Stop dieting!
I’m serious, I don’t want you to even think about the word. Why would I say such a statement? Because individual caloric intake should never drop below 1200 calories per day for women and 1500 calories per day for men. As long as you keep it clean and eat your 5-6 small meals consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and healthy fats, you will see results. So keep this in mind and create a 500 calorie deficit per day. What this means is burn more calories than you consume. Let’s say you burn 2000 calories in an entire day (including around 500-700 at your boot camp workout). This means you should consume 1500 calories. But don’t calorie count, I just want to give you an idea of where you should be at.
THIS DEFICIT CAN BE ATTAINED BY MODERATELY CHANGING YOUR EATING AND EXERCISING HABITS
This approach ensures you avoid the starvation response which lowers your metabolism (you do not want this to happen).
A 500 calorie deficit per day = 3500 calories per week = 1 pound of fat loss per week.
Voila. You’re on your way!!
So create this negative calorie balance and expend more calories than you consume (you’d be surprised how many calories you burn doing simple household chores.) It’s the power of NEAT! A slight calorie deficit from your current state with an increased amount of exercise is your most logical attack plan against fat.
- Girls – keep your calorie intake between 1200-2000 calories.
- Guys – keep your calorie intake between 1500-2800 calories for optimum fat loss.
- Very active lifestyles require more calories.
Don’t get me wrong, I do not want you to count calories. Use these numbers as a guide for a few days to see what your dietary intake is. The website: www.fitday.com is an excellent resource that will count calories for you. I would suggest doing this for 5 days, and remember to write down the food before you eat it! That way you will think twice about eating something unhealthy!
Keep It Healthy,
Josh Saunders
