Hello guys. I’m your old folk Aishleen Verma.
The topic of today’s article is not very much unique but is certainly very much important. There are tons and tons of article on the internet that are about dieting. I myself have read thousands of them but none I find useful except one or two. And I guess you too have read a lot of articles. But hold on guys, I know you are going to love this article as in this article your good old pal Aishleen Verma is going to give you the ultimate laws of dieting so you can count your calories smartly.
When I explore the internet and read the articles about dieting, my hearts plead with sorrow. In most of the articles either they give you a very strict diet plan or tell you to simply cut down some particular foods. Nobody ever tells you the principles behind the dieting so that you can create your own dieting chart.
Now without any further a due and skipping my irritating habit of long intros let us jump into the principle of dieting.
YES! Counting the calories does work and gives you magnificent results but there is a catch. Your counting calories are only useful if you do it alongside counting macros too. If you want to gain weight, lose weight, gain muscle, or lose fat, whatever your goal is counting the calories will help you a lot in achieving that goal.
But just counting calories and hoping you will reach your desired goal? Not so easy. In order your body to be perfectly well physically, mentally, look-wise macros play a vital role. To understand me better over here, the 100 calories from a cake is not same as 100 calories from coconut oil. Now, you know why I said counting calories work but only if you count macros alongside it.
Most of you might already know that:
- To gain muscle you need to add 20% of calories to your existing diet
- To lose fat, you need to deficit 20% of calories from your existing diet
Yes, these claims are right but just adding or subtracting calories is enough? No, I don’t think so. If you are aimed towards a particular goal then you got to count your macros otherwise you just end up eating empty calories that act more detrimental than good.
How to Count Macros
Protein, Fats and Carbohydrates call these Macros or Macronutrients it is your wish but you need to focus on the intake of these.
Calories are important but Macros are way more crucial.
You see, there’s the difference between eating 2,500 calories worth of cake and 2,500 calories of whole foods and meat. Both will help you to gain weight if your maintenance is 2,000 calories, but only the whole food and meat might help you to
- Build muscle mass
- Keep your hormones, brain function, and immunity in check.
Up to this point, I’m hoping you have understood the importance of macros. Anyway, here are the main things you need to know with each macronutrient.
Protein
The most famous macro-nutrient of all “The-Muscle-Gainer-Overrated Protein”. This is what helps to build muscle and/or prevents muscle loss when you are going low on calories. A common misconception is that only people looking to build muscle should care to eat an adequate amount of protein per day. Wrong! When you are trying to shed fat, eating an adequate amount of protein is very critical for appetite control. You need to understand that you are shedding fat, not muscle. Protein also helps to boost metabolism because it requires more energy than the other macro-nutrients to digest.
How much to eat:
- 1.6-3.3g per kilo of lean body mass (your total weight minus body fat)
- If you have a lot of fat to shed, go with the low spectrum of the requirement (1.6g/kg of LBM)
- If you’re already very lean, you’ll want to go on the higher spectrum (3-3.3g/kg of LBM)
Each gram of protein contains 4 calories, so to figure out how much of your calorie intake is coming from protein, you would multiply your intake in grams by four.
Fats
The consumption of fats helps to regulate our bodies’ hormones and supports the brain function. It’s an essential part of our diet that should not be skipped at all. Just like protein, you want to eat a minimum amount on a daily basis for good performance.
How much to eat:
- About 25% of your total calorie intake
- Just make sure it is coming from right sources.
Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, so to figure out how much of your calorie intake is coming from fats, you would multiply your intake in grams by nine. Don’t worry about it for now.
Carbohydrates
Lastly but certainly not the least, carbs are what our bodies’ use for fuel. Stored as glycogen in the liver, muscles, and blood, carbs are basically what helps to keep us moving.
How much to eat:
- Remaining number of calories after protein and fat have been added
- Will vary depending on factors such as activity level and personal preference – The more active you are, the more carbs you’ll consume.
Just like protein, each gram of carbohydrates contains 4 calories. To figure out how much of your calorie intake is coming from carbs, you would simply eat your remaining number of calories after protein and fat have been added together.
Now to understand better what I have just said, consider my example. I weight 64 kg and have 17% body fat, so for me
Calories I Need
- Maintenance Calories = 1800
- To Build Muscle = 1800 +20% = 2160 ~2200
Protein
- LBM = 64 – 11(body fat) = 53 kgs of LBM
- My protein Intake = 53 * 3.3 = 174.9~175 g of protein
- Calories from Protein = 175 * 4 = 700 calories
Fat
I’m a fat lover. I tend to eat more fat. So while I calculate my fat intake I’m going to put myself at higher spectrum of maybe 1-2.
- My fat Intake = 53 * 2 = 106 g
- Calories from Fat = 106 * 9 = 954 calories
Carbs
- Total Calories – Protein Calories – Fat Calories
- 2200 – 700 – 954 = 546 calories
- My carb Intake = 136.5 g
So, in order to build muscle, I should be consuming about 2,200 calories while eating my macro requirements of 175g of protein, 106g of fat, and 136.5g of carbs.
I hope you guys understood the math behind this.
So now sum up my article, Yes! Counting calories work for sure but it is just the first step towards achieving your goal. You need to count your macros alongside it and you will see the change coming in you.
At last, I would say, you are an amazing, beautiful, spectacular being. Keep it that way.
Love to you all.
