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News: Weight gain, food consumption, calorie intake

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Weight gain, food consumption, calorie intake Lance Cpl. Samuel Ranney

A person surprised by their weight. Keeping logs of activity and calorie intake keeps one aware of where the weight is coming from.

MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. - It’s no surprise that a person gains weight if they dine out often, or eat a lot of fast food - constantly taking in empty calories.

The average woman requires approximately 1,800-2,200 kilocalories and the average man about 2,400-2,800 Kcals. Of course, this depends on activity level. There are also formulas to determine just how much fat, protein and carbohydrates a person should have for their age, gender, body-type and activity level.

One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories. Imagine having a breakfast burrito at Del Taco at 1,220 calories, this would be about half of a person’s recommended daily calorie intake. Or instead, a McDonald’s deluxe breakfast with a regular biscuit at 1,320 kcals, it only goes up hill from there.

If for lunch you eat the Six Dollar Burger (1,060 Kcals) at Carl’s Junior then add fries (610 Kcals) and a drink (600 kcals), you have already consumed well over 3,500 calories before dinner. One could easily gain that one pound of fat (3,500 kcals) before even going out to Red Lobster for dinner.

Also keep in mind; restaurants use many fats, lards, oils, butters, sugars, salts, etc., to make their food tasty. Typically, consumers could be ingesting a 4,000-5,000 calorie meal without counting an appetizer or drinks.

In one day, a person could potentially consume 8,000-9,000, or even more calories! Your calorie intake as a woman is 1,800-2,200 Kcals or for a man, 2,400-2,800 Kcal per day … where does it all go? On your body!

Weight loss pure and simple is calories out (what you expend with exercise) being greater than calories in (what you eat and put into your body.) This is also why so many people have such a difficult time losing the weight, and why it seems to come on so quickly. People tend to take up any and every diet that promises them quick, two-week weight loss plans to lose all the weight they have gained over the months or even years.

However, it takes approximately three months to change your metabolism. The body knows when it has been fooled with water and grapefruit diets, or just protein without complex carbohydrates (which feed the brain, organs and provide fuel for your muscles.)

Also, if a person dehydrates themselves and sits in the sauna every day with three layers of sweats on, they will not increase their metabolism, build muscle or lose fat. In fact, dehydrating your muscle cells causes a great deal of trauma to your muscle tissue and you only lose water weight … which is vital to your health.

Water flushes out toxins and helps with maintaining a healthy digestive tract by cleansing the organs.

When we deplete our body of the vital nutrients and minerals provided in real food, we mess with the optimal functions of our body systems as well as our metabolism. In fact, we slow it down even more because it goes into panic mode, unsure of why we are starving ourselves with survival nutrients.

One of the best ways to start making changes “TODAY” is to be accountable and mindful of everything you do and put into your body. This doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy a pizza with your friends or a piece of birthday cake with your daughter; it means taking a good hard look at where you are and where you want to be to make a conscious decision to increase your life span and quality of life.

Keeping a log book of each and everything you consume and what you do for exercise will be a reality check of where the weight is coming from.

Another problem, besides weight gain, unwanted pounds and not fitting into the clothes we want, are lifelong ailments and illnesses. Such as those that come with high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, high levels of sodium invoking bloating and hypertension, diabetes, excess belly fat which causes increased risk for stroke, decreased blood circulation, lethargy, poorer sleeping patterns, poor digestion, increased risk for cancer … and the list continues.

Exercise is Medicine and can lower your blood pressure and risk of heart disease. It can also increase endorphins in your brain which help with stress, keeping a positive attitude, metabolism, sleeping patterns, physiological and psychological improvements, lower body fat, more increased lean muscle tissues … etc.

For more information, tips, nutrition or workout plans, see Shelley Lamey at the Fitness Center on Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif.

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This work, Weight gain, food consumption, calorie intake, is free of known copyright restrictions under U.S. copyright law.

Date Taken:10.23.2013

Date Posted:10.23.2013 13:15

Location:BARSTOW , CA, USGlobe

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