- Anonymous
What motivated me to begin a Fitness Program?
Two things actually. First of all, during a shut down of GM operations in Oshawa (because of a strike in the USA), I was among 200 other line workers who was asked to attend an educational type meeting. A statistic was put forward in the form of a question by the speaker at that meeting. That statistic was this: Across all of GM North American Operations, what is the average life expectancy of an employee retiring at the age of 65? And the answer was this: The average life expectancy of an employee retiring at the age of 65 across all of GM North American Operations is 18 months! I said, "Mike, did you hear that! That's crazy man! Joe, did you hear what he said?" (I work with Mike and Joe and they were sitting beside me). What really bothered me was as I looked around after saying this, I noticed that nobody really stirred, and a few guys in the front row just nodded their heads as if to say, "Ya, that sounds about right." Meanwhile, I couldn't believe it! I made a vow that I wasn't going to be one of their statistics.
Secondly, about this same time at home, my room mate Duarte was studying hard to get his Professional Trainers Certificate and had been influencing the way I thought about fitness and had a very simple, yet scientific way of weight management. It involved counting calories, carbs, fat and protein. A lot of the information that I'm sharing here will be "how I applied what he told me..."
Method #1 Of Figuring Out The Numbers:
Add a "0" (zero) to your weight. This is how many calories you need per day just to "Maintain" your present weight. (________ calories per day). (Mine was 2280 calories per day).
Determine Your Primary Goal: (Review every 3 months)
"Build Muscle" - add 500 calories to your above calories per day. (You will be thinking more in terms of Proteins & Amino Acids).
"Lose Weight" - subtract 300 calories from your above calories per day. However, don't go below 1100 calories! (You will be thinking more in terms of Complex Carbohydrates and Roughage - the sweet potatoes, brown rice, salads, rice & peas, brown bread, rye bread, 7-grain bread, popcorn, and raw veggies).
Here, in this kit it's taken for granted that your Primary Goal is to Lose Weight, so you will want _______ calories per day and your aim currently is to get down to _______ pounds. (For me it was 1800 calories, and 190 pounds). Make a decision now to dedicate at least 3 months to your Primary Goal, losing a maximum of 9 pounds per month. Therefore, your goal of _______ pounds (mine, 190 pounds) should be realized in approximately _______ months (mine, 3.1 months). In 3 months please re-evaluate.
Realizations:
As you get closer to your goal it will be more difficult to lose weight as 2 things begin to happen:
a) your body becomes more efficient and operates at a lower metabolic rate, and
b) your body will try to reach it's ideal weight which it figures is "the heaviest you ever were."
Obviously, the body isn't very reasonable! Your Health Info & Fitness Program is an example of Mind over Matter. You will become more and more excited over your increased awareness that "you are in control" of giving your system exactly what it needs to perform for optimum efficiency.
Realistic Counteractions:
If the above realizations are true, then that truth can best be counteracted by your continued effort for 1 year through:
a) Exercise:
To raise your metabolic rate, use the treadmill 3-4x/week at a heart rate between 133-150 (depending upon your age) and burn 200 calories each time (approximately 28 minutes).
To tone mans hardest area, do ab exercises according to the enclosed sheets 3-4x/week.
To build muscle lightly while losing fat, do an upper body workout 2-3x/week doing 2-3 sets of 12 per exercise.
b) Continue with peridoic calorie, protein, carb, & fat monitoring, and change percentages as required. (This will be explained shortly). Know when to add, when to subtract, and when to maintain. You will learn to fine tune, and remember to review everything in 3 months time.
Continuous Energy Planning:
1. Eat 4-6 times per day, or "main meal, snack, main meal, snack, main meal, snack." This will help to balance your bodies sugar levels. (Think "palm-size" portions of meat along with a "gallon" of fruits and veggies).
2. Think of "food" as your bodies "necessary fuel" (energy to burn) for the next 2 hours NOT "a packed suitcase" for an entire vacation. You don't need to store extra like the cave man did. Meal Plan.
3. Calories for Maintenance should be divided as:
40% Protein, 40% Carbohydrates, 20% Fats (the good kinds)
4. Calories for Weight Loss should be divided as:
30% Protein, 60% Carbohydrates, 10% Fats
Diligently count Calories, Protein, Carbs & Fats per Item, per Meal, per Day for at least the first 3 weeks!!! This will give you the necessary vital awareness of "What Foods" "How Much" and "How Often." After this 3-week period, count the above info at least 3x/week for a year!!!
Try not to overdo high sugar carbs (fruits) after 5 pm. It's OK to overdo high sugar carbs from fruits and fruit juices in the morning. (But only water before the treadmill)!
Never get discouraged if you go over your count by the end of the day. Your Fitness Program is a learning experience. Simply BE AWARE and learn from it for the next day. TRY HARD not to go a little over more than 2x/week. If you go quite a bit over once in any given week, MAKE SURE you do not go "any over" the rest of that week!
Eat mostly the foods listed on the sheet provided in this kit. If something's not there, look it up (preferably BEFORE you eat it) in on of the following books which you have to buy:
The Protein Counter by Annette B. Natow, Ph.D., R.D. and the
Fast Food Nutrition Counter by Dr. Art Ulene.
Hint #1: It's easier to prepare several meals all at once, and then throw them together as needed. Do not trust restaurants and fast food outlets, etc. as they are full of calories and fat.
Hint #2: NEVER put yourself in a position where the foods you want to eat, aren't available. PLAN AHEAD. PACK A COOLER. (Cave men packed it on because their food sources weren't consistent).
If you drink, count every drink and try to use moderation. This program is a Lifestyle, not a temporary fix. Remember: Spread your "energizing food intake" over several meals (4-6 per day)!
Setting Up Your Numbers: (Review this every 3 months)
(Remember these will change as your Primary Goals & Realistic Counteractions change).
1 gm protein = 4 calories
1 gm carbs = 4 calories
1 gm fat = 6 calories
CALORIES
TOTAL/DAY
1080 CAL
TOTAL
GRAMS/DAY
270 GMS
TOTAL
GRAMS/DAY
30 GMS
TOTAL PER
MEAL x 4
450 CAL
TOTAL
GRAMS/DAY
135 GMS
GMS TOTAL
PER MEAL x 4
34 GMS
GMS TOTAL
PER MEAL x 4
67.5 GMS
CALORIES
TOTAL/DAY
180 CAL
GMS TOTAL
PER MEAL x 4
7.5 GMS
TOTAL PER
DAY
1800 CAL
CALORIES
TOTAL/DAY
540 CAL
GMS TOTAL
PER MEAL x 4
____ GMS
TOTAL
GRAMS/DAY
____ GMS
TOTAL
GRAMS/DAY
____ GMS
GMS TOTAL
PER MEAL x 4
____ GMS
CALORIES
TOTAL/DAY
____ CAL
CALORIES
TOTAL/DAY
____ CAL
TOTAL
GRAMS/DAY
____ GMS
TOTAL PER
DAY
____ CAL
TOTAL PER
MEAL x 4
____ CAL
GMS TOTAL
PER MEAL x 4
____ GMS
CALORIES
TOTAL/DAY
____ CAL
1. I added a zero to my weight and then subtracted 300 calories to get my Calories Total Per Day.
2. I divided my Calories Total Per Day by 4 to get my Calories Total Per Meal.
3. I took my Calories Total Per Day and subtracted 70% to get my 30% Protein Calories Total/Day.
4. I divided my 30% Protein Calories Total/Day by 4 to get my Protein Total Grams/Day.
5. I divided my Protein Total Grams/Day by 4 to get my Protein Gms Total Per Meal.
6. I took my Calories Total Per Day and subtracted 40% to get my 60% Carbs Calories Total/Day.
7. I divided my 60% Carbs Calories Total/Day by 4 to get my Carbs Total Grams/Day.
8. I divided my Carbs Total Grams/Day by 4 to get my Carbs Gms Total Per Meal.
9. I took my Calories Total Per Day and subtracted 90% to get my 10% Fat Calories Total/Day.
10. I divided my 10% Fat Calories Total/Day by 6 to get my Fat Total Grams/Day.
11. I divided my Fat Total Grams/Day by 4 to get my Fat Gms Total Per Meal.
Weigh yourself before you begin. My weight now is: ________ on ___________.
Weigh yourself "3 weeks later." Now my weight is : ________ on ___________.