Countdown to Summer: Weight No More

Today kicks off a new session of boot camp.  Have you set any goals?  Lose five pounds?  Fit into your 'skinny jeans'?  Lose two inches off your waist for that upcoming reunion?

No matter what your goals are, eating well is just as important as moving more.  You can work your hardest at boot camp, but at the end of the day, if you've eaten more to compensate for the calories burned, you are not going to achieve the results you want.

Mathematically speaking, it takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose one pound of body fat.  That means burning extra energy in the form of exercise and /or calorie restriction.  In theory, if you create a 500 calorie deficit each day, you should lose about one pound per week.  Sound simple enough?

Think about what you eat and drink on a daily basis.  Boot camp alone burns about 300-500 calories per session, depending on your age, height, weight and sex.  Now multiply that times five days per week.  You are burning about 1500-2500 calories per week.  With that change alone,  you could lose two pounds of fat over the course of three weeks.

To complicate matters, your body will be building muscle.  This is a very good change; however, because of this fact, you may not see the scale change much unless you truly put effort into eating less and eating healthier.

Where to begin?

• Start by using the food diary on our members only page every day to record every single bite of food and beverage that goes into your mouth.  Yes, alcohol and foods with friends count too.
• Do this every day of camp, including weekends.
• If you want to take it a step further, record the calories of everything you eat.
• After one week, review what you've eaten.  Look for excess calories (i.e. high sugar foods and alcohol).  Is there something you can change?
• If you have no idea where to start, consider a Nutrition Consult to put together an individualized plan based on your lifestyle and goals.