KEY TERMS:
BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate: This is the number of calories our body requires when resting.
DCI: Daily Calory Intake: This is the recommended daily calory intake based on your age, gender and height. It can be calculated with a Body Analyzer Machine.
Humans lived nomadic lifestyles and were primarily hunters. This means that human beings had to work for their food each day and didn't always have access to it. Human beings were made to MOVE. However, in 2024, we eat daily and move less. While much has changed externally, not much has changed internally. Our bodies are built to survive and enter a super-smart mode to ensure survival. When we lived thousands of years ago, due to our nomadic lifestyle, we burnt more calories and consumed fewer cumulative calories over a span of 3 days. Essentially, while we may consume a lot of calories in one large meal due to a successful hunt, we may not have enough calories for the next few days as we might not catch another prey. This is where the body's intelligence and survival mode kick in. The body stores excess calories as fat, and when there's no new energy in the form of calories, the body converts fat to energy, using it as fuel to sustain us.
In 2024, we live in communities and move less. There are more calories consumed and less MOVEMENT. This is because food is readily available and technological advancements have reduced the need for physical movement, from escalators and elevators to cars and motorcycles. Movement has become technologized. As a result, the body keeps storing calories as fat without needing to use the stored fat.
Now, let's talk about one of the key calorie banks in our bodies: the Fat Bank. The reality is, the body usually prefers not to utilize fat for energy as it's more difficult to break down and convert into energy. Instead, the body prefers glucose, or simply, "sugar." Typically, the body will first use the sugar bank when in need of energy before resorting to the fat bank, and over time, the body will preferentially utilize the fat bank rather than the sugar bank, this state is known as "ketosis".
Armed with this knowledge, we can now understand how to deal with fat:
1. Reduce Caloric Intake.
2. Reduce Sugar Intake.
3. Incorporate Strength Training.
In case you are still struggling, let us look at a few examples:
Let's consider Amaka, who weighs 98kg, with a BMR of 1400 calories and a DCI of 2000 calories. This means that if she consumes more than 2000 calories, she's likely to build up either her sugar bank, fat bank, or both, depending on the energy source.
CASE 1: AMAKA STARTS TO DIET:
Since Amaka is now dieting and armed with the knowledge from this article, she consumes 1700 calories daily. In this case we add the energy consumed by eating to the DCI which is negative.
+1700-2000= -300 calories. (This is what we call a calory deficit)
Essentially, Amaka has eaten more than she needs. These 300 calories must be gotten from somewhere, the location is one of the available banks: the sugar bank or the fat bank.
CASE 2: AMAKA DIETS AND EXERCISES:
In this case we add the calories gotten from food to negative DCI and since she is exercising as well, we deduct the calories burnt from the result.
STEP 1
Calories from eating added to negative DCI. This gives us:
+1700-2000=-300 calories
STEP 2
-300-400=-700 calories
These 700 calories will be obtained from either stored sugar or stored fat, or both.
CASE 3: AMAKA ONLY EXERCISES:
In this case she eats 2000 calories and burns 400 calories at the gym. We simply add the food eaten to negative DCI and subtract calories burnt at the gym from the first result.
STEP 1
Calories from eating added to negative DCI. This gives us:
+2000-2000=0 calories
STEP 2
0-400=-400 calories
These 700 calories will be obtained from either stored sugar or stored fat, or both.
CAN I JUST DO ONE, AND IF I DO, WHICH ONE DO YOU RECOMMEND?
As the example has shown, either exercise or nutrition could yield results. However, the key is consistency and habit formation. It's essential to choose the approach that you can maintain consistently. Implementing both exercise and nutrition changes allows for gradual progress and is more likely to be sustainable. Extreme changes to your habits or lifestyle are usually not sustainable, whereas gradual changes allow for ongoing progress and motivation.
Furthermore, the calories saved can be redirected towards a gym membership if finances are a concern. The idea is to emulate the lifestyle of our ancestors from 100,000 BC in 2024. We need to reduce fat storage, utilize stored fat, and increase muscle mass to strengthen ourselves.
Lastly, remember that fat loss also requires strength training, which increases BMR. As BMR increases due to the buildup of muscle tissue, your body will require more calories per day. If eating habits remain the same or are decreased, the body starts to use some of the stored or accumulated fat over time.
I'M LIKE AMAKA. HOW DO I GET STARTED?
The best advice for someone like Amaka is to visit the gym three times a week. Consider hiring a personal trainer if you're new to the gym environment. Additionally, focus on reducing caloric and sugar intake. As you become stronger and consistently meet the three-day-a-week milestone, consider upgrading to a membership that allows for more frequent visits. Incorporate diverse and engaging workout routines to keep things interesting and form a habit. You can find more information about our various memberships here: MEMBERSHIP | iSweat Fitness (isweat-fitness.com).
In conclusion, while the body looks to evolve into being able to solve the problem of excess stored fat as we have today just as it may have evolved to store excess calories as fat thousands of years ago. We must do the needful of "MOVING", reducing calory intake and usage of stored fat through all the aforementioned recommendations.
KEEP MOVING, KEEP BURNING, KEEP SHINING, AND START GETTING BRIGHTER.
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