Fighting overweight has become the scourge of the entire modern society and a difficult personal problem to solve for every third inhabitant on planet Earth. Improper nutrition, work in offices, unwillingness to play sports lead to the appearance of extra pounds, which do not bother at first. When the situation gets out of control and becomes critical, a person rushes from one diet to another, loses weight, and then abruptly gains weight and the circle closes.

Each sharp drop in body weight is necessarily followed by an even sharper set, health problems, depression and, as a result, a decrease in the overall quality of life. In fact, for optimal weight loss, you don’t need to put in a lot of effort, cook individual meals, limit yourself to certain foods, one of the most optimal nutrition systems is a calorie deficit. On its basis, you can easily get rid of tens of kilograms and no longer meet them in the future.

Individual norms of weight and height for men and women

Before calculating the deficit, you need to decide on the ideal parameters of your body and understand what weight you should strive for.

In nature, there are three body types, and representatives of each of them gain and lose weight in different ways:

Asthenic. Representatives of this type thin bones, long and slender arms, legs and neck. They are physically active accelerated metabolism, slowly gain weight and are not inclined to be overweight. With such initial data, you can lose weight in a few months without much difficulty.

Normosthenic. The golden mean, people with such a structure are the luckiest, they have a perfectly proportional figure, a fairly good metabolism and not much chance of getting obese, even allowing themselves some flaws in nutrition.

Hepersthenic. Representatives of this type broad bone and not very high growth, due to which the figure looks stocky and plump. Such people are most likely to be overweight and should carefully monitor their diet. For representatives of this type, the process of losing weight is not going quickly, but you should not give up, a little perseverance and work will bring results.

To understand whether a particular person has a problem with being overweight, you can use the table of his correspondence to height. On average, the weight should be equal to height minus 110, i.e. for a person with a height of 170 cm ideal weight will be 60 kg. This indicator changes with age, and by the age of 50 you need to take away 100, which means that for the same person with a height of 170 cm, a weight of 70 kg will be suitable. If the deviation from the norm is insignificant, calculating the calorie deficit and following the nutrition system for a couple of months will help bring the body and mental state back to normal.

How to calculate the calorie deficit for weight loss based on knowing your body mass index

When determining the optimal calorie deficit, it is necessary to take into account not only the general average tables, but also individual body parameters. One of the best indicators for making calculations and determining the optimal weight is the body mass index. This indicator is calculated by simply dividing body weight in kilograms by height (in meters) squared. The resulting coefficient must be compared with the norms and determine whether a diet is needed. Calorie deficit in each individual case requires a different approach.

When the need to lose weight or choose the right nutrition system to maintain optimal weight is determined, an individual calorie deficit can be calculated. Correct calculation is the key to success in achieving a given goal for the optimal time and without harm to health.

How to Calculate Your Calorie Deficit to Lose Weight and Maintain Your Ideal Weight

To lose weight and not gain weight in the future, you need to follow simple rule- the number of calories consumed per day should be equal to the difference between calories burned and their deficit. It seems not at all complicated and easy to understand. So it is, the Calorie Deficit nutrition system is simple, easy to understand and execute.

Calculation of calories burned during the day

To determine the formula indicator, the number of calories burned per day is first calculated. For this, there is a special formula according to Harris - Benedict. It is the basal metabolic rate multiplied by the activity factor.

The calculation of the basic metabolic rate is calculated according to the formulas below, where weight, height and age are indicated in kilograms, centimeters and years.

BMR (men) = 66.5 + (13.75 * weight) + (5.003 * height) - (6.755 * age)

BMR (female) = 655.1 + (9.563 * weight) + (1.850 * height) - (4.676 * age)

The activity coefficient is a constant value and is determined from the table

The number obtained as a result of the calculations will mean the number of calories spent per day, based on it, and you need to calculate the calorie deficit for weight loss.

Correct calculation of the optimal calorie deficit

It is very common to hear advice to consume 500, 700, or 1,000 fewer calories, but this is the wrong recommendation. For one person, this deficit may not be enough, and he will be disappointed in the method of losing weight without seeing the result. The other will begin to lose weight too abruptly, creating a deficit that is unacceptable for the initial parameters, and will not receive beautiful figure, and poor health will leave the cherished desire to lose weight unfulfilled. The calorie deficit should be calculated as a percentage of total calories burned per day.

To understand what kind of calorie deficit for weight loss to accept as the norm, you need to decide how intense the desired weight loss will be. It is optimal if a person loses about 700 grams per week. This will not be a big stress for the body, and it will willingly part with extra pounds, without creating additional reserves at the slightest deviation from the diet.

What is the deficit, the choice of the most suitable option

In percentage terms, the calorie deficit is divided into three types:

Smooth weight loss - from 10 to 15% of calories burned per day. Choosing such a calorie deficit, you can practically not limit the menu, eliminate excess sugar, fatty meat and high-calorie dairy products. Such a smooth weight loss will not cause stress to the body, it is easy to follow and not break down. The only downside is slow weight loss, which may not please those who want a quick result. Inexperienced people may have difficulty breaking the diet, because it is much easier to “accidentally” eat an extra 200 calories than 600 or 800, which means that the result may not be obtained.

Moderate weight loss - 15 to 25% of calories burned per day. The faster you want to get rid of extra pounds, the greater the deficit should be. When choosing a moderate option, weight will be dropped faster, but dietary restrictions are much more significant. You will have to completely revise your diet, determine which foods on the menu are the most high-calorie, and reduce their consumption to a minimum. You can allow yourself an extra dose of food by increasing physical exercise, this will increase the BCM, and hence allowable amount calories. The advantage of this option is a fairly rapid weight loss and the fact that it is more difficult to violate the allowable norm. Minus in enhanced self-control and more stringent restrictions.

Accelerated weight loss - from 25 to 50% of calories burned per day. This option is suitable for people who need to lose weight in a short time for medical reasons. People with a large weight will see a pleasant result and will be stimulated to further successful work on their body, but you need to stop in time and switch to more. Determine what the calorie deficit should be already at the new weight, and calculate from it. The advantage of this method is in a quick and sharp result, the minus is in the constant feeling of hunger, which cannot become a constant companion of a person's life.

An important rule that is recommended to strictly adhere to when figuring out for yourself how to create a calorie deficit for weight loss says that you can’t eat little and exercise a lot. If a decision is made not only to fight excess weight, but also to tighten muscles through active training, then you need to consider the number of calories consumed. They should be enough for intense strength and cardio loads offered by gym and aerobics instructors. It turns out that if, after a successful start of the diet, loads are added, then you need to recalculate the number of calories burned and their deficit, respectively.

Calorie control options, calculations and food diaries

In such a difficult matter as losing weight, self-control is very important, but for a person who has allowed himself to gain excess weight, this is not easy. Yes, and in life there are many daily worries, among which it is easy to forget how many calories are in which product and how much more you can eat today. To facilitate the task and maintain self-discipline, it is recommended to keep a food diary.

What it will be depends on individual wishes, it can be a regular notebook or notepad where you can write down what you eat during the day. Maybe a regular Word document or an Excel spreadsheet on a home or work computer, or maybe a special program on a smartphone.

The first two methods require additional time costs in the form of calculating the calories in each finished dish. That is, during cooking, you must first weigh on a kitchen scale, preferably electronic, the exact weight of all products. Then add up all the indicators of each of them, determine the calorie content of the cooked dish and, from this value, the calorie content of your individual portion. This occupation is quite troublesome and difficult, besides, there is a high probability of errors in the calculations. Tables can be used to simplify the task.

Specialized programs to facilitate the control of consumed calories

The lightest and in a simple way control are special programs - calorie diaries. You can install them on a regular computer, tablet or smartphone. In the first option, they are downloaded through any browser; for mobile devices, they can be downloaded from PlayMarket (for Android devices) or iTunes (for Apple devices). The meaning of these electronic diaries is that all information about ready-made dishes is already sewn in there, you just need to select the one you need, enter its weight - and the calorie content and calculation of BJU will automatically be added to the calendar. Some of them work only with dishes from their database, but most allow you to create and save your own individual recipes.

Important points and possible problems in losing weight

When you read a lot of information, found out how to create a calorie deficit, started a diary or installed a program, it seems that everything is ready and you can start losing weight. But on the first day, an inexperienced person is faced with two categories of problems:

1. Too much eaten for breakfast and lunch, and in the evening hungry and the whole diet went downhill. The permissible norm is exceeded, followed by disappointment and even greater self-doubt.

2. The second option is for more persistent people. It starts with the same high calorie intake for breakfast and lunch and not enough for dinner. This category of people will not exceed the norm, endure a hungry evening, and at night they will become ill from the symptoms of hypoglycemia. So close to the hospital.

How to deal with the difficulties in planning a menu for the day

What to do? How to prevent an unpleasant situation fraught with health problems? To protect future healthy and slender people is the preliminary planning of the menu for the whole day. If nervous system allows you to think about food before going to bed and not run to the refrigerator, you can do it in the evening. Decide what meals will be for all meals and snacks, write them down in a diary, leave about 200 free calories for impromptu fruit, a piece of chocolate or a cookie. And the next day, just follow the pre-planned menu and stick to the specified weight of the dishes. If in the evening there is no strength, time or desire, you can plan the menu in the morning, before breakfast, so as not to accidentally go over it.

Conclusions and final recommendations for a successful start and quick results

In the struggle for the beauty and harmony of the body, many diets have been invented, but the simplest, most affordable and easily executed is a calorie deficit. Reviews in LiveJournal and on the personal pages of celebrities once again prove the effectiveness and safety of this method. From all the information about this effective method weight loss, there are several recommendations with which the start will be successful, and the result will be quick and long-term.

1. Calorie counting is not really a diet, it is a proper nutrition system. At first, everything seems very complicated, but, getting used to a reduced diet, within a few weeks, a person who has parted with a few kilograms no longer understands how he could eat such an amount of food before.

2. The system does not prohibit the consumption of fats, carbohydrates, sweets, fruits or starchy foods. The main thing is the number and not exceeding the allowable calories. Even with the biggest shortage, there is room for a few squares of chocolate for tea.

3. You should not reduce the number of calories very sharply, you need to start slowly so as not to provoke the body to accumulate reserves.

4. No need to be upset if in the first few days the weight will go away rapidly, and then more and more slowly. At first, water and excessive swelling go away, the true weight begins to disappear later and little by little.

By following these simple rules and recommendations, you can part with annoying excess weight in just a few months. During the diet, the rules of proper nutrition will become so ingrained in the head that adherence to the regimen will be an easy task even without the use of diaries and special programs. That means waiting ahead happy life healthy person without excess weight and related problems.

Good afternoon, dear girls! We continue to talk about rapid weight loss, which is so desirable for the fair sex. You can read the first two articles on this topic here "" and here "". Today I will finally tell you about How can you be guaranteed to lose weight in a month, but already without harm to health and all the ensuing consequences after low-calorie diets and hunger strikes. Why lose weight in a month? Yes, because it is this period of time that will be able to show you at least some real and tangible result. One week is too little to get visual changes, if we are talking about proper and competent weight loss. Therefore, today get ready to perceive and assimilate information if your goal is healthy weight loss.

So, from the previous two articles, where we analyzed the step-by-step mechanism for losing weight (due to what we lose weight in the first place, and what goes last); found out which Negative consequences waiting for all lovers fast weight loss and much more, you have learned enough useful information, which, I hope, you have analyzed and made the right conclusions about the desire to lose weight by 5-10 kg per week.

Now let's move on to reviewing the main and most important tips that will help you and without stress for your body. I immediately warn you that there will be no talk of any 10 kg per month!

1. Create a calorie deficit

Before you start your weight loss, you should at least understand a little what is deficit And surplus calories, and how does it affect our weight?

 For reference:

 Calorie deficit- this is when you spend more calories (energy) than you consume them (her) with food. With a calorie deficit, the body loses weight.

 Calorie surplus- this is when the number of calories from food is greater than their consumption. In a calorie surplus, the body gains weight.

Based on this, it turns out that in order to start burning fat and losing weight, we must create a calorie deficit, that is, start spending more energy than we get from food. But this deficit should not be too large. The optimal indicator is 10-20%, no more.

Read the next tip for how to do this.

1. Get fit

If you were aiming lose weight in a month without harm to health, and even so that the result will pleasantly please you after this period, then, of course, you can not do without additional physical activity. It is fitness, no matter what: whether it will be group Pilates classes, or classes in gym, whether training at home with help or self-training from videos on the Internet, will give you the necessary calorie deficit that I talked about above. But the fitness benefits don't end there.

For example, power training in the gym combined with cardio can greatly affect your metabolism, increasing it several times , as well as trigger a hormonal response in your body , triggering the processes of anabolism (muscle growth) and fat burning at the same time.

You can see some of the positive aspects of strength and aerobic training in the infographic below.

Rice. 1 Benefits of exercising

So, I advise you to include fitness classes in your weight loss plan, since proper nutrition combined with regular workouts will 100% give a good result, and at the end of the month you will definitely see the long-awaited minus on your scales.

1. Eat smaller meals and don't skip meals

If you want to lose weight not at the expense of your muscles, but at the expense of fat, then you need to stick to and not skip meals. Fractional nutrition implies the presence 5-6 meals (3 main and 2 snacks). If before that you ate 2 times a day, now you need to completely rebuild your body to a new diet. If it’s hard for you to do this right away, then start with 4 tricks and gradually bring it up to 6. But you must understand that if you eat 6 times a day, then the portions should be small (on average, each at 250-300 calories). All your daily calories should be equally divided among all meals throughout the day. Snacks can have a little less calories, and a little more for main meals.

You can download an example of a fractional diet for a week.

1. Calculate your daily intake of BJU

Answering the question how to lose weight without harm to health, here, of course, one cannot miss the fact that in the diet of a HEALTHY person, ALL the main nutrients that our body needs should be present, this PROTEIN, FATS and CARBOHYDRATES.

Actually, proper weight loss, which does not lead to metabolic disorders and in no way badly affects our health, is not so easy to achieve. Of course, mentally you get more pleasure when you lose in a week 7 kg weight, sitting on a low-calorie diet (totally unbalanced), than you lose only 1 kg per week, eating balanced and fractionally, taking into account daily allowance BJU. Yes, it is morally and psychologically difficult, no one argues with that.

But on the other hand, in the first case, you will return these 7 kg very quickly as soon as you return to your previous diet, which was before the diet, and in the second case, you will continue to lose weight the next week, and the third, and the fourth, while losing kilos won't bother you anymore. Therefore, if we consider weight loss in the long term, then the victory here is definitely for a balanced diet, where the diet contains sufficient amounts of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

1. Avoid sugar in any form

I remind you that your goal is lose weight in a month without harm to health, and when it comes to health, then one mention of sugar here will be inappropriate, not to mention its ingestion. The picture below shows all the harm that the abuse of sugar and sugar-containing products brings: everyone’s favorite (bars, sweets, cakes, pies), bakery products, fitness cereals, glazed curd cheeses, etc.

Rice. 2 Consequences of eating sugar

Therefore, the use of sugar in ANY FORM should be completely EXCLUDED!

1. Give preference to protein foods and vegetables

Secondly, proteins require more calories to digest than the same fats and carbohydrates combined. This means that after eating protein foods, our body is forced to spend more calories on the absorption of proteins than on the absorption of carbohydrates and fats, while at this time we can just lie on the couch and read a book.

Thirdly, for people who are engaged in protein, the need for protein is much higher than for people who lead a sedentary lifestyle, due to increased physical activity. And it has to do with our muscles. The more muscle mass a person has, the more protein he needs to maintain it. And the more muscle mass, the faster the process of losing weight, that's how everything is connected. Therefore, an active person who is losing weight needs to eat protein without fail.

Well, in order for the process of protein digestion to be successful and without any difficulties, it is necessary to add a portion of vegetables to a portion of proteins. Fiber, which is found in vegetables, will help the food bolus to easily pass through the digestive tract, without causing difficulties with digestion.

1. Sleep at least 7-8 hours a day

In order for the process of losing weight to take place in the most comfortable conditions for you and with zero losses to your health, you must definitely give your body a chance to fully recover and rest. This is the best thing for you to make a full-fledged and healthy sleep lasting 7-8 hours.

You need to go to bed no later than 12 o'clock at night, since it is from 12 to 2 o'clock that growth hormone somatotropin is produced, which is the main fat-burning hormone in our body. Its peak falls precisely on these night hours, so if we are in the deep phase of sleep at the specified time, then we, paradoxically as it sounds, sleep and lose weight in a dream(Fig. 3) .

Rice. 3 Growth hormone levels depending on the time of day

1. Drink plenty of pure raw water

Water is your best assistant in losing weight. If you were aiming lose weight in a month without harm to health, then water will help you with this along with exercise And proper nutrition. The role of water in this difficult task should not be underestimated. The norm of clean drinking water for an ordinary person is 1.5-2.5 liters per day, and for a student this norm increases by another 1 liter. About how to drink properly in order to lose weight, I even shot a video, who are interested can watch:

1. Eat 3-4 hours before bed

It has to do with our growth hormone, which I talked about in item No. 7. Somatotropic hormone is a very specific hormone that is not always active from 12 to 3 a.m., but only if your blood sugar level is at a very low level, this happens exactly when a sufficient amount of time has passed after eating , namely from 2 hours or more (Fig. 4). During this time, insulin has time to perform its main function: it transports glucose into the cells of our body (Fig. 5), after which the blood sugar level drops significantly, and this ideal conditions to release our growth hormone.

It is for this reason that eating dinner 3-4 hours before bedtime will give you the opportunity to freely activate fat-burning processes in your body at night.

And the second point, which I would like to say in the framework this council, this is what for dinner and brunch you should prefer protein foods with a serving of low-starchy vegetables . The picture below will give you the answer to this question:

Rice. 5 Insulin response to protein, fat and carbohydrate intake

The fact is that insulin is produced for all the food that enters our body, but for proteins (we exclude fats in the evening by default), insulin is produced to a lesser extent. It is for this reason that your late meals should not contain carbohydrates, but consist of exclusively protein foods (cottage cheese, egg whites, chicken breast, protein shake) and vegetables (mainly green vegetables and herbs).

1. Don't focus on losing weight

And the last advice that I would like to give you, dear girls, is DON'T FOCUSE ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS and do not make this event the main goal of your whole life! If you day after day think maniacally about your weight, nutrition, training, put yourself on the scales several times a day and measure yourself with a centimeter tape, then, I assure you, very soon you will “burn out” and you will simply get tired of such an image life.

You don't have to do all this! It is enough just to follow the recommendations that you found in this article, and not to make your weight loss an obsession that does not allow you to relax and keeps you in psycho-emotional stress all the time.

Moral exhaustion is worse than any overtraining, remember that!

Fill your life with joyful moments for you: listen to your favorite music, spend time with friends and family, play with your pet - and then the process of losing weight will become an even more pleasant and easy process for you!

Sincerely yours, Yaneliya Skripnik!

If you are reading this article, then you have a desire gain muscle mass. Maybe you just want To gain weight, but, as a rule, the weight that you want is precisely in the muscles. In any case, you are ready to determine the number of calories you need to reach your goal. Super!

Before we move on to the theoretical part, let's recap a little of what you already know:

• To gain weight or muscle mass, you need to run a calorie surplus.
• A calorie surplus refers to the number of calories that are above your maintenance level. (Muscles don't come out of the blue. It takes extra calories to build muscle tissue.)
• You may have already determined your maintenance level (as mentioned earlier, the easiest way to calculate your "maintenance level" is to multiply your weight by 30 and 40 depending on your daily activity).

Now that you know your maintenance calorie level, you need to determine how many calories you need to consume daily to increase muscle mass.

I mean the number of calories to be consumed on top.

Let's figure it out...

Creating an optimal calorie surplus

Although your initial goal is muscle growth, you need to keep two goals in mind when creating an optimal calorie surplus:

1. muscle gain
2. Fat reduction

In this regard, there are 2 main factors that determine the optimal calorie surplus:

1. A calorie surplus must be substantial to increase muscle mass;
2. Calorie surplus should be small to reduce body fat.

As you can see, there are some limits to the amount of muscle mass that the human body can create. This means that there are certain limits on the number of calories your body can take in.

If you consume more calories than your body needs, they will be stored in body fat, not muscle.

For this reason, you need to avoid large calorie surpluses.

At the same time, if the calorie surplus is insufficient, then the muscles will not form at all, or will grow incredibly slowly.

This means that a calorie surplus needs to be defined very clearly. Below are my recommendations that are suitable for most people…

How many calories do you need to consume daily to gain muscle mass?

• Optimal calorie surplus for MEN: 250 calories per day.
• Optimal calorie surplus for WOMEN: 125 calories per day.

Let's take a closer look…

• Men: 250 extra calories per day
  For example, if you are a 2000 calorie maintenance male, you should consume 2250 calories daily to gain muscle mass. Regardless of your maintenance level, you need to add 250 calories daily.
• Women: 125 extra calories per day
  For example, if you are a 2000 calorie maintenance girl, then you need to consume 2125 calories daily to build muscle mass. At any maintenance calorie level, you need to add 125 calories.

Determine your maintenance calorie level and calculate what kind of calorie surplus you need to create. Have you already done this? Fine. This is exactly the number of calories you need to consume daily!

Make sure you write down this number.

The extra calories you consume above this value will only add extra weight, fewer calories will not give you positive results.

Therefore, this number represents a calorie surplus that will help you most quickly and effectively achieve muscle growth and minimize the chances of gaining excess weight.

Of course, the main reason for creating a calorie surplus is even weight gain.

You ask, is there a norm for increasing muscle mass?

Here she is…

Rate of weight gain

You must understand that if you correctly determine the calorie surplus and consume the required amount of food daily, then you will gain weight evenly.

Norm is the optimal value. If you transcend it, then you form body fat. If you do not get the required value, then you do not gain muscle mass.

What is the norm for gaining muscle mass?

Norm of gaining muscle mass for men and women

Men should set a goal of gaining 250 grams per week (or 1 kilogram per month). Women who want to gain muscle mass should gain 125 grams per week (or 500 grams per month).

Understandably? Fine. Now let's see how it works.

How do you know if you're eating the right amount of calories?

Let's go back a little. Now you know the optimal calorie surplus. You also know your maintenance level and the number of calories you need to consume to gain muscle mass.

You know what is a uniform set of muscle mass.

All that's left to do is make sure your calculations are correct and everything works.

All you need to do is start eating the required number of calories daily, weigh yourself once a week (in the morning on an empty stomach) and monitor the results.

Depending on your results, which vary from week to week, you need to take the following steps:

• Are you gaining weight evenly? If so, then congratulations. Keep eating the same amount of calories and make sure your workout is smart and efficient (how to write an effective workout program). The best results are waiting for you!
• Are you losing weight or maintaining the same weight? If this is the case, then the calorie surplus is too low (or does not exist at all), so it needs to be increased. Simply add 250 calories to your maintenance level (if this moment you consume 2500 calories, take 2750 calories) and then monitor the results over the next two weeks. Come back to this step later and take appropriate action.
• Are you gaining weight too fast? If so, then your calorie surplus is too high and needs to be reduced. Just remove 250 calories from your diet (if you are currently consuming 2500 calories, take 2250 calories) and then watch for changes. Depending on your results, follow the correct instructions.

In general, weigh yourself once a week in the morning on an empty stomach and keep notes.

If you gain weight evenly, then everything is perfect. If not, then add or subtract 250 calories from the amount you currently consume. Everything is simple.

What if I hit a plateau and stop gaining weight?

Depending on the amount of muscle mass desired, it is possible that some people may reach an extreme point where they can no longer develop further.

If this happens (and continues for several weeks), guess what needs to be done? Yes that's right. Increase your calorie intake again by 250 (for men) and 125 (for girls) and watch your weight gain.

At the same time, the most an important part your nutrition program is done!

What's next?

Now you know how many calories you need to consume per day to gain muscle mass. It's time to figure out where to get those calories from.

First of all, it is protein, which is the second important component of any nutrition program for muscle growth. Let's see why this is so, and what you need to consume ...

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One of the main conditions for the growth (synthesis) of muscle tissue in the human body is the metabolic processes of the anabolic plan. As we know, metabolic processes are anabolic and catabolic. Their essence is to ensure the vital activity of cells: anabolism is the process of filling cells with new substances, catabolism is the process of utilization of used substances. A feature of metabolic processes in the norm is a stable balance between catabolism and anabolism. This is the feature that is most beneficial for the body. The balance shift to the right / left is perceived by the body as a kind of problem that needs to be dealt with. By fighting, the body interferes with your plans to build muscle. Indeed, in order to increase them, it is necessary to shift the metabolic balance towards anabolic processes as dominant. Under such conditions, more substances will flow into muscle cells than leave them. As a result, the muscle fibers will increase, and the muscles will grow in volume. True, not everyone manages to overcome the body, forcing it to shift this metabolic balance. And one of the reasons is banal: the athlete simply fails to create the conditions for an anabolic background.

How to Create an Anabolic Background

There are two points here. The first one is up to you. The second is from your body. Let's start with the second. The above metabolic processes are controlled by hormones. So, there are hormones responsible for catabolic processes, and hormones that regulate anabolism. Under normal conditions, there is also a certain stable balance between them. Regular training helps to shift this balance towards the predominance of anabolic hormones. As a result, anabolic processes last longer and more often. This allows the muscle fibers to grow. If your hormonal background is inappropriate, then creating conditions adequate for muscle synthesis will be complicated. Even with full provision of other conditions.

The second is training and nutrition. Training is, on the one hand, a growth stimulator muscle fibers, on the other hand, a condition that creates an anabolic background under which this growth becomes possible. Whole training process must comply with this rule. Let's take a closer look at nutrition.

Nutrition and anabolic background

In a set of muscle mass, the question of nutrition consists of two components. The first is proteins (in the Latin version - proteins). The main function of proteins is building. In particular, proteins build muscle tissue. Actually, muscle tissue itself is a protein. Protein from food is broken down in the stomach into amino acids. And already from these amino acids the protein corresponding to the tissue is synthesized human body. Anabolic background is unthinkable without a sufficient amount of amino acids. Accordingly, the nutrition of athletes, compared with the nutrition of non-athletes, is characterized by an increased amount of protein. On the other hand, this topic is speculative, because it is recommended to increase protein to anyone as they please (or rather, to whom it is beneficial). The question of the number of meals during the day is also speculative, since it is directly related to the intake and presence of amino acids in the body. But these are already separate topics that we have raised more than once.

The second component is calories. Calories are thermal energy, a kind of fuel for metabolic processes, including anabolic ones. From a nutritional point of view, an anabolic background is achieved by 1) sufficient amino acids and 2) excess calories. If these conditions are achieved, then metabolic processes begin to proceed according to the anabolic scheme.

There is also a third component - fats. They are also important for creating an anabolic background. For the reason that fat is a condition for the formation of hormones that regulate anabolic reactions. But here the role of fats is more indirect than direct.

About a calorie surplus

A calorie surplus is a positive balance of energy obtained from a daily diet. In other words, this is a condition in which the number of calories from food exceeds the amount spent by the body per day. What Nutrients Should You Increase Calories? For ectomorphs - definitely carbohydrates. The fact is that the main function of carbohydrates is energy supply. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body. A calorie is a unit of measure for heat energy. On the other hand, there is no reason to deny protein and fat a calorie surplus.

Various Internet sources indicate that supposedly for muscle growth it is necessary to create a calorie surplus with a value of +500 kcal - that is, the calorie intake of your diet should be increased by 500 kcal. The figure, to put it mildly, is taken from the ceiling. Moreover, it is contrary to common sense, since people who set a goal to increase muscle mass of the body are of different weights. What is +500 kcal for a 100-kilogram uncle? And what is +500 kcal for a 60-kilogram kid? These are incommensurable figures.

In this matter, it is necessary to be guided not by bare figures, but by concrete arguments. Let's say your current weight is 75 kg. Starting today, you have decided to engage in a new program, the duration of which is 3 months. Now we need to formulate the goals that must be achieved through a new training program. Let's say the goal is to get a new increased weight due to an increase in muscle mass. And now let's move on to the numbers. Biochemical studies show that human body cannot synthesize muscle tissue faster than 200 to 400 g per week. Most likely, 200 g is the most likely figure for ectomorphs, and closer to 400 g for mesomorphs. Consider the first option, in which the rate of muscle growth is 200 g per week. Under this condition, for 3 months, the increase in muscle mass should be 2.4 kg. If everything goes according to plan, then in reality the body weight will increase more, since the synthesis of muscle proteins also implies an increase in other cellular components in muscle tissue. In addition, the growth of muscle mass is always accompanied by an increase in adipose tissue. However, there will be little fat if calories are increased correctly - just as much as needed.

And how much is needed. We add the planned +2.4 kg to today's 75 kg, as a result we get 77.4 kg. Let's say you are a 75-kilogram ectomorph, and at your metabolic rate, 3300 kcal is required per day (we calculate with the help of, the conditional metabolic rate is 44). To add 2.4 kg of muscle, you need to switch to a diet consisting of the number of calories corresponding to a body weight of 77.4 kg. For 77.4 kg (with the same metabolic rate) 3400 kcal is required. As you can see, in our conditions, the surplus of calories is only 100 kcal, or 3%. If translated into carbohydrates, then this is about one medium-sized banana. So, our growth arithmetic is as follows: the current diet should be increased by 1 banana - this will be enough to reach 77.4 kg in weight. If the diet is increased not by the calculated 100 kcal, but, say, by 500 kcal taken from the ceiling, then it is likely that the remaining 400 kcal will go to fat. Under other conditions, such calculations date, of course, other figures.

Calorie surplus and increased anabolic background

There is another calorie surplus eating strategy based on scientific research.

For example, in one of the works, the following experiment is described: volunteers were first prescribed a diet whose calorie content was aimed at maintaining their current body weight. Further, a sharp transition to a high-calorie diet was proposed. The average surplus of calories was +1200-1600 kcal (that is, the calorie content of the diet was increased by that much). A blood test of the participants in the experiment showed a progressive increase in three anabolic hormones: testosterone, insulin-like growth factor and insulin. This hormonal surge was also accompanied by a corresponding increase in muscle mass.

According to scientists, such a reaction can last an average of 2-3 weeks, after which the body gets used to a calorie surplus, and the hormonal system “levels out”, stopping the secretion of anabolic hormones at an elevated level. If you continue to eat high-calorie further, then the likelihood of increasing body weight increases due to the growth of adipose tissue while stopping muscle growth.

Thus, scientists conclude that the diet should periodize the calorie content of diets, that is, alternate periods of normal calorie intake (optimal for the current body weight) with periods of calorie surplus (it is desirable that the surplus is significant - at least +1000 kcal). This nutrition strategy is the right way progress in gaining muscle without gaining excess fat.

Upd. We applied this nutrition strategy in the XXXL program (2015). What came of it, read.

Forbes G.B., Brown M.R., Welle S.L., Underwood L.E. Hormonal response to overfeeding // The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: 1989, 49(4), 608-611.

We hope you already know that you can lose fat and build muscle at the same time. But this is not the only exception to the laws of thermodynamics and energy balance. There is a myth that energy balance dictates weight changes.

If you eat less than you expend, your body will burn some of its energy. If you eat more than you use, energy will be stored in the body. This is a conclusion that follows logically from the laws of physics, in particular from the first law of thermodynamics.

As a result, a negative energy balance means weight loss, and a positive energy balance means weight gain, right? You have no doubt seen this picture:

But in fact, it would be wrong to equate energy balance with weight changes. Without knowledge of the context about a particular individual, having only knowledge of the number of calories consumed / expended, it is impossible to say with certainty whether he will lose weight. This law is fake.

The logical error lies in the fact that not only the mass of the body corresponds to the stored energy. There are many ways to change weight in energy balance:

• When you are on a keto diet, you will lose body mass without a calorie deficit. Lost weight is water that will be excreted as a result of the low carbs in your diet and changes in the body's electrolyte balance.
• Foods that cause bloating and water retention can also cause weight gain without a calorie surplus.
• Should we mention diuretics, menstruation, changes in mineral intake, colon cleansing, creatine, etc.?

There are many ways to change weight without changing the amount of energy stored in the body.

In addition, weight can remain stable with a calorie deficit. You can gain muscle (technically lean muscle mass) as fast as you lose fat, and then your weight will stay the same. This destroys the idea that energy balance dictates weight changes, so just because your weight is stable doesn't mean you are in energy balance. A calorie deficit does not mean you will lose weight.

And yes, that means you can't know your calorie count just by watching your weight change over 1-2 weeks.

The Truth Is: You Can Gain Weight While in a Calorie Deficit

Here is a scan of the progress of one of the girls. Note that she gained 6.2 pounds (2.8 kg) of muscle and lost 2.1 pounds (1 kg) of fat in a month.

There is a study that shows that there is no difference in body composition changes whether you consume 1.1 g of protein per kg of body weight or 2.1 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight. In this study, one group of subjects lost 1.1 kg of fat and gained 1.7 kg of lean muscle mass. In the other group, fat loss was 0.9 kg, and muscle mass gain was 1.4 kg. In other words, in both groups, people gained lean muscle mass (muscle) faster than they lost fat.

The Truth Is: You Can Lose Weight in a Calorie Surplus

"If someone has typed more muscle than he lost fat, he gained weight, so he was in a calorie surplus." That's what people think. But this opinion is based on an inherently wrong premise.

Energy balance is a mathematical principle.

Changes in energy intake/expenditure = Daily intake - Daily consumption

However, according to simple calculations, you should gain muscle about 5.2 times faster than you lose fat. In other words, you should gain 2.5 kg of muscle for every 0.5 kg of fat lost. In real life, the body simply will not allow this to happen. This simply cannot be.

For an athlete, you can lose fat with a surplus. This often happens to women.

For example, look at the data below. She lost 1.3 pounds (0.6 kg) of fat and gained 6.8 pounds (3.3 kg) of lean muscle mass. This put her in a positive energy balance - the diet was exceeded by 170 kcal.

The Truth Is: You Can Gain Fat in a Calorie Deficit

Following the same logic, you can also gain fat while in a calorie deficit. If you're losing muscle 5.2 times faster than you're gaining fat, you're gaining fat even when you're in a calorie deficit. This usually happens when you stop exercising, if you are sick, or if you use drugs.

Conclusions

Energy balance and weight changes are things that are unrelated.

• Your weight can change without any change in calorie intake/expenditure due to water and intestines.
• You can maintain a stable weight in a calorie deficit. So you can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.
• If you gain weight, you may be consuming fewer calories than you expend: you may be gaining muscle faster than you are losing fat.
• If you're losing weight, you can still be in a surplus - you're losing a lot of muscle mass.
• You can lose fat in a surplus if you gain muscle quickly.
• You can gain fat in a deficit if you lose muscle mass quickly.