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Anonymous
you'll need to do a little calculating.
assuming you eat consistently (no big binges) and are exercising throughout the week at a consistent rate (not skipping 2 weeks and then going 6 days one week and 2 day the next): targeting 0.5 to 1.0 lb of fat loss per week is a reasonable goal.
a normal human (1.7 m, 75 kg) will require 2200-2500 calories per day (less if you are over 30) to maintain weight. multiply that by 7 (for a total calorie count for the week). this is how many calories you burn just by breathing, daily work, sleep etc. take a middle figure (2350 cal/day) for 7 days is 16450 cal/wk.
calculate how many calories you burn per week with exercise (number of time per week multiplied by the average calories used; based on duration and exertion level. there are many websites that have this kind of info. google it.). say 4x/wk at 400 calories per workout for 1600 cal.
add the 2. 18050 cal/wk to live and exercise.
a pound of body fat is 3500 calories. to work off that fat, you need to burn 3500 more calories than you take in.
so to lose 1 lb of fat per week, you need to eat 14550 calories per week. break that down over 7 days and 6 meals (divide by 42) is about 350 calories per meal as a TARGET (not a RULE).
the difference between eating that often and just skipping meals is your body will slow your metabolism if it thinks you are not eating often enough (i.e. that food is scarce and you might starve). eating a good mix of healthy fats and protein prevents your body from slowing the metabolism down.
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