Saturday 16th February 2008 - It's far from rocket science in fact it's just plain wrong that we are eating so much

I was presenting at a Nutrition Conference late last year and in the preparation of my session I was reminded that there exists a major disparity in the amount of calories (fuel for your body) that most "experts" recommend in comparison to the amount of calories most people are using (through activity).

Now I am not a nutritionist nor do I profess to be but I have prided myself on learning as much as I can about the human body to assist others achieve their goal to lose bodyfat for improved health. This has been a long process of education, awareness and then implementing the various regimes of eating (nutrition) to see if they work. Some have worked better than others and some are a waste of time but ALL added to my knowledge and helped me to form the basis of the current eating regime (diet or whatever you want to call it), that I follow.

It's not rocket science but it works. It is based upon consuming "green" plant based foods with a lean source of protein and good fats. This supplies me with a nutrient dense intake of calories that are focussed on anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals. These are required to assist any other health goal that I have !

Of course when I developed the Rainbow Nutrient Refuelling Plan it was then checked and assessed by nutritionists and dieticians (nothing like ticking all the boxes to make sure that it works and is safe). Then what I had to do was to develop an activity regime to compliment this nutrient plan which is my AfterBurner Workout Programs that I will be releasing shortly for FREE. Again after 20+ years of being a trainer it's not based on anything other than increased calorie burning "work" - sorry it's that simple.

So back to my issues with calories.
Let's assume you are a fitter than average individual and are consuming a lot less calories than most of you actually are. My reason for this is to show just how our current recommended or suggested eating intake from "experts" will FAIL to get the chosen outcome for even the fitter people that try it.

NOTE - Now to do this we will have to make a few general observations so read and digest this fully before you dismiss what is below. There will of course be some slight variations for gender / genetics / body status / fitness etc.

If you are consuming (eating etc) an average of 2000 calories per day (this is recommended by many eating plans), then this will be enlightening for your fat loss (weight) goals. Now remember that a lot of people watch the calories that they eat BUT forget about the calories that they drink from any source (which is crazy because they all add up and count) but then go to workout and try to match this "number eaten" which is destined for failure.

Food Intake - 2000 calories (now this is used as a guide)

Sustain normal body functioning - 1000 to 1300 calories to sustain life on a daily basis (again I am going to over-estimate what the average person will burn daily; and the higher the lean muscle and fitness levels the higher this number will be in total)
Activity / Working Out - 500 calories (this is probably way higher than most people achieve but giving the benefit of the doubt for our scenario)

That leaves a deficit (in the RED) of about 200-500 additional calories PER DAY. That means in a week (IF you are working out hard every day and most aren't doing it daily) that you have consumed at least 1400 additional calories. This means that at best scenario this person is adding 5,600 calories each four weeks / month.

FACT - 3,500 calories is a kilogram of fat calories.

And we wonder why we have an obesity plague sweeping the masses.
Again these numbers are put together for a possible scenario that may or may not be the reason that we have a problem.

I personally have adjusted my fuel intake (calories from food and drink) to be a strategic option to increasing my health and it is working really well. This is NOT a push for a low caloric intake but a high quality fuel intake that gives my body what it needs and allows me to get leaner and healthier.

You decide what is best for you !