In 7th grade I had to write my first research paper for English class. It was supposed to be 2 - 3 pages and I turned in a 10 page paper with quotes about Maya Angelou. Thus begun my love affair with writing research papers. I was the one with 10 sources, when you only needed 5, 15 pages when you only needed 10, 1.5 spacing, when the teacher asked for 2. Nevertheless, I found a love for searching out facts.
The last two weeks, I have been researching macronutrients and fat loss. I am trying to figure out the science behind a healthy diet, building muscle and losing fat. As most dieters know, when you lose weight you also risk losing muscle mass, which is why it is important to incorporate strength training into any fitness program. Ladies should not be afraid to lift weight and heavy ones at that. This is coming from the girl who never liked the weight area of the gym. I had to hire a personal trainer for a year to get me over there and still did not venture in unless she was with me.
Anyway, when it comes to figuring out what works for me focusing on macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbs), I started at bodybuilding.com, moved to YouTube, and found articles online. All the information is conflicting and everyone's bottomline is that you need to test out different ratios to determine what works best for your body. Whomp Whomp! Whose got time for that.
Basically, for myself, I need to eat (wait for it) 250 grams of protein, 46 grams of fat, and 96.5 grams of carbs. This is because I am considered endomorphic, which means I have a hard time losing weight. to lose 2 lbs per week, (80%, 20% cardio) I would need to cut 800 calories from my baseline need (which is the amount of calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight) and burn 350 calories doing cardio exercise 4 times a week. There was math involved and I was pretty happy about that. This has me eating 1800 calories a day. I currently eat between 1200 - 1400. You have to eat to lose, and when you choose the right ratio of foods, scientifically, it should work. Here's to the beginning of trial an error.
Love,
QuinTesSenTialLy ME
