Can somebody give me a detailed breakdown of how calorie intake works?!
Question: I know that 3,500 calories equals a pound, and you must burn more calories than you consume. So, I work out five to six days per week for 1 hour and 30 minutes. I do 1 hour of cardio (usually the treadmill) and 30 minutes of circuit training. I usually burn 400 to 500 calories on the treadmill alone, so what does that mean in terms of calories?
Let's say I ate 1,800 calories today but burn off 500-600 calories at the gym each day. Does that mean I will lose weight, gain weight or remain the same weight? Even though I have a good workout six days out of the week, I am afraid to eat too much because I feel I may gain the weight back.
I am 30, female, 5 ft. 2 in. and weigh about 193-194 pounds (down from 199 pounds). This is my third week working out and I can tell a difference in how I look and feel. I also changed my eating habits and started drinking nothing but water during the week.
Answers: I know that 3,500 calories equals a pound, and you must burn more calories than you consume. So, I work out five to six days per week for 1 hour and 30 minutes. I do 1 hour of cardio (usually the treadmill) and 30 minutes of circuit training. I usually burn 400 to 500 calories on the treadmill alone, so what does that mean in terms of calories?
Let's say I ate 1,800 calories today but burn off 500-600 calories at the gym each day. Does that mean I will lose weight, gain weight or remain the same weight? Even though I have a good workout six days out of the week, I am afraid to eat too much because I feel I may gain the weight back.
I am 30, female, 5 ft. 2 in. and weigh about 193-194 pounds (down from 199 pounds). This is my third week working out and I can tell a difference in how I look and feel. I also changed my eating habits and started drinking nothing but water during the week.
You should be loosing about a pound a week doing exactly what you outlined. This is a safe rate. Keep it up!
As to how calories work. Technically, you're talking about the kcal(kilo calorie), a measure of energy. Where the body is concerned, a medium size apple has about 100 kcal of energy. You could eat 18 apples a day to get your daily calorie allotment. Your digestive system will extract the energy from the apples, as well as other nutrients. The energy is used to both maintain and build your body tissues thru a complex series of chemical reactions.
If you take in too many, the excess is stored as fat. Not enough, and the stored fat is converted to energy(burned.)
Keep working out. As you lose weight you will need to consume less. There are many websites that you can access that will tell you how many calories you need in a day. (google it) and your resting caloric intake required. Considering the amount of calories you consume If you burn that many calories while working out then you will lose weight. Lauren Conrad consumes about 1,500 calories a day. But I'd estimate her weight at 115 lbs. yes if you eat too much you will gain the weight back. To lose weight you need to burn more than you lose. Make sure you are gettting all your nutriional requirements. Don't forget vitamin D! Good luck:)