Why Numbers Can Beat Your Metabolism

Some people give up or struggle with gaining or losing weight because they believe that their metabolism won’t let them, and while metabolism has a factor in it, reaching your target weight is basically a numbers game.

Fat on your body is just stored energy in your body waiting to be used. Your body starts to store fats away in your body when you eat a surplus of calories. If calories are our measurement of energy, then every pound of body fat is 3,500 calories. So to begin to notice a difference in your weight, it is recommended to eat 500 calories above or below your maintenance calories, or  the number of calories you need to eat per day to maintain your current body weight. Wondering how to find out your maintenance calories? You can easily find it by plugging in your body measurements into “https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html”.

When eating in a deficit or surplus of 500 calories per day consistently, you will notice you have lost or gained 1 lb for that week. 

When trying to build muscle, not only will you have to be in a surplus of calories, but also in proteins. It is recommended to eat 0.8g of protein per pound of body weight. So if you weigh 165lbs you should be eating 500 calories above your maintenance, as well as eating 132g of protein to gain muscle. 

If trying to lose weight but maintain muscle mass, you should still be lifting every workout and still trying to maintain the amount of protein you were eating during your bulk in order to keep muscle mass. Bulking is when you eat 500 calories above your maintenance calories in order to gain muscle and weight.

Many people struggle with being able to gain or lose weight because of their metabolism, but if you can figure out what your body's maintenance calories are then you can beat it and begin losing or gaining weight.

By: Joey Calaprico