight. Am J Clin Nutr. 6: 542-546.

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.BurnTheFat.com

Aging is a natural process that everyone is subjected to. As a matter of fact, the aging process started kicking in the moment we were born. However, its unsightly effects are only felt when we start hitting middle age. Despite this, knowing what triggers the unwanted effects of aging and being aware of the right products can actually help you easily slow down or give the illusion that you have halted the aging process before its effects actually get on your nerves.

Many people are getting more and more afraid of facing the signs of aging. There is definitely no one in the world who would love seeing visible lines on their face or damaged skin complexions. Unfortunately, age sneaks up like a thief in the night. You might not like it nor appear to be combating it lightly but inevitably, you grow a year older after every three hundred sixty-five days.

As years add up to your age, they come with changes that take the youth in you. The function of the cells and organisms in your body shift, creating visible changes that sometimes come rapidly. The aging process may be different with each individual because there are many factors that contribute to it, but the bottom line is, everyone will surely get to it at one point of their lives or another.

Some of the bodily changes that you will experience include a significant difference in your weight and height. Weight increase is one of the major concerns that aging people wish to find a solution to. Reduced physical activity due to the weakness of the bones and muscles will definitely take its toll on your weight. Your height, on the other hand, naturally decreases as you get older. This is a result of a handful of factors like changes in posture and in the growth process of your spinal bones. Aside from these, your skin is also a fool proof sign that you are getting older. It becomes rough, loose, and dry. Women get more concerned about the skin changes than men because they tend to experience them faster. With the many hormonal changes women go through starting at the onset of puberty, pregnancy and menopause included, their skin rapidly becomes more vulnerable to age.

Your mental abilities may also become limiting as you grow older. Learning would be a lot more of hard work than, say, when you were on your twenties. Memory loss is also one of the more popular effects of aging. Older people are oftentimes forgetful because their brain process information slower than usual. Your mental fitness would also contribute to the many emotional combats that you will face. Anxiety and depression is very common among the older population because of the physical and mental limitations that they come across with.

Sexual performance is also greatly affected by aging. You may either lose the appetite or the ability to do it altogether.

Maintaining a constant supply of the magical Human Growth Hormones (HGH) is equivalent to enjoying a youthful life forever. HGH production peaks in adolescence and slowly decreases after you reach your twenties. The decrease is more significant as you grow older, which explains the overall difference that you experience if you are beyond your fifties. Low levels of HGH in your body system is the main reason behind the visibility of the signs of aging.

Among the many things that can be benefited from good HGH levels are healthy skin, a more functional immune system, decreased body fat, increased muscle mass, increased bone density, low cholesterol, and high energy levels among others. The older population may submit themselves to an HGH Replacement Therapy to continuously enjoy the limitless possibilities of being young and healthy.

There are of course, things that you can do to enjoy the youthfulness of being young without having to go through pricey medications and therapies.

One is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, meaning, continuously participating in physical activities. Regular exercise is a good solution that will slow the aging process down without having to shell out bucks. A good exercise program that you follow regularly is the best answer to combat weight gain, muscle loss, bone density decline, or even any form of heart and cholesterol-related diseases for that matter.

Eating healthy is another trigger that could make you look and feel young longer. The right choices of foods and taking in the right amounts of them would create a great impact on your body’s vitality. Do away with less fat, less salt, less sugar, and more greens, so your body could enjoy the most benefits from eating rather than suffering from the ugly consequences of not eating right.

Avoiding harmful vices like smoking and alcohol drinking can do loads to you more than you can imagine. Smoking is detrimental to the whole body. It triggers premature death but will not let you go looking young as well. The major components of cigarettes have harmful effects that are especially reflected on your complexion. Dry and rough skin can be caused by the poor circulation and low oxygen levels in your blood, which are generated through puffing airs of smokes. Alcohol, on the other hand, depletes your body of the vitamins and minerals it needed to be functional. It also causes dehydration. Keeping a stress-free and happy life most of the time would surely make you feel better about a lot of things and in the process, would make you age gracefully. Stress affects your body and your well-being greatly so make sure that you manage all the aspects of your life well including your career and your personal and social relationships with people.

Admittedly, the fast-paced era held back people to keep a healthy, balanced, and stress-free life only realizing later on that they should have done so. But by that time, you may well be reaching old age and would find it difficult to repair the damages that your old habits created. The good news is, there is a tried and tested way to counteract the symptoms of aging in a no sweat fashion. GenF20 would supply your body’s needed HGH to maintain its youthful glow. It tackles all the ugly nightmares that most people worry about getting older. Amid all its benefits, the GenF20 is also safe, so you will not have to worry about side effects.

Sounds good… hang at the beach all day and get thin! Maybe get a walk-on part in Baywatch?

Perhaps not! Unfortunately this diet plan has nothing to do with hangin’ at the beach other than the fact that Dr. Agatston, who created the South Beach diet lives or practices medicine in South Beach, Florida.

What is the South Beach Diet?

It’s a diet that shoots to achieve a healthy balance between carbohydrates and fats–good carbs and good fats. Highly processed foods like baked goods, sweets, and soft drinks spike our blood sugar. In those who are susceptible they create carbohydrate addiction and eventually lead to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Sugars in the blood stop being effectively absorbed by the muscles and instead get converted to fat and deposited around the belly.

Dr. Agatston says that decreasing the highly processed carbs in your diet can help you reverse this syndrome and improve insulin resistance, leading to weight loss.

So here’s the big question… does it work?

Yes… it does seem to get results.

The diet is founded on the principle that high-glycemic carbohydrates-those with a glycemic index of 55 or higher such as white bread, potatoes and white rice (which Dr. Agatston calls bad carbs) lead to weight gain and eventual diabetes and heart disease.

On the South Beach Diet you would consume more low-glycemic carbs, or good carbs, such as whole grains and vegetables. These are absorbed gradually into the blood stream and so don’t trigger the spikes in your sugar/insulin cycle.

Amazingly the weight loss benefits of this diet are a secondary outcome; they were not the original intention. Dr. Agatston designed his diet to help his cardiac patients maintain a healthy lifestyle and lose weight. When lots of patients began to report positive weight loss he decided he was onto something and quickly dashed off the book.

You work the diet in three phases, which initially restrict certain foods and then restore them to your diet.

In Phase 1, which lasts 14 days you eliminate most of the carbs from your diet and instead you eat protein-rich foods, such as lean meats, chicken, fish, nuts, cheese, eggs, vegetables and olive oil.

Cravings for bad carbohydrates should be eliminated by the end of this phase.

The second phase lasts until you reach your target weight, and is less restrictive than Phase 1. Shoot to lose one to two pounds per week.

You can eat good carbs like whole grain breads, sweet potatoes, brown rice, pasta and fruit. You can also have chocolate and wine in moderate amounts.

Once you hit your target weight you should be coasting. The diet becomes part of your life style, you’re eating complex carbs again and the carb cravings should be gone.

All in all this is quite a successful diet, not too limiting or restrictive and you will lose weight.

On the other side of the coin, people become frustrated with the time involved in preparing the meals. As well as that, this is not a low cost diet solution… some of the recommended foods can be quite expensive.

Bottom line… this doesn’t seem to be a diet that people are inclined to get into for the rest of their life. It’s work intensive and somewhat expensive. It’s my experience that if a diet gets too complex to prepare and maintain then people don’t persist and they don’t achieve their desired result.

Much better would be a plan that is low cost, simple, everything is prepackaged and prepared for you and you would be happy to stay on it for life; a diet that is healthy, tasty, satisfying and allows you to lose those pounds and easily maintain a healthy weight long term… and you would never need to go hungry.

If you’re interested I can show you a plan like that.
About the Author
I have recently written a book entitled “Lose Weight - Never Go Hungry” which lays out a plan for overcoming carbohydrate addiction and losing weight. You can download it FREE here: http://www.loseweightnevergohungry.com/Book

If you’re trying to lose weight, you know how difficult and challenging it can be at times. Here are some tried and true tips for healthy weight loss.

Healthy Weight Loss Tip #1: Drink plenty of water every day. You’ve probably heard it more times than you care to remember, but it’s true. Drinking at least eight glasses of water every day will help you lose weight quicker.

Healthy Weight Loss Tip #2: Walk twenty minutes every day. You don’t necessarily have to walk. Any kind of exercise that will get you up and moving works great. The point is to move your body every day.

Healthy Weight Loss Tip #3: Reduce your portion size. If you are used to eating two helpings for dinner, cut out your second helping. Another great tip for this is to eat off a small saucer, instead of a plate because you won’t be able to pile on the food on a saucer.

Healthy Weight Loss Tip #4: Limit sodas and junk food. Again, this isn’t easy, especially if you’re used to drinking lots of sodas throughout the day. Start slow by cutting your intake by half for a week. The next week, cut it in half again. Easy does it, and you don’t have to cut it all out at once.

These healthy weight loss tips will get you started on your way to losing pounds and inches. It isn’t easy, but losing weight is possible. Start your new weight loss plan with these simple tips and you’ll see results.

Visit http://fat-weight-loss-tips.blogspot.com a popular website for more information about how to lose weight.

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