The Math of Weight Loss

The Math of Weight loss and your Metabolism

By Cory Fagan, MSc

December is the month that many of us struggle to keep exercise consistent and the weight off. Christmas parties, the holidays and cold weather do not add up in our favor to battle the bulge! I do not expect people to start a marathon program or new workout in December, but what about January? How do you keep motivated in the New Year with your “new routine.” Do you workout like and crazy and see what happens? Many of us try this approach and then quit in frustration ending up back in the fridge! In my opinion, you need to see results in fitness and in the waistline soon. Results will come when exercise and nutrition are treated as equally important. People count their calories burned, track their heart rate and record their hours of training. However, what about food intake? This needs a closer look if you are truly interested in change. Below are some facts and tips that will keep you motivated and on track in the New Year.

What you need:

Resting Metabolic Rate. Get tested, you need this number.

This is the minimum amount of calories you need in a day to go to work, sit on the coach and just exist. Eating this much food keeps your body happy and prevents against the “protection of fat” or “fat storing” mode. You can try on-line calculation formulas or you can get accurate information by performed a fasting metabolic rate test at TCR.

Two Day Food log. How many calories do you eat?

I do not believe in tracking calories everyday as it can be time consuming and some people can get obsessed which drives up your cortisol levels preventing weight loss. However, you need to know how much you eat. It’s amazing how many people really do not know their caloric intake in a typical day, yet they want to lose a few pounds. Try the free website: www.fitday.com to track your calories. It has a simply drag and drop menu and thousands of food choices.

Exercise. Move your body regularly.

If your dog was over-weight, what would you do? Exercise the furry friend and control his food intake. Pretty simple, but humans make it complicated with excuses and too much access to food. Besides burning calories, one of the “cellular” changes that happen with movement is that our fat cells will release fat when we move consistently. No movement equals fat cells that get efficient at storing fat and we do not want this! At our TCR lab, we have seen hundreds of metabolic cases that show improvements in fat utilization by people who exercise regularly. As for the type of exercise, my first recommendation is just getting moving with consistency. You do not need to sign up for Ironman in order to lose weight!

The Math

Case Study One

80 kg male

Resting Metabolic Rate: 1750 kcals / day

Food Log Typical Day: 2500 kcals

Exercise: 250 kcals / workout

2500 kcals – RMR (1750) – Exercise (250)= 500 kcal surplus. There is about 500 kcals too much and hence no weight loss stimulus.

Case Study Two

80 kg male

Resting Metabolic Rate: 1750 kcals / day

Food Log Typical Day: 2000 kcals

Exercise: 250 kcals / workout

2000 kcals – RMR (1750 kcals ) – Exercise (250 kcals) = 0 or Break Even. This is what you want; a plan under control, realistic exercise and net score close to zero.

If you happen to exercise more, fantastic! You will have a deficit and really kick start weight loss. However, I have also seen this happen too much and become counter-productive. People will go out and exercise like crazy resulting in a deficit of 500-1500 calories at the end of the day. Guess what happens? We go out and reward ourselves with more food that night or the next day because we had a big workout. The person ends up with a surplus and maybe even weight gain. So keep it realistic and simple when you start out in the New Year.