Of kilos and pounds

RANDOM THOUGHT: Hmmm... I wonder why I write my excercise stuff up in my blog? Unlikely it interest that many of the readers. But it is great for clearing my own thoughts. A noble pursuit, then. :)

When asked, I've tried to help all my friends and colleagues around me when it comes to excercise. I've done specific programs for martial artists, and rock climbers, dancers, and fencers. Mostly though it has been one of my friends with an office job who want to get into a better shape. Aside from actual excercise programs, there are two questions that I get asked more than any others when it comes to training. These are: 'How do I lose weight?' and 'How do I gain lean muscle?'

The problem is most people want these things to happen at once. This is next to impossible. To grow lean muscle mass, you MUST eat more calories per day than you expend. 500 extra is about right. You can calculate your daily expenditure of calories here. Pretty much all food nowadays comes with clear caloric breakdowns, so calculating your daily intake might be revealing. You must provide your body with plenty of protein to build the muscles, 2-3 grams per kilo of bodyweight (1 gram per pound for you English heathens) is about right. Best way to get this is to eat chicken, turkey, beans, tuna, salmon, lean red meat, or soy. If you are a strict vegetarian, you pretty much must buy some protein powder to supplement your meals.

This is actually the hard part for many aspiring trainers. Of course, to gain muscle mass, you must engage in resistance excercise such as weightlifting. But lifting weights is relatively easy, can be fun, and takes up so little time per week that it doesn't really stop you from doing anything else. Eating enough, at least for me, is hardest part.

To lose weight, you MUST consume less calories than you are currently expend during your daily activities. For me, the easiest way has always been to add some excercise, and eat the same as always. Your mileage may vary. You might want to watch your food all the time instead, but I find this very stressful for long periods of time.

The bad news is, there is only one way to gain unwanted extra weight: to eat more than you consume. Easiest thing to avoid this is to eat enough at meals so you are feeling satisfied. I now it sounds contradictory, but nothing makes you binge like being really hungry. Trick is to fill your tummy with food that does not get stored as fat. Fruits and vegetables are my choice. I love sweet stuff, so fruits take care of my cravings most of the time. As for drink, try water, and lots of it (sweetened with some juice if it is too bland otherwise). 8 glasses a day is what is recommended.

Though fats are universally reviled, it is actually simple carbohydrates (such as potato chips, candy, white bread and fizzy drinks) that are far more likely to bloat you and break the scales. Curiously, human beings actually don't need carbs for anything, but we do need some essential fats to survive, and protein to replenish our muscles.

Whether you want to lose or gain weight, it is better to eat several times a day, small meals scattered throughout the day, rather than eat 3 massive meals per day. This will keep your metabolism going, and stop your body from cannibalising your muscle mass to keep you going.