Calories can be your best friend or your worst enemy. It is all in how you use them.
I'll first start off by telling you that 3500 calories =one pound of fat gained or lost depending on whether it is consumed or burned. So if you burn 3500 calories, either by exercise or cutting calories and burning calories you will lose 1 pound. If you were to cut 200 calories from your diet and burn 300 calories a day exercising you will lose about 1 pound per week. On the other side, if you were to eat an extra 500 calories a day, you would gain a pound a week.
This should make sense. But it also matters how, when and what calories you are eating.
All so confusing??
Your body is a machine. It runs off calories like a car runs off gasoline. What you feed it and when matters too.
Feed it healthy nutritious energizing fuel and it will perform better. Feed it empty waistful non-nutritious calories and it will run slow and sluggish and other reprocussions may occur to your body, like putting the wrong fuel into your car.
Don't be afraid of calories. If you eat the right foods, such as fruits, vegetables, low glycemic carbohydrates, meats, nuts and legumes you will probably be eating the proper amount of calories. These foods eaten in moderation will be low calorie, fill you up properly and feed your brain so that you won't need the unnessasary calories that jack up your calorie count and make you feel unsatisfied and hungry.
Eat small meals throughout the day, preferably about 5-6x per day and your body will be a machine. Burning fat instead of muscle and you will have the energy to not just exercise more efficiently but you will be able to take on your daily tasks more efficiently. You will probably have more energy and get more done.
So in conclusion, your calories are important. Do NOT cut too many out, but Do NOT eat too many either. Get your calories from the right kind of foods and you will be a fat burning, energy driven machine.
If you have further questions about this matter please feel free to comment or send me an email at michelle@sweatcardio.com
Stay fit, Be well
Michelle Rotell
www.sweatcardio.com