By Caloric intake on a daily basis should really depend on these following factors:
- How much weight you want to gain or lose
- How old you are
- How active you are in your daily life
- How much muscle you want to put on
There is no real set rules regarding calorie consumption during the day, and if it should be spread out. This method does work well for a lot of people. I have tried this on many occasions, especially when I was preparing for physique competitions. Because calories were low, it was important to spread them out during the day, to increase protein synthesis, fat burning and eliminate cravings.
5 methods for weight loss and structuring your caloric intake during the day
- Consume protein regularly
Protein is a tremendously beneficial macronutrient, as it can allow you to still eat enough, whilst lowering your overall caloric rate during the day. The reason being is that protein boosts your metabolism, and curbs your appetite. Carbs actually has the opposite effect on appetite. Many people do recommend lowering your carbohydrate intake in order to increase fat burning and weight loss results. This is true to an extent, but it all does depend on the carbohydrate sources you are consuming. If it’s pastries and bread, I would encourage you to cut them completely. Sweet potato and oats on the other hand, are wonderful sources of carbohydrates with fibre, vitamins and actually help the body stabilise blood sugar. You really have to know your carbs well, and eat them at the right time to experience the many benefits they have on weight loss. - Drink more water during the day.
Appetite suppression and weight loss is regulate with consuming water, or even more water than what you regularly drink now. It’s as simple as sipping a glass before every meal. More protein consumption will naturally increase your thirst, but it’s really important to stay hydrated in order to flush out toxins, curb your appetite and burn more calories. Yes, water actually burns more calories, and even increases the calories you burn during the day. Make sure you drink one glass of water before every meal, in order to ensure you really are hungry, and to decrease the amount of food you are eating. - Try restricted eating regularly.
Restricted eating periods official name is Intermittent fasting. It’s a wonderful craze that has been around for a long time, with more and more people abandoning the typical caloric restricted diet, in favour of restricted eating timeframes. IF is so easy, effective and manageable and beneficial for your overall health in general, that it’s hard to find fault with it. You get the benefits of becoming a fat burning, muscle building machine, as well as bringing your health back to where it should be – all because you are restricting a certain amount of hours from eating. Then when you do eat, you can eat whatever you choose, although it’s recommended you eat as healthy as you can. Weight loss is almost immediate, and your insuline levels plummet, allowing you to burn stored fat for energy. In no time, you will look stronger, leaner and decrease your risk of disease. This eating method generally throws out the notion that you have to eat regularly through the day. Basically, our bodies respond to how we treat them, and adapt accordingly. - Weight train.
I know I always mention this, but the evidence is everywhere. Weight training is a superior way to strengthen, tone and lean up your body. It also increases your bone density, range of motion and keeps you looking younger. These benefits don’t even come close to any other form of exercise that’s around. Most of them age or degenerate your muscle – which is definitely not what you want long term. We should all aim to have the best, robust and flexible metabolism we can have. That’s how we stay lean all year round, and are able to eat some naughty treats once in a while. Combine weight training with fasting, and you a metabolic match made in heaven! - Throw old notions out the window – and try something different.
We are always coming back to what we think works, and what has worked for us or others in the past. Sometimes a specific strategy will work for you, but for someone else, it’s not realistic or does not give them optimal quality of life. It’s time we throw out these supposed ‘conventional’ ways of thinking and leading our lives. Why not skip a few meals, 3 times per week? Why not increase your protein intake daily? How about having one meal once per week and seeing what that does for you? Weight train more, instead of running on the treadmill, have more rest days, focus on your diet, sleep more. Everything has a knock on effect on your quality of life, so start with the basics, and work your way towards more complex methods.
As with anything, there is no right or wrong, it’s whatever works for you and your lifestyle. Some people want to eat more regularly, whilst others relish on not consuming food all the time. I urge you to try something different, whilst adding in the obvious above about water and protein intake. Small changes implemented over time makes a huge difference to your life. You can contact me any time on my website or join me on fb and insta social. Please feel free to upvote this answer if it has been useful in some way to you.
