When it comes to shaping ourselves into something we dream of it takes an enormous amount of dedication and time but at the end of it, we are happy with the outcome. Not only this, exercising daily can help us stay mentally and physically healthy so during your training you’ll notice a change in how you are feeling, for the better. There are many fad diets out there for losing weight quickly but the majority of them won’t work. What works when trying to lose weight or gain muscle is your training and keeping an eye on the food you are eating. To be truly successful we need to look at a number of things, here we will talk about the quality and the quantity of food you should be eating when training hard.
Calories In Vs Calories Out
Let’s start with the basics of losing weight, the fundamentals of what you need to be doing in order to shift some of those extra pounds. We as humans need fuel to survive and we need two types, food, and water. Within our food, we need to ensure that we are eating a healthy, balanced diet consisting of enough nutrients, vitamins, and minerals our body will need to survive. There is no dead set number for each of these as everyone is different but there are recommended daily intakes of everything.
The simple equation when it comes to calories is if you eat more than you burn in a day, you will put weight on. If you burn more than you eat then you will lose weight. This is why so many people go on diets and never lose any weight, they replace food with other food of the same calorific value, but because it looks healthier they believe it’s good for them. There are so many different options available to you that will make it easier to watch your caloric intake and allow you to enjoy eating. Maintaining weight loss is difficult, but very much possible.
Men burn around 2,000-2500 calories a day without exercising, and women burn from 1500-2000. With the introduction of exercise, this number can increase exponentially which is where we need to look at both the quality and the quantity of our food.
Quality
Much like any form of fuel the quality of it makes a big difference. When we look at food, usually we will understand that fruits and vegetables are good for us, sugar isn’t great, carbohydrates are delicious and protein is good. It’s all well and good that we know these facts, but in reality, we need to understand that there are different kinds of food that will affect us in different ways.
Vegetables are something we don’t eat enough of, because they’re amazing for you and they fill you up. The best bit, however, is that we can eat as much as we want. They have a low calorific value and as long as they haven’t been grown with chemicals then they’re full of nutrients.
There’s an ongoing argument when it comes to Protein between people that eat meat and people that don’t eat meat. The facts say that protein from sources such as chickpeas contains proteins that are easier to digest, lower in calories, lower in fats, and better all round. But people still enjoy eating meat so as long as it’s in moderation, from a butcher and not processed then you should be ok.
Carbohydrates are the talk of the dieting world and there are a huge number of people that believe that eating them will cause them to gain weight immediately. This isn’t the case. Our body needs carbohydrates to survive and eating them will actually aid weight loss when done correctly. They’re split into two categories.
Simple Carbohydrates are something we need to watch out for, they tend to be anything that is processed like sugar-sweetened beverages, white bread, white pasta, white rice, pastries, and even fruit juices. Eating them in moderation is alright but every day will cause some problems.
Complex Carbohydrates are things such as vegetables, whole fruit, legumes, whole grains, and potatoes. These are the carbs your body needs and will aid weight loss and give you energy for your workouts.
Quantity
If we look at the simple equation of calories in vs calories out then we know if we are training hard we need to be eating a sufficient amount of food to fuel ourselves. Especially if we are trying to put weight on at the same time in the form of muscles. It’s in these situations where quantity will reside over quality and whilst you want the majority of your diet to be as clean as possible, it’s ok to have a day off once a week and indulge in your favorite junk food.
Anyone that trains hard knows that the volume of food they need to eat to maintain such a lifestyle is enormous.
If we consider both these options then we will come to crossroads every time. You need to make the decision about your body goals before you can compare the two. If your goal is to put muscle on and train for 3 hours every day, 6 days a week then you’re going to need to eat a lot of food. If you’re trying to lose weight then both quantity and quality is important as it’s imperative you stay healthy whilst losing weight. They both have their part to play in the world of exercise, it just depends on you.