GUIDE TO CALORIES 13g 19% - Fat - CD Fitness

GUIDE TO
CALORIES
AWARENESS, INTAKE AND OUTPUT

Energy
942KJ    Fat   Sugars   Salt
 22013g 0.8g 0.7g
 Kcal
11% 19%

The intention of this guide is to give you many of
         the tools required to increase awareness of
         calories, your caloric intake and how you would
         go about manipulating both the quality and
         quantity of them to fit with your own personal
         goals.

         What we know right now from the simple fact
         you’ve picked up this guide is that your current
         habits and behaviours surrounding food don’t
         align with the physical outcome you desire.

         That goal could be centered around improvements
         to your physical composition, changes to your
         physical and cognitive performance or perhaps a
         combination of both.

         The quality and quantity of energy you consume
         on a daily basis therefore becomes critical and by
         giving you a deeper understanding and clarity
         surrounding that source of fuel is a large step in
         the right direction.

Page 1

WHAT ARE
   CALORIES?
   in an item of food or drink.

   requirement. Depending on the source of the calorie it may
                                                               ?
   Calories or kilocalories (kcals) indicate the amount of energy

   This is the energy that once digested will provide us with the
   fuel we need to firstly maintain normal bodily functions such
   as breathing, digestion and regeneration and secondly, to fuel
   the exercise or activity we choose to do beyond that basal

   also provide us with an array of critical nutrients such as as
   dietary fiber, amino acids, antioxidants and dietary vitamins
   and minerals.

   We obtain calories from three primary sources within our
   diets. What we term commonly as macronutrients. Each of
   which contains a given amount of energy per gram.

    PROTEIN – Protein contain 4 kcal per gram

    CARBOHYDRATES – Carbs also contain 4 kcal per gram

    FAT – Fats contain 9 kcal per gram

   We also mustn’t forget about alcohol for those of you that
   consume it. Alcohol is made through the fermentation and
   distilling of natural sugar or starch so also contains calories.
   7kcals per gram to be precise.

Page 2

ARE ALL CALORIES
   CREATED EQUALLY?
   Losing weight/fat is all about calories IN vs calories OUT
   (Energy Balance) for example if you consume 2000kcal but
   only burn 1500kcal per day then you’ll gain weight. If you
   consume 2000kcal and burn 2000kcal you’ll maintain weight.
   The idea of this 6-Week Challenge is to help you lose
   weight/fat therefore you’ll need to be in a calories DEFICIT
   this means you’ll be eating less than you burn.

   However, this isn’t all it takes to lose weight. It takes a mixture of
   calorie deficit, increasing exercise, drinking an adequate amount
   of water and consuming a wide variety of nutrients.

   Energy is required to digest, absorb and dispose of a given
   nutrient following ingestion. In essence, we need calories to
   break down the energy in food.

   CARBOHYDRATES – 5 to 15% of the energy consumed

   PROTEIN – 20 to 35%

   FATS – at the most 5 to 15%

   So if you were to consume 100g of protein you would use up 20-
   35 kcal digesting, absorbing and depositing of it.

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Foods that are processed are typically less filling than
         whole, unprocessed foods for the reason that it fails to
         meet many of the above characteristics or has even in
         some cases been stripped of them. Manufactured foods
         including alcohol have further empty calories added to
         them in the form of solid fats and sugars to make them
         more enjoyable.

         This is why when you ask people what the foods they
         typically over-consume are, they will almost always
         contain high amounts of solid fats, added sugar such as
         sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup or a combination of
         both. This is why fats and sugars are often wrongly
         stigmatised and very loosely bracketed.

         When hungry we will seek foods that have a high energy
         density (more calories) but low nutrient density (less
         nutrients) as they will fix the problem of immediate hunger
         and potentially low blood glucose much quicker. We will
         also tend to over-consume them because they have low
         satiety and a high degree of taste.

         A 2000 kcal diet using whole, unprocessed foods is much
         easier to maintain than one using processed variants. Due
         to the critical nutrients that will also be ingested your
         willingness and desire to ‘move more’ will also
         undoubtedly be increased.

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WHAT YOU NEED
             WHEN IT COME TO THE FOOD
 TO CONSIDER YOU REGULARLY CONSUME YOU
             NEED TO CONSIDER THE
                                                            FOLLOWING:

 TASTE                                                     SATIETY
 The sense of taste is one of the most important           Satiety is the term used to explain the feeling of
 human senses.                                             fullness and suppression of appetite that happens
                                                           after eating a specific food or combination of food.
 The food and drink we consume need to be                  Food with a high level of satiety will help prevent
 perceived as appealing and not just as satiating;         overconsumption because, well, it makes you feel
 taste quality is therefore critical in any type of long   full.
 term dietary compliance.
                                                           Filling foods or foods with a high level of satiety tend
 Sensory pleasures from the taste of foods have been       to have one or more of the following characteristics:
 shown to be a major determinant of food intake:
 Foods that satisfy taste contribute not only to           HIGH IN PROTEIN: Research shows us that of all the
 greater eating experience, but also to a greater          macronutrients, protein is the most satiating.
 sense of satiation and satiety. Research indicates        Consumption of protein also has a positive impact
 that in addition to a foods nutritional composition,      on the levels of several hormones that impact
 its taste, smell, texture, temperature, colour and        satiety.
 appearance all affect it’s impact on satiety.
                                                           HIGH IN FIBRE: Fibre provides bulk and slows down
 The first challenge we have here is that a large          digestion and the emptying of the stomach. This in
 amount of manufactured and processed foods,               turn helps you feel fuller for longer.
 inclusive of alcohol have further empty calories
 added to them in the form of sugars and solid fats to     HIGH IN VOLUME: Some foods contain a lot of water
 make them more enjoyable, the level of satiety            or air. This may help with satiety as well. These are
 lowers whilst energy density increases. All reviewed      typically foods with a lower energy density.
 studies have shown that there is an increase in
 intake as palatability increases.                         LOW IN ENERGY DENSITY: This means that a food is
                                                           low in calories for its weight. Foods with a low
 The second challenge is that many people lack the         energy density are very filling. They typically also
 culinary skills required to enhance the appeal and        contain a lot of water and fiber, but are low in fat,
 taste of the foods they prepare therefore food            soups, stews, pasta and rice, and foods that are
 convenience is a factor and one that must be catered      naturally high in water and fibre, such as fruit and
 for.                                                      vegetables.

Page 5

ALCOHOL
 CONSUMPTION
 When embarking on a weight loss journey, alcohol is often first on the
 "no-no" list. Although it is possible to drink alcohol in moderation and
 still lose weight, regular or excessive alcohol can significantly hinder
 your weight loss efforts.

 To start with alcohol its self is 7 calories per gram which is almost
 double the 4 calories per gram from protein and carbohydrates. The
 problem with drinking alcohol is that it doesn't provide any feelings of
 satiety, so you're likely to drink these calories in addition to the
 calories you are eating.

 On top of this when you have been drinking alcohol it has a tendency to
 lower inhibitions making you more likely to indulge in foods that
 usually you would stay away from when trying to lose weight. You start
 out with good intentions but after a few drinks, that pizza or
 those crisps aren't as off limits as you'd planned.

 Drinking alcohol always interferes with the way your body burns fat. A
 vital component to successful weight loss. Normally the liver
 metabolises fat calories allowing you to use them for energy. When
 you drink alcohol, fat metabolism takes a backseat for the breakdown
 of the alcohol. Instead of using fat for energy, your body turns to the
 calories from alcohol. This causes a build up of fatty acids and can
 hinder weight loss.

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