Exercising on a Calorie Deficit

The least intrusive weight loss strategy and most frequently suggested, are changes to consumption patterns and enhanced physical activity, usually in the type of exercise.

There are number of reasons why combining a low calorie intake with high exercise can lead to problems. On the other hand, if you exercise less or eat an excess of calories, you are certainly going to gain weight in the wrong places.

Most folks have the wrong idea about weight loss. The problem is the “eat less do more mentality”. If you're consuming an extreme low-calorie diet and working out every day, you are hurting yourself more than helping. You will see the weight you lose will tend to be muscle mass first then fat mass. You will end up very frustrated with the end result which will be a soft body with a high body fat percentage. There are things you must consider while planning your diet and workout regime to ensure that you lose weight at a healthy rate and hold on to that hard earned muscle mass.

Exercise counteracts the metabolic slowing process of calorie restriction. That is why physical exercise and moderately cutting calories is typically a great weight loss approach. Again, too great of a calorie cut or deficit will lead to the dreaded muscle mass loss. If you're under eating and working out excessively, you're not meeting the essential dietary needs of your body. This in turn signals that things are getting stressful and energy has to be preserved through a slower metabolism. 

Energy must be available for your body when you are performing an exercise and this energy comes from food that contains carbohydrates. Certain issues or problems can arise when you deprive your body from this essential energy while you are exercising. The following problems can arise when you exercise with depleted level of calorie:

1. Strength Loss: Your body needs calories for exercise the same way a car needs fuel to move. If you don’t provide enough energy for your body, you will get tired and weak while you are exercising.
2. Increase in body fat: The body stores fat as a backup storage, therefore, the body will burn muscle initially before burning fat when you starve yourself and exercise. This can make you gain more adipose tissue or fat, and in turn lose more muscle. This doesn’t sound like your exercising goals does it?
3. Muscle Loss: The muscle that you lose instead of fat also contributes to a slower metabolism. Less lean body mass means slower metabolic rate. YOU NEED to focus on building lean body mass, not losing it right?

Certain tips can prevent these problems of exercising with depleted calories, these include:

1. Controlling the proportion of low glycemic carbohydrates, healthy fats and suitable protein in your food intake. This will ensure you eat enough food that will supply adequate calories for exercising as well as meet your body’s daily needs. You can successfully do this and still maintain a calorie deficit.

2. Timing your food intake. This is important because it will ensure that you maintain the essential glucose level that is needed for exercising. This will make you perform better and prevent you from getting tired easily while exercising. This is also crucial for when you body is at rest and is rebuilding.

3. Varying your workout intensity day to day. This helps you avoid having all exercise at a high intensity, which in turn creates excess corticosteroid spikes daily. This is why I recommend do varying intensity levels during interval training on your cardio and resistance training when you exercise.

4. Keeping intense cardio to no more than 3 times per week. On the opposite days, 20 to 30 minutes of simple to moderate intensity cardio like walking is suitable for weight loss.

5. Monitoring your calorie intake to confirm that you aren’t under eating. Make sure you're consuming nourishing food as well as taking a multi-vitamin to ensure your body is getting all essential nutrients on a daily basis.

Having a nutrition coach can help you gauge the proper calorie total that you must consume to ensure you are not under eating. This will make sure that your work inside and out of the gym will be a success. I highly recommend meeting with a coach before you start your workout regimen as the nutrition part of any exercise program is at least 80% responsible for the overall success of the program. If you do not have a coach in mind, I would love to help. I am a certified professional in this area and can provide the information that you need. Comment here or shoot me an email over to mattbeard@newavecoaching.com and I will be happy to help! Remember guys, keep striving to #bethebetteryou ! Have an awesome day!

References:

Mann, T; Tomiyama, AJ; Westling, E; Lew, AM; Samuels, B; Chatman, J (2007)

Medicare's search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer. 219

Guth, Eve (2014). Healthy Weight Loss. 974-975

Anderson, James; Elizabeth C Konz; Robert C Frederich; Constance L Wood (2001).

A meta-analysis of US studies: Long-term weight-loss maintenance: a meta-analysis of US studies. 578-585

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