ravs2k6
05-11-2006, 01:57 PM
To lose fat, you need to eat fewer calories or burn more energy
Your body stores the excess calories that you consume as body fat. So if you want to reduce your body fat, you need either to consume fewer calories, or burn more energy. Any weight-loss programme is only going to succeed if it delivers one or both of these.
Don't diet: run instead.
Dieting will reduce your muscle and water content as well as your body fat. It is difficult to keep up a diet, because you continually have to fight temptation. Limiting what you eat can also be unhealthy. Exercise, by contrast, will burn calories, increase your lean muscle and body tone, and raise your metabolic rate. If you increase you exercise, you can continue to eat enough to make you feel satisfied, and get a wide range of vitamins and minerals, without putting on weight. It will improve your appearance, reduce stress, and improve your health.
Don't begin a diet and start to run at the same time
It is a bad idea to begin a diet and start to run at the same time. When you are a runner your body needs plenty of fuel and a wide range of vitamins and nutrients. If you begin a diet at the same time as you start to run, you may find you do not have enough energy or other nutrients to run, and you will risk illness or injury. You may want to rebalance the composition of your diet (see below) but do not try to restrict your food intake when you start running.
To lose more body fat, exercise more
To estimate the amount of calories you need, first multiply your weight in kilograms by 33. This gives you your calorie requirement for a moderately active person who does not exercise. On top of that, to walk, jog or run a mile uses about 100 calories. (It doesn't matter how fast you do it: the energy used is about the same.) From this, you can calculate the amount of calories you should consume each day to reduce your body fat. Never cut your calorie intake to below 80% of your calorie requirement. Running regularly also increases your resting metabolic rate, and increases your percentage of lean muscle, so increasing your energy consumption throughout the day. Over time, for every extra 6 miles a week you run, your equilibrium body weight will settle at about 1kg lighter.
Your body stores the excess calories that you consume as body fat. So if you want to reduce your body fat, you need either to consume fewer calories, or burn more energy. Any weight-loss programme is only going to succeed if it delivers one or both of these.
Don't diet: run instead.
Dieting will reduce your muscle and water content as well as your body fat. It is difficult to keep up a diet, because you continually have to fight temptation. Limiting what you eat can also be unhealthy. Exercise, by contrast, will burn calories, increase your lean muscle and body tone, and raise your metabolic rate. If you increase you exercise, you can continue to eat enough to make you feel satisfied, and get a wide range of vitamins and minerals, without putting on weight. It will improve your appearance, reduce stress, and improve your health.
Don't begin a diet and start to run at the same time
It is a bad idea to begin a diet and start to run at the same time. When you are a runner your body needs plenty of fuel and a wide range of vitamins and nutrients. If you begin a diet at the same time as you start to run, you may find you do not have enough energy or other nutrients to run, and you will risk illness or injury. You may want to rebalance the composition of your diet (see below) but do not try to restrict your food intake when you start running.
To lose more body fat, exercise more
To estimate the amount of calories you need, first multiply your weight in kilograms by 33. This gives you your calorie requirement for a moderately active person who does not exercise. On top of that, to walk, jog or run a mile uses about 100 calories. (It doesn't matter how fast you do it: the energy used is about the same.) From this, you can calculate the amount of calories you should consume each day to reduce your body fat. Never cut your calorie intake to below 80% of your calorie requirement. Running regularly also increases your resting metabolic rate, and increases your percentage of lean muscle, so increasing your energy consumption throughout the day. Over time, for every extra 6 miles a week you run, your equilibrium body weight will settle at about 1kg lighter.