Epiko Magazine Marzo | Abril 2016 | Page 12

12 www.epikomagazine.com ........................................................................................................................................................................... CALORIES FOR YOUR FITNESS GOALS The spring breeze is on its way and with it comments like “I want to lose weight so I stopped eating” or “No more food for me”, these are some of the things I hear several times and I am sure that many have heard it as well. Do you think this is correct or completely insane? The answer is that it depends, but for the most part it would not be a good approach. I say it depends because there are people who know how to lose weight with techniques like intermittent fasting, which is that you have around an 8 hr window to eat and after that you are done for the day. But, this is something that needs to be well planned out and not something you can just jump into. So, what I have used for the past couple of years and have learned is effective is to fit your macronutrients (protein, fats, and carbohydrates) and daily calories. Best part is that you do not have to starve yourself to lose weight. How does it work? Allow me to explain. Your body is a perfectly working machine, but like every machine it needs fuel to work. We gain our fuel from the food that we consume every day. Did you know that we have a minimum of calories we need to consume daily? Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR, which is the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutral temperate environment. Let’s say that you are bedridden and cannot do anything else, your BMR is the number of calories you need to stay alive. There are many factors that affect BMR like age, genetic