How to Calculate Your Daily Caloric Intake

Sunday, July 26, 2009

It is very important to not only know how to calculate your daily caloric intake but to understand why as well. The reason you need to know how to calculate your caloric intake is to help ensure that you are consuming the right amount based on your goal. For example if you are trying to put on size then you need to calculate your daily intake to maintain what you have then based on the goal and your activity level you will need to increase that caloric intake to ensure proper gains. You would do the same for dieting except that you would be reducing daily calories.

The first step in calculating your daily caloric intake is to determine what your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is. The BMR is a measurement of energy within the body to keep it functioning in a resting state. To calculate the BMR follow the formula below:

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

The calculated number you get from this formula is the amount of calories your body needs to maintain your current weight. This does not take into consideration your activity level.

The second step is to now factor in your activity level. Your activity level is the amount of calories you burn every day with exercise. To determine your activity level pick which level is truest to you:

If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent=AC

If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent =AC

If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent =AC

The number you now have is the amount that you need to add to your BMR. Add them up and you now have the total daily caloric intake that you need to consume.

Now that you have your daily caloric intake figured out you need to work it into your goals. So if your goal is to lose weight then you need to create a calorie deficit. One pound is 3500 calories. So in order to lose anywhere from 1 – 2 pounds a week by diet alone you would need to reduce your daily caloric needs by 500 calories. If you do a regular exercise program, such as cardio, weight training or my Fitness Boot Camps then you would drastically increase your weekly weight loss.

If your goal is to gain weight then you would want to create a calorie excess. You should be eating at least an extra 500 calories a day to get on track to gaining some size. Good sources of calories to take in for this process would be lean meats such as lean red meats, poultry, fish, lean ground turkey. Again it all depends on your goals of how much you want to gain and your activity level. So your calorie intake excess could range anywhere from 500 – 3000 calories on top of your total daily caloric need. A healthy safe level to start with would be 500 calories.

What is a carbohydrate? What is the difference between a simple carb and a complex carb?

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Well first off, a carbohydrate (aka carb) is an energy source for the body and is found in foods composed of starches and sugars. The body uses carbs not only as energy but is also used in the immune system, fertilization, pathogenesis, blood clotting, and development. Carbs are broken down into two kinds. Simple carbs and complex carbs.

Simple carbs are composed of one smaller molecule sugar (monosaccharides) or two sugars bonded together (disaccharides). These are fast digesting carbs that the body can use immediately but the downside is that if you consume too much of these simple carbs the body will need to store it. Simple carbs are then converted to glycogen as storage until the body is ready to use it. Areas that glycogen stores occur are in the liver and in the muscle cells. However there is only a certain amount of space the cell can hold as glycogen so the excess amount of simple carbs will then be converted into the body as fat as a storage.

Sources of simple carbs are pastry’s, candies, fruits, bakery’s, and table sugar to name a few. Fruits are a naturally occurring simple carb, but most fruits have fiber in them which help slow the digestion and unless you consume a lot of fruit and stay inactive after you consume them the chance of them converting to fat as storage is slim.

Complex carbs are a chain of three or more single sugar molecule linked together which are composed from a wholegrain form such as, brown rice, oats, wholegrain bread, muesli, nuts, fruits, cereal, pasta, potatoes, corn, carrots, and vegetables. Complex carbs are not digested fast like simple carbs are; rather they are digested more slowly giving a more even disbursement of energy throughout the day.

Here are some foods that have simple carbs:

Table sugar, cakes, pickles, biscuits, jam, chocolate, fudge, candy, toffee, gum, boiled sweets, tinned fruits, sodas, honey, liquorice

Here are some foods that have complex carbs:

Lentils, beans, peas, oatcakes, yam, corn, muesli, shredded wheat, oat bran, porridge, high fiber cereals, wholegrain cereal, pita bread, brown bread, bagel, potatoes, root vegetables, brown rice, spaghetti, macaroni, pasta.

What is Body Mass Index (BMI) and how to calculate it?

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

The Body Mass Index is a calculation of your bodyweight and height and will determine if you are obese, overweight, average, or underweight. The problem with the BMI is that it is not too accurate in the sense that it does not take into consideration ones muscle mass. Some people weight more because they are carrying more muscle on their frame than others, such as body builders, and according to the BMI they would be considered obese yet their body fat may be as low as 6 percent.

The BMI is basically just a guideline and if you want more accuracy then I would suggest you use a skin caliper. The skin caliper is much more accurate in determining how much body fat one actually has by taking measurements at different sites of the body and then calculating the measurements together to come up with the total body fat percentage. These calipers are readily available at most gyms or if you train with me I would do the measurements for you and keep them logged down and checked monthly.

Here is the formula for how to calculate the BMI:

BMI = Weight in Pounds / (Height in Inches) x (Height in Inches) X 703

So basically you are going to multiply your height in inches by itself then take that number and divide it by your height in inches and multiply that number by 703.

Or if you want to calculate it in metric system then you would calculate it by the following formula:

BMI = Weight in Kilograms / (Height in Meters) x (Height in Meters)

Once you have determined your number then match it to this chart to determine your health range:

o A BMI of less than 18 means you are under weight.

o A BMI of less than 18.5 indicates you are thin for your height.

o A BMI between 18.6 and 24.9 indicates you are at a healthy weight.

o A BMI between 25 and 29.9 suggests you are overweight for your height.

o A BMI of 30 or greater indicates obesity. If you are obese, try consulting a doctor or losing weight.

What is Boot Camp Training?

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

What is Boot Camp Training?

Boot Camp training is a fast paced, non stop, full body work out meant to take you to your limit and with an instructor to help push you beyond that limit. It is a program that is designed to have you burning fat and calories fast. In addition to a loss of body fat will be an increase in stamina, endurance, and lean muscle definition. So in essence you will look great, feel great, and walk around with more confidence.

There are a lot of “Boot Camps” out there so take the time and do your research and find the right one for you. Most Boot Camps have an instructor who wears fatigues, uses a whistle, and will yell at you in your face as an attempt to get you going and push you through the program. If that is what you are looking for then there are plenty of them to choose.

However that is not how I hold my Fitness Boot Camps. I don’t use a whistle, I don’t wear fatigues, and I don’t yell at you. I will push you and get you to do the best you can with positive motivation and encouragement. My programs are tough and definitely tiring but its not because I’m making you do something you cant do but rather I am helping you do something that I know you can do, just with a little guidance.

My Fitness Boot Camps are a combination of cross fit, cardio, circuit training, plyometrics, and weight training. If you have never done a “Burpie” before then I will introduce them to you and have you doing them on a regular basis.

What should you expect from my Fitness Boot Camps? You should expect to lose up to 15-20 pounds in the first month. You will have measurements taken before the first day of our Fitness Boot Camp and at the end of the course we will remeasure so you can see the results tracked down. Remember you see yourself everyday and you may not notice the changes but others who don’t see you on a regular basis will and keeping documented records will help assure you of that. You will also get a diet plan to help make sure that you are not just wasting your time in our camp and that all your hard work will achieve the proper results. In case you didn’t know, diet is 70% of everything. Without a proper diet you are not maximizing your results. You should also expect to see an increase in your stamina and endurance by the end of the course.

So contact me today to sign up and reserve your spot for my next Fitness Boot Camp course. If you are very eager to get started then I do allow individuals to start where we are at but you might now qualify for the full discounted rate. For full details on how to sign up and get started visit my web site at http://www.mikesbodysculpting.com/

Summer Boot Camps!!!

Mike's Fitness Boot Camps are underway, I currently have the following Boot Camps in or around the Los Angeles area. Check back often for updates.

West Los Angeles

Start Date: Monday, July 28th

When: Mon/Wed/Fri 8:00am-9:00am

for details or to register call: 661-305-4175

Valencia

Start Date: Tuesday, July 14th

When: Tue/Thur 6:30-7:30am & Sat 11:30am -12:30pm

for details or to register call: 661-305-4175

Antelope Valley

Start Date: Currently in Session

When: Mon/Wed 7:30pm-8:30pm & Sat 8:30am -9:30am

for details or to register call: 661-305-4175

Next Antelope Valley Session begins July 27th

Call now for early registration!

Welcome to Mike's Body Sculpting Blog

I am a PROPTA certified personal trainer and certified nutrition consultant with 10 years of training experience under my belt which will help you achieve your personal goals, be it weight loss and tone, strength and size, or athletic enhancement. I have the experience to help you get where you want to go.

I have a diverse variety of clientele: Ranging from the mother of three kids to the active businessman to the athletic fanatic. My clients also include individuals who are trying to manage their weight and lifestyle without rearranging their life around the gym.

Some of my clients are already in the ideal shape and are just looking for someone to help push and motivate them to help them keep that perfect form and push out that one extra rep. Other clients are just beginning and want to get into shape and need someone to show them the ropes and give them some nutritional consulting as well.

My training style varies from work out to work out. No two training sessions are the same as I believe in keeping the body guessing and preventing it from hitting a plateau which will result in consistently getting another step closer to achieving your goal.

Some of my training tactics are high volume moderate intensity, rest - pause, low volume high intensity, isolation movements, pyramid training, reverse pyramid training, supersets, tri-sets, giant sets, drop sets, circuit training, cross fit, group training, just to name a few. Whatever your goal is, I am here to help get you into the shape and condition that you want and need.

Whether it is to look like a fitness model, be a bodybuilding competitor, lose a few pounds or just build up strength and endurance. My reputation is based on your success so my goal is to help you reach your goal