What does 200 calories look like?

Work, writing and weight training are getting slightly in the way of my posts here, but I just want to share this interesting link with you.

wiseGEEK have posted pictures of food all equalling 200 calories. Most of it is obvious, but there are still a couple of surprises.

What does 200 calories look like?

Way laid by germs, and why it's good to read food labels

So all the best laid plans go awry, don't they? Motivating Amy Part 4 is still in draft form as I've been feeling too lousy to complete it - as I mentioned in my last post, I have to pose for a couple of photos, much better than explaining!

I thought I'd search the net for some great links to keep you all buzzing with enthusiasm, but I haven't found very much. All the 'get fit for 2013' style articles I've found are aimed at women, and as apparently women can't lift any more than 2lb weights without pumping up to Arnie-in-the-70s proportions*, there's very little to share with you that I believe in. Which makes me even more determined to get my own thoughts into photo form!

(*this will never happen, honest, I promise you there's a lot more to 'bulking up' than lifting something that weighs less than your handbag or baby!)

Personally, I've worked out a great gym plan for myself, and it's sitting in my gym bag waiting for me to use it. I've been eating far too much left-over Christmas chocolates and biscuits, we have half a Christmas cake to eat (and another on the way - my mum makes such good Christmas cakes Hubby always makes sure we get two!), and Hubby bought me a Belgian Chocolate Christmas Pudding because I don't like the real thing.

It was only after I'd eaten it - with custard - that I looked at the nutritional information and realised that not only was it a two person pudding, but the whole thing (that I'd eaten!) was a total of 800 calories... Yep, just under half my daily intake if I was working out and not slobbing around feeling sorry for myself!

And that's why it's important to read the nutritional information, not only does it give you the calorie count, it also tells you how much they expect you to eat - and in some cases it's a lot smaller than you think!

Motivating Amy Part 3

Part 1

Part 2
(which will also explain why these posts are called 'Motivating Amy'!)

3) THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSCLE WHEN LOSING WEIGHT

This is one of my favourite subjects, because I like lifting weights. But even if you don't want to go to a gym and fight for space in the free weight area, maintaining and/or building muscle is important, especially when you're dieting.

Here's some maths for you:

A 60kg, 5ft 6 woman uses roughly 1345 calories a day just to survive - heart, lung, kidney, brain etc functions - the important stuff!
Add in a 'light' level of activity - commuting, working in an office, working out a couple of times a week - and this daily requirement increases to 1880 calories.
(Here's the calculator I used but a search of 'calorie requirements' will bring up many others)

So far, so good. I'll assume this woman - I'll call her Amy - is eating 1880 calories because her weight is stable - her calorie intake is matching her calorie output. But she would like to lose weight, and reads about a fad diet  in a magazine which claims 1000 calories a day, plus some strange moves with a couple of cans of baked beans, will help her lose a dress size.

This calorie count is 345 calories less than she needs to survive. Initially her body will rely on body fat and muscle for fuel, but after a couple of weeks (maybe less, maybe more, it depends on the individual) her body will realise it's being starved and cling on to the body fat. Muscle, however, will still be used - it's a rich source of fuel but it also needs fuel to exist, fuel that's very much in short supply. Also, as muscles uses energy for its own purposes it makes sense for the body to get rid of it.

After a few more weeks, Amy's body will have got used to living on 1000 calories (including being a bit more careful how it uses her heart, lungs and other vital organs) and because she is no longer in calorie deficit (ie. her intake is matching her output again) her weight plateaus. Now, either Amy will cut down more calories, or she'll give up the diet because a) it's not working and b) she's hungry and wants to eat proper food again.

Cutting down more will repeat the process I outlined above, but with increasingly serious consequences, so I'll focus on giving up the diet. Amy returns to eating 1880 calories a day, but - BUT! - her body thinks she's overeating by 880 calories because it's been used to living on 1000 calories, and her muscle has been stripped. It takes 3500 extra calories to put on one pound of body fat - which will be about four days!

I hope this makes sense, because it is the reason why NO DIET WILL EVER WORK. Moderation with food and exercise is the best way. If Amy had been maintaining her muscle mass the excess would not have been so extreme when she came off the diet.

Stay tuned for Part 4, when I'll be explaining how to build muscle when you don't

lift weights, or want to lift weights, or have weights to lift!