There are lots of calculators online (webmd for example) that will provide you a good starting point for your caloric req't to maintain. After that, the best way I've found (for me) was to seriously track my caloric intake along with weighing in daily (same time/routine - I get up in the am, take a leak and get on the scale before the shower, so it's the same reference point daily). It'll take a while (due to weight fluctuations, etc.), but, from your weight gain/loss and caloric intake, you can back calculate approx. what it takes.
I'm in an office 10hrs a day, 5 days a week (I do get up and walk around a bit at least hourly, but nothing real physical). I target 4 trips to the gym weekly (mix of cardio and resistance for 1+hrs each trip). I weigh around 195lbs (have some love handles, but better shape than 60-70% of 40yr olds I'd guess). My daily caloric requirement to maintain my weight is about 2500-2800 calories a day depending on how I'm doing in the gym, other weekend activities, etc.
Keep in mind that resistance training will increase your metabolic rate slightly as well. Each new lb of muscle will increase your resting metabolic rate by about 20-70 kcal/day. So add 5 lbs of muscle and you'll burn up to 350 extra calories just sitting around doing nothing!
You guys are something else. Has anyone ever read or followed the Federal Food Guidelines ? How about following the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter ? The UCB Wellness Letter is published to get the truth out because there is so much bad information out there about health and nutritiion. Much of that is the bad information concerning dieting, lossing weight by straving oneself. Both of them are based on the finding that nobody except really serious atheltes needs any more than 1 gram of protein for each 7 lbs. of body weight. Top athletes need only slightly more. What does the body do with the extra protein ? If not burned as fuel, the extra is converted to fat. BTW, about fat, the body burns both fat and glucose all the time except when it's starved for oxygen. Fat cannot be converted to glucose. If the body runs low on glucse, it converts the proteins floating around in the blood stream to glucose. When what little is there is consumed, the body then starts breaking down muscle tissue and converting that to glucose. A couple of more things. There is not one iota of evidence that complex carbs are bad for you. None. The healiest societies on earth are those that base their diets on the whole grains, not on meat and fat like north americans do. In fact, the body's primary fuel is glucose. Extra glucose in the blood stream is converted to glycogen and is stored in the liver as well as the muscles. The trouble with glucose and glycogen is that the body can only store a limited quanity of it. About 1200-1400 calories for most of us. So the body needs to burn fat as well to extend one's energy level. While the body can turn extra glucose into fat, it almost never does. That's because we use so much of it. To get even 50% of your calories from complex carbs like potatoes on a 2400 calorie diet, that would mean you'd have to eat 12 medium size potatoes every day. Ever try that ? I can't. And I've tried. Even if you could, you'd never reach your body's storage capacity because you are consuming what you ate at the last meal too fast. BYW, it is possible to loose fat, and not the much denser muscle tissue by simply reducing one's fat intake and eating alot more complex carbs. The trouble is that you'd only loose about 2 lbs. a month. Another point is that most who are down on carbs don't understand the huge difference between the value of complex carbs and the many problems associated with simple carbs, the sugars. Those BTW are advised against in the Federal Food Guidlines. So have fun with your diets guys. When you get tried of them, try the Federal Food Guidelines. It's made a world of difference for me. E
If the feds were so right, how come they keep changing them ?
I am having Moose(thanks Barry Whitehill), Swiss Chard and Mushrooms for lunch as I write this. I don't consider that lunch a diet, a restriction or anything else that might be less than favorable.
FWIW, almost everyone I know that has ever cut out the grains for any amount of time regrets eating them later. I still eat them sometimes, but they just don't agree with me anymore and I always regret it after the fact, nit because of guilt but because of how I feel.
As far as carbs, I simply do not find myself needing them. I had one trail run a couple years ago I bonked bad. Since then, I've almost always carried a backup GU of some sort on long days, along with my assortment of nuts and jerky. The GU is getting old. I can go out with buddies that need to refuel every hour, I don't even always bust into my food stash. For me, it flat out works.
Starting today, I'm on the Primal Diet, as closely as I can adhere to it working 2nd shift (Brad knows my pain)
I think that come weekends when I usually cheat like hell, I'll stay away from manufactured junk food, and stay away from sugars in any drinks. EdT was the reason I went back to sugar and corn syrup in beverages. I figured they were less damage than aspartame
The only supplements in my diet are about 30 grams of whey protein post workout, and it will stay that way... Although everybody tells me creatine is something I should use as well??
You guys are something else. Has anyone ever read or followed the Federal Food Guidelines ? How about following the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter ? The UCB Wellness Letter is published to get the truth out because there is so much bad information out there about health and nutritiion. Much of that is the bad information concerning dieting, lossing weight by straving oneself. Both of them are based on the finding that nobody except really serious atheltes needs any more than 1 gram of protein for each 7 lbs. of body weight. Top athletes need only slightly more. What does the body do with the extra protein ? If not burned as fuel, the extra is converted to fat. BTW, about fat, the body burns both fat and glucose all the time except when it's starved for oxygen. Fat cannot be converted to glucose. If the body runs low on glucse, it converts the proteins floating around in the blood stream to glucose. When what little is there is consumed, the body then starts breaking down muscle tissue and converting that to glucose. A couple of more things. There is not one iota of evidence that complex carbs are bad for you. None. The healiest societies on earth are those that base their diets on the whole grains, not on meat and fat like north americans do. In fact, the body's primary fuel is glucose. Extra glucose in the blood stream is converted to glycogen and is stored in the liver as well as the muscles. The trouble with glucose and glycogen is that the body can only store a limited quanity of it. About 1200-1400 calories for most of us. So the body needs to burn fat as well to extend one's energy level. While the body can turn extra glucose into fat, it almost never does. That's because we use so much of it. To get even 50% of your calories from complex carbs like potatoes on a 2400 calorie diet, that would mean you'd have to eat 12 medium size potatoes every day. Ever try that ? I can't. And I've tried. Even if you could, you'd never reach your body's storage capacity because you are consuming what you ate at the last meal too fast. BYW, it is possible to loose fat, and not the much denser muscle tissue by simply reducing one's fat intake and eating alot more complex carbs. The trouble is that you'd only loose about 2 lbs. a month. Another point is that most who are down on carbs don't understand the huge difference between the value of complex carbs and the many problems associated with simple carbs, the sugars. Those BTW are advised against in the Federal Food Guidlines. So have fun with your diets guys. When you get tried of them, try the Federal Food Guidelines. It's made a world of difference for me. E
The food guidlines have changed a lot. Hmm I wonder why.
Complex carbs are great as long as they are mainly in the form of vegetables and limited fruits. Grains not so much.
If E is correct, man would never have evolved, he just would have died due to a lack of grain.
You guys are something else. Has anyone ever read or followed the Federal Food Guidelines ? How about following the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter ? The UCB Wellness Letter is published to get the truth out because there is so much bad information out there about health and nutritiion. Much of that is the bad information concerning dieting, lossing weight by straving oneself. Both of them are based on the finding that nobody except really serious atheltes needs any more than 1 gram of protein for each 7 lbs. of body weight. Top athletes need only slightly more. What does the body do with the extra protein ? If not burned as fuel, the extra is converted to fat. BTW, about fat, the body burns both fat and glucose all the time except when it's starved for oxygen. Fat cannot be converted to glucose. If the body runs low on glucse, it converts the proteins floating around in the blood stream to glucose. When what little is there is consumed, the body then starts breaking down muscle tissue and converting that to glucose. A couple of more things. There is not one iota of evidence that complex carbs are bad for you. None. The healiest societies on earth are those that base their diets on the whole grains, not on meat and fat like north americans do. In fact, the body's primary fuel is glucose. Extra glucose in the blood stream is converted to glycogen and is stored in the liver as well as the muscles. The trouble with glucose and glycogen is that the body can only store a limited quanity of it. About 1200-1400 calories for most of us. So the body needs to burn fat as well to extend one's energy level. While the body can turn extra glucose into fat, it almost never does. That's because we use so much of it. To get even 50% of your calories from complex carbs like potatoes on a 2400 calorie diet, that would mean you'd have to eat 12 medium size potatoes every day. Ever try that ? I can't. And I've tried. Even if you could, you'd never reach your body's storage capacity because you are consuming what you ate at the last meal too fast. BYW, it is possible to loose fat, and not the much denser muscle tissue by simply reducing one's fat intake and eating alot more complex carbs. The trouble is that you'd only loose about 2 lbs. a month. Another point is that most who are down on carbs don't understand the huge difference between the value of complex carbs and the many problems associated with simple carbs, the sugars. Those BTW are advised against in the Federal Food Guidlines. So have fun with your diets guys. When you get tried of them, try the Federal Food Guidelines. It's made a world of difference for me. E
My sister asked me to watch the documentary on Netflix called "Forks over Knives", which I did. Then watched another video about the Engine2diet. I thought she was a fanatic until I tried it for 6 weeks...
My LDL dropped 42 pts to 65, My total choloesterol is 150, never had it below 200 before, my Blood pressure is now 102/78, never had the high one under 130...
I have lost 10 lbs and have lots of energy.
I eat lots of whole grains, fruits and veggies, and stay away from fat, meat, eggs, dairy, processed refined white bread, rice, stuff like that. No more constipation either.
We drink soy milk in place of dairy milk.
Google Rip's Big Bowl...that's what I eat every morning.
Anyway, this is working for me, and I am enjoying it. not trying to convince anybody, nor do I have a vested interest in Engine2diet.com.
The Govt/Feds is the last place I would look for nutritional advice.
Ive been living the Paleo/Primal lifestyle now for just over a month. Ive lost 13lbs and feel amazing. I have endless energy and dont feel tired after meals anymore. I dont get irritated when Im hungry and can go 16-18 hrs without feeling hungry. I feel so good that I dont see myself ever eating grains and processed foods again.
For those interested I would suggest picking up these 3 books and reading them.
"The Primal Blueprint" by Mark Sisson "Primal Body, Primal Mind" by Nora Gedgaudas "The New Evolution Diet" by Authur De Vany
For those with an extra 15 minutes I would recommend watching this TED talk by Dr. Terry Wahls.
