Monthly Archives: November 2016

Personal Training: Calorie Restriction

By | Nutrition, Uncategorized, weight loss | No Comments

Personal Training:

I Can Eat Too Few Calories?

In the personal training world I see people obessing over their calories.

When making a decision that it is time to get back into shape and lose weight, we want to take the easiest and quickest route. Diet pills and starvation diets are usually what an individual finds as the quickest way to get to this goal. Unfortunately, low calorie diets can ultimately do more harm then good. When you starve your body by limiting your calories, you are also limiting your body from getting the necessary vitamins and nutrients that it needs. Although you might initially lose weight, overtime the lack of needed vitamins and minerals can lead to some form of nutritional deficiency.  Let’s face it, all the personal training in the world isn’t going to overcome a bad diet.

Deficiencies in nutrition will only jeopardize your health in the long run.

personal training should include advice on portion control

personal training should include advice on portion control

How few is too few when it comes to calories? This will vary from person to person depending on a person’s weight and their activity levels. It is recommended to stay above 1200 calories a day because when you consume less than 1200 calories, the body goes into starvation mode and it will store the fat instead of burn it.

The safest and most productive way of losing weight is to lose about a pound a week. This requires a 500 calorie deficit everyday. You can break it up by consuming 250 calories less than you normally eat and burning off 250 calories through exercise each day.

The negative impacts that women can experience with too few calories are irregular menstrual cycles and in extreme cases, no menstrual cycle at all. When you stop menstruating, your body slows down the production of estrogen. This lack of estrogen can lead to an increase in the risk of bone loss. A lack in calories can lead to an iron deficiency that can cause anemia because of the lack of proteins. Low protein levels can also negatively affect your immune system. When your immune system is down, you are at a higher risk for catching a cold or getting the flu. It causes a ripple effect.

See this link here for a spot by Jamie Atlas on what foods contain what calories

The thyroid is also affected when we do not consume enough calories. The starvation mode slows down our systems which can result in the feeling of being cold all of the time and have less energy. These issues can lead to mental issues like depression also.

Just remember that every person is different. Some individuals may find a greater success with counting their calories while others might overestimate or underestimate their daily caloric intake. If you are very physically active person, it is vital for you to consume an adequate amount of calories to re-supply the body with the calories that you burnt. This will re-energize your body so that you can continue to workout harder and run faster. If you don’t supply the body with the calories that it needs, it will only create a negative effect to your overall health. Not only will you feel tired and have no energy to keep up with your training, but it can also cause you to gain weight. Consuming an adequate amount of calories can lead to a successful attempt in weight loss and positively affect your overall health.

Stay True to Your Goals

Bonza Bodies Fitness