Written by: Tom Kalka
3/4/2006 

 You think it is a good day to skip your workout, right?  After all, how much damage could missing one day really do?  Let us take a look.  Fact:  One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories.  In order to see what it will take to lose that pound of fat, we need to know how many calories we are burning and what it takes to create a caloric deficit large enough to burn 3,500 calories.

The chart below shows how many calories you burn per hour per activity.  The Outdoor Conditioning program most closely resembles calisthenics.  Check out the BLOG talking about working at the proper intensity level.  If you are exercising at the proper intensity level, use the number associated with the vigorous levels.  If your intensity is lower than it should be, use the moderate level.  Here is a very informative chart on how different activities burn calories.  

An Outdoor Conditioning client who weighs 150 lbs, working at the proper intensity level will burn about 576 calories in a one hour class.  It is going to take this person over 6 days to burn one pound of fat.  The same person working with a CFC personal trainer (weight lifting) is going to burn about 432 calories.  It is going to take them about 8 days to burn enough calories to lose one pound of fat.

Sounds easy enough doesn’t it?  But how many of you out there are actually working out 6 or more days per week?  Bear in mind, this isn’t even taking into account your daily eating habits.  Now, let’s say that this 150 pound client has an ideal body weight of 130 pounds.  In order to calculate the number of calories someone should consume on a daily basis, add a zero to the end of your ideal weight.  For example, a 150 pound client who wishes to be 130 pounds will want to consume about 1,300 calories daily.   This is a very rough guideline and should not be considered a healthy plan for everyone.

Custom Fitness Concepts has a registered dietitian to assist in determining the proper caloric intake for you based on your activity levels and weight loss goals.  Below is a 1300 calorie meal plan for one day.

This will give you a good idea of what someone should eat to reach about 1300 calories in a day.  Notice that you can only eat 3 oz of chicken at the bigger meals (about the size of a deck of cards).  Every extra ounce adds about 47 calories.  If you add gravy, another cola, and a small piece of cake for dessert, you might have added an additional 400-500 calories to your day.  Enough to wipe out your workout if you actually did your workout that day.

Putting it into perspective, if you are eating the proper amount of calories based on the ideal weight and exercising at the proper intensity, it is still a long process to lose the weight you wish to lose. Doing things like missing workouts, binging on weekends or eating improper portion sizes are only going to prolong the process and probably cause you to lose motivation.  Sticking to a fitness routine and having a nutrition plan that sets you up for success are your best tools for success.

Custom Fitness Concepts wants to be your one stop shop for finding all the necessary tools to help you accomplish your goals.  Strongly consider speaking with our nutrition staff about a nutrition plan that will work for you and also consider the Diet to Go program.   Both excellent tools to get you ready for summertime!

 

	Portion	Item	Calories
Breakfast	Size
	12 ounces	Coffee with Caffeine	8
	1 each	Bagel-plain, Lenders Bake Shop	210
	2 tbsp	Peanut butter- creamy	190
	1 tbsp	Cream, fluid, half and half	19
	Total:		427
AM Snack
	1 each	Apple-medium with peel	81
	Total:		81
Lunch
	3 ounces	Chicken breast/ white meat	140
	12 ounces	Coca cola- diet w/ caffeine	176
	.25 cup	Croutons-plain	30
	1 large	Salad-large, Garden w/tomato and onion	98
	4 tbps	Thousand island-reduced cal. Kraft	80
	Total:		348
PM Snack
	1 each	Apple-medium with peel	81
	Total:		81
Dinner
	3 ounces	Chicken breast/ white meat	140
	1 cup	Pasta, corn cooked	176
	1 small	Salad-small, Garden w/tomato, onion	49
	2 tbps	Thousand island- reduced cal. Kraft	40
	Total:		405
	Grand Total:		1343

Trackback Print

Tags:

Categories:

Location: Blogs Tom Kalka's Blog