Excerpted from ExRx.net (link)
Quote:
Toning with Weights
The combination of weight training, aerobic exercise and sound eating habits have shown to be the most effective for fat loss and toning. Toning is simply the simultaneous decrease of fat and restoration of muscle. Every year after the age of 25, the average American gains one pound of body weight yet loses one third to one half pound of muscle. Consequently, our resting metabolism decreases approximately one half of a percent every year. Proper exercise and sound eating habits can reverse this process.
While aerobic exercise burns fat during exercise, anaerobic exercises, like weight training or sprints (such as high intensity interval training), utilize fat hours after exercise. Weight training can also increase the metabolic rate a second way. It restores muscle tissue that had been lost over the years from a sedentary modern life-style, thus improving the aesthetics of the body by accentuating its curves and shape. Furthermore, one pound of muscle burns approximately 30-50 Calories per day. In contrast, a pound of fat only burns about three Calories per day. This may not seem significant considering one pound of fat contains 3500 Calories. Although, over the course of years, it adds up.
Weight training exercises that use large muscle groups (e.g. Gluteus Maximus, Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Chest, and Back exercises) with a progressively greater resistance have the most potential for restoring lean body weight and raising the metabolism hours after exercise.
Most people do not have to be worried about getting too big when training with weights. Evidence suggests that less than 20 percent of men and very few women can develop large muscles even if they wanted to, regardless what program they follow. Bodybuilders seen on TV typically, have trained for years, poses a certain degree of genetics, and most likely, have used anabolic steroids sometime in their careers.
When beginning an exercise program, muscle mass increases may initially out pace fat loss, resulting in a very small temporary weight gain. When exercise can be increased over time, more significant fat loss can occur. Unless an exerciser is highly motivated, actual weight loss (i.e. as numbers on the scale, as opposed to simply fat loss, which is visible or can be mesaured through a body composition test) is usually only seen with particular dietary improvements.
Excerpted from ExRx.net (link)
Quote:
Dietary Guidelines
Eat small meals every 2.5 to 4 hours or eat 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks distributed throughout the day - Eat 3 food groups every meal - Eat 2 food groups every snack
Plan meals around moderate or intense exercise - Plan snack or meal 1 to 2 hours before - Eat high carbohydrates meal very soon after exercise: carbohydrates and quality proteins in approximately a 4:1 ratio, 10 – 20% of total daily caloric intake
Eat protein and carbohydrates every meal or snack
Eat lower fat Meat or Meat Substitute or Milk every meal or snack
Eat Starch or Fruit every meal or snack
Combine foods to compliment proteins (optimizes amino acid ratio) - Eat legumes (beans, peas, lentils, peanuts) with grains, seeds, or nuts - Eat grains with milk or cheese.
Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables daily
Eat vitamin C rich foods - At least 1 serving a day - Citrus fruit, tomatoes, fresh melons, strawberries
Eat cruciferous vegetables (cabbage family) - At least 3 servings per week - Cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, cauliflower
Eat vitamin A rich foods - At least 1 serving every other day - Dark leafy greens, and dark yellow foods
Eat foods with fiber - whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and legumes (beans, peas, lentils)
Eat calcium rich foods - Milk, yogurt, cheese - Green leafy vegetables, tofu, canned salmon, sardines, or jack mackerel (with tiny bone particles), figs, almonds.
Make lower fat and healthier fat choices - Cook with little or no oil - Roast, bake, broil, grill, poach, steam, or boil instead of frying
Keep saturated fat intake low - Eat leaner meats or meat substitutes - Remove skin from poultry - Lower fat milk and yogurt - Choose lower fat snacks - Limit hydrogenated fat (used in products to increase shelf life)
Consume moderate poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats - nuts, olive oil, salad dressing, mayonnaise
Limit refined foods - White bread and cereals, soda pop, sweets, alcohol - Eat whole foods whenever possible
Limit cured and smoked products - salt-cured, smoked, nitrite cured foods
Eat a variety of foods from each food group every day - Try new foods
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