Day 9/30!
Happy Friday!
Today I wanted to briefly chat about calorie deficit, maintenance and surplus. We have spoke about the importance of protein, weight training & walking for health, but also their importance in weight loss/building and maintaining muscle. None of these things really work without the ultimate answer to the equation which is… yes: calories!
When we look at it, it really is quite simple. If you want to lose weight, you NEED to be in some sort of calorie DEFICIT. This happens below your “maintenance” calories where you maintain the same weight day in and day out. This can be achieved two ways; consuming fewer calories, or burning more calories through exercise. Or, you can do a mix of both to make things seem a little less daunting.
If you wanted to lose 1lb in a week, you would need to consume 500 less calories or burn 500 additional calories PER DAY, compared to your maintenance calories. Losing 1lb/week is a high amount to lose and I would advise shooting for .5lb/week which would just be 250 calories per day. This could be adding 30-40 minutes of exercise, reducing a certain snack or making simple swaps within your diet.
If you want to maintain where you’re at, of course you would just do the same things you’re doing eating & exercise wise!
If you want to gain weight, or specifically muscle mass, you do still need to be in a calorie SURPLUS! Meaning you’re eating more calories than your maintenance. If you are looking to put on muscle mass, I would advise these additional calories to be from high quality foods and lean protein sources! If looking to gain lean muscle mass, I would aim for 1-1.2g of protein / kg of your bodyweight.
If you want to figure out your maintenance calories, I would recommend tracking your food intake for at least 3 days and taking the average of that, this way you know exactly how many calories you should aim to get to lose or gain weight! This sounds difficult but there are many apps that make it easier, especially the RxFood app I use with my clients. If you would like to give it a try reach out to me!
