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Hi again everyone!
As most of you are already well aware of, when it comes to health, I'm usually one to "go against the grain", "think outside the box", and downright disagree with most common thinking! Is that a good thing or bad? You'll have to decide for yourself as we head into this month's topic: Current Calorie Requirements, are they wrong?
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Back in my late 20's and early 30's, I became quite interested in bodybuilding. I read just about every magazine and book on the subject I could get my hands on. I worked out at a hardcore bodybuilding mecca in Marietta, Ga. where many professional athletes and bodybuilders worked out. I asked questions about their diet and routines. But no matter how hard I worked out, no matter how many calories I ate, I couldn't get the size I really wanted. Oh, I did get some bigger and stronger, but a lot of the extra size was fat!
I simply could not figure out why I was unable to gain the muscle size I desired. I was so frustrated I even began contemplating using steroids.
Why am I tell you all this? I now know that my body and each of yours has a predetermined weight range that it is constantly striving to remain in. We obviously can exceed that range when consuming particular foods containing substances that interfere with normal metabolism as is the case with the SAD (Standard American Diet - I've written on this before in my Jan. 2011 Newsletter). It can also be interfered with artificially (steroids, hormones, etc.).
However, if one is eating as one should - more of a Mediterranean-type diet that consists of organic fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and "good" meats in moderation, that normal range is much easier to attain.
Now, on to the "meat" of this newsletter.
One of the things I used to read about and calculate was daily caloric requirements. In my case, I needed to know how many calories I was burning per day at resting level or what my BMR was (Basal Metabolic Rate). This is the number of calories burned per day at complete rest. Then I needed to factor in my activity level to maintain my present weight, and also how many MORE calories I needed to gain weight. I used a very popular formula which is still being used today known as the Harris-Benedict Equation, as follows:
Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in year)
It's then necessary to multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor:
- Sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
- Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
- Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
- Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
- Extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
According to this method, my BMR is a little more than 1,600 calories per day. When you factor in my activity level (#3 above), my BMR then comes out to 2,635 calories/day, just to maintain my current weight. This, in fact, is conservative. According to the Baylor College of Medicine Adult Energy Needs and BMI Calculator, I would need a whopping 2,924 calories to maintain my current weight! Honestly, if I ate that much each day, I not only wouldn't gain weight, I'd feel sick all the time and spend a lot more time in the bathroom!
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My firm belief is that these current formulas are flawed. Therefore, I'd like to propose a different hypothesis - one that I feel is more accurate, healthy and one I have been using on myself (again, thinking outside the box).
Since most of the body is made up of water (about 60%), we calculate caloric requirement factoring out water weight. That means for a 170 lb male, 102 lbs. consists of water and the remaining 68 lbs is "other stuff": bone, proteins, fats, etc. This is the real material that our bodies are made of. Now if we take the same BMR scale and punch in 68 lbs of real body weight that actually needs the calories, we only need 1,043 calories to maintain the present weight of 170 lbs (keeping in mind that is a non-active BMR).
If we then take 1,043 and multiply it by my activity level of 1.55 for example, we get 1,616 calories. The really neat thing is that I've found it to work much better. When I eat that caloric intake while working out 3-4 times a week, my weight doesn't fluctuate more than a lb. or 2. I can gain a little bit more by making my workouts shorter, more intense and increasing my daily calories slightly while realizing that my body wants to stay within a predetermined weight range.
In fact, my personal experience has been that when I eat closer to 2000 calories or more per day, eating good foods, I actually LOSE weight. Even when I was very ill a few years ago and desperately trying to put on weight, I was unable to, even at 3000 calories per day. Why? Most of it was excreted because it was a burden on my system.
So, in conclusion, if I can maintain my current body weight eating just 1500-1600 calories per day as I'm doing now, why in the world would current formulas suggest I need 2,635 to 2,924 calories! It's not only a waste of food, it's unhealthy and dangerous. Obviously the current formulations are extremely skewed to the HIGH end!
Some may disagree with me, but the body was created to know what it needs to maintain a normal, healthy weight when we eat healthy, organic foods (not desserts, etc.). For some of us, simply eating the SAD will pack on pounds because it is an ABNORMAL diet - loaded with chemicals, hormones and sugars that interfere with metabolism and homeostasis. Simply check your diet.
I would suggest that you use the above formula for calculating your daily caloric requirements, but do NOT factor in the activity level. Simply adhere to your BMR result alone and you'll most likely achieve weight goals that may have escaped you in the past.
Thank you once again for reading!
Until next month, I remain yours in good health!
Sincerely,
Dr. Mike drmichaelroth@juno.com 214-707-3878 www.SomaHealth.Net |
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