Medical and health experts estimate that the average person will lose about 120 calories for every 3 pounds of muscle that they add onto their frame. This means that 1 pound equals 40 calories burned lifting weights. They also claim that most people will lose an average of 9 calories a minute when they lift weights. Keep in mind that the amount of calories that are being used during a workout will vary among people. Factors such as age, intensity of workout, amount of weight being used, body shape and gender all play a role with determining how many calories a person will lose when a person pumps iron.

A person can figure out how many calories that they will burn off during a workout by using an individualized calculation proces. A useful equation that can be used to determine the amount of calories that are burned off during a workout is RMR x MET. RMR stands for resting metabolic rate and MET is an acronym for metabolic equivalent task.

The first thing a person must do in order to properly use this equation is to calculate their RMR. In order to properly calculate a person’s RMR they must be completely at rest after completing a workout. An equation must be used for this process as well. This equation is as follows 370 + 21.6 x FFM (fat free mass).

Fat free mass is also known as lean body mass and to calculate this figure for the equation a person must figure out their weight in kilograms and figure out their FFM in a percentage. A person must use the services of trained medical personnel in order to accurately determine their FFM. It is virtually impossible to accurately figure out a person’s body fat. This is why an individual must get the help of trained professionals who use various procedures to get a good estimate for fat content withint the body. Once they have this figure they will use the following equation.

Kilograms x (1 – 0.0n) = kilograms. Take the answer from this equation and multiply it by 21.6.

Here is an example of this equation.

A person weighs 90K and has 5% body fat. First calculate the FFM.

90k x (1 -0.05) = 90k x .95 = 85.5.

Next, take 85.5 and plug it into the RMR equation.

370 + 21.6 x 85.5 = 2,216.8.

The answer to this equation will represent the amount of calories that person will burn, while at rest, within a 24 hour time period. Dividing 2,216.8 by 24 (hours in a day) will represent how many calories a person will burn within an hour for each day. For this example, a person with a RMR of 2,216.8 will burn 92.36 calories while at rest for each hour of a day.

The next step is to calculate the MET rate for weight lifting. MET figures are available online or they might be available from health and fitness experts or organizations. Once a person determines the MET number for the type of weight lifting routine that they are engaging in they can multiply this number by their RMR and figure out calories burned lifting weights.
Using the same example, a person with an hourly RMR rate of 92.36 decides to perform a vigourous weight lifting routine. So the MET number for this type of workout will be 6.

The equation is 92.36 (hourly RMR) x 6 (MET rating for a vigourous weight lifting session) = 554.16.

So, for a person who weighs 90 kilograms with a 5% FFM will burn about 554 calories per hour during an intense or vigorous weight lifting session. This equation might seem a bit challenging for some people to figure out but it can be done once people practice and understand the process.

Another thing that a person can do is to contact a medical or health professional and have them determine the amount of calories burned lifting weights.

Keep in mind that people also tend to burn more calories after they have completed a weight lifting session. This is because weight lifting incresaes the metabolism in order to help a person’s body to expend more energy for lifting weights. So, a person will conitue to still lose calories once their weight lifting session has ended.

Fiber is an essential carbohydrate found especially in plants, more specifically in the cells from their walls. This is the only part that can’t be digested by the human body, therefore fiber has been integrated in various products. It is very beneficial for us to know what does fiber do in order to understand its benefits for our body.

Fiber is considered a special type of carbohydrate because it passes through your digestive system and it remains unchanged, compared to other carbohydrates that are separated into nutrients. Almost all of us have heard that fiber is extremely important in a diet, but do we really understand its major importance?

The Importance of Fiber in Your Diet

Fiber has tremendous benefits on your digestive system, improving the digestion process from the beginning to the end. Some other important benefits of high fiber are:

- Slows the eating process and gives you the feeling of being full: this is a very important benefit of high fiber, because it prevents obesity and helps your stomach feel full. This way, you won’t need to find always something to chew, as you will feel full because fiber fills you up in a particular way: it doesn’t add calories.
- The food you eat will be more satisfying: another important benefits of eating high fiber foods, such as peanuts, carrots, soya beans and popcorn, just to name a few. Moreover, by knowing that eating rich fiber foods helps you with the diet makes you feel very good and confident in you.

- It slows the digestion process and the absorption of glucose: the immediate benefit is that the level of sugar in your blood is kept to an even level, allowing you to easily lose fat. You will also be protected against diabetes type 2.

- Reduces the risk of colon cancer: the fiber you eat is broken down in your colon. This process, called fermentation, nourishes the line of your colon and improves its functions.

- Lose weight: this benefit was discovered during some recent studies. The specialists observed that the human body would easily flush colon wastes and other toxins, enhancing the process of losing weight. High fiber foods are extremely beneficial at preventing and treating obesity.

- Improvement of excretory system: this is realised by the dietary fiber, which moves feces at an accelerated rhythm through your colon. This dietary fibers will also help you to avoid cancer by flushing all toxins from your intestines.

What does fiber do to help your body? In addition to flushing all those unnecessary toxins, it increases the amount of fat you lose each day and keeps your body healthy.

Types of Fiber

There are two major types of fiber nowadays, each of them having its own effects on your body. The insoluble fiber has plenty of benefits, such as a reduced risk of heart disease, constipation relief. In addition, it gives you increased energy. Still, it is not very effective at reducing the cholesterol. Some foods that are rich in insoluble fiber are: cocoa, carrots, peanuts, mango, popcorn and peach.

On the other hand, soluble fiber is essential in a diet because it helps reduce your cholesterol levels. Some foods that are rich in soluble fiber are: plums, oatmeal, pears, broccoli, peas and beans.

Both of these types are considered dietary fiber because they enhances the process of weight loss in any human body.

How Much Fiber Should You Eat

The majority of nutritionists nowadays state that the ratio of soluble vs insoluble fiber should be around 25% to 75%. As most of high fiber foods contain both types, you won’t really have to be concerned too much about dividing them up. Flax seeds, oat and psyllium husk are very rich in both these types of fibers. If you want to be healthy and to lose weight accordingly, your focus should primarily be on the fiber intake. 25 grams of fiber are enough to meet the daily fiber requirements. The ideal quantity of foods that you ought to consume every day are four to five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables and one-two servings of whole grain products.

A high fiber intake will definitely contribute to your body weight control. Make most of dietary fiber in your challenge to lose weight each day.

The way these foods help in weight loss is that they will fill you up more and they have fewer calories so that you end up eating less amounts of food. In addition, your intake of calories will not be as high so you end up losing weight. Also if you eat and ensure that you are full, you are less likely to think about food then binge.

Oats is one of the healthy foods that can help you lose weight. They are whole grain and are high in fiber so that when you eat them you will feel full for longer so that you resist the urge to snack. Their high level of soluble fiber also helps to cut down on cholesterol and blood fat which in the long run will help in your quest for weight loss. Don’t add sugar or other sweeteners because this will increase the calorie count.

Lentils are in the legume family and are among what foods help you lose weight. Lentils are high in fiber and contain high amounts of foliate and magnesium. They also make you feel full for long. Look for recipes that make your lentil based meals exciting but ensure that you don’t add too many ingredients that will increase the calorie count of your meal. Other legumes that you can consume are a variety of beans such as kidney beans and black beans which are high in nutrients. Chickpeas are another type of legumes.

When thinking of what foods help you lose weight, beef would probably not appear on the list, but lean beef is one of those foods that can help in weight loss. Make sure that it is lean so that you can enjoy the benefits you will get such as iron and you will feel full. Eggs are another type of healthy foods that you can consume and still lose weight. They are a good source of protein and will help you stay full for longer.

Fruits and vegetables are among what foods help you lose weight. Apples are among the fruits that when consumed are among the foods that help you lose weight. They are bulky and will fill you up as compared to eating a sweet snack that is high in calories. They also contain antioxidants that are said to help you from developing metabolic syndrome which is characterized by excess belly fat.

Blueberries are other fruits which are good in your weight loss quest. They are full of antioxidants, Vitamin C, fiber, manganese and phytoflavonoids. Fiber helps to lower cholesterol in the blood and prevent cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease. Antioxidants help lower your propensity to get cancer and age related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and they also act as an anti-inflammatory. The darker the color of the blueberries, the more antioxidants they contain. Frozen berries don’t lose their nutrients, they contain they same amount as when they are fresh.

Nuts are a good source of healthy oils and nutrients and are among the healthy foods that help you lose weight. Although nuts are high in calories, over a period of time they help in weight loss as they will fill you up and they are a healthy snack alternative as compared to a sugary sweet snack. Eat all types of nuts; walnuts, peanuts, pecans, macadamia nuts and any others you can find.

Salads are another type of healthy foods that help you lose weight fast. Eating a salad before a meal will make you fill full more so that you eat less amounts. Don’t add too much of unhealthy salad dressing as you will increase the calorie content. Kale is also good as when it is eaten raw it has high levels of fiber, iron and calcium.

As is evident above, diet plays a key role when one is planning to lose weight. One can lose several pounds by eating the foods suggested above.

Eating low carb foods reduces blood sugar levels in the blood. Low blood sugar levels stimulate the body to burn stored fats in order to normalize blood sugar levels. This causes weight loss. Low carbohydrates snack recipes are mostly composed of protein and fatty foods. When you are considering a low carb diet, it is important to note that, carbohydrates play a vital role in the overall well-being of your body. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in the body. They also provide many essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals that keep the body healthy. As a result, failure to eat take carbohydrates can deprive your body its primary energy source and essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. The immediate side effects of this include nausea, headaches and dehydration. It could also lead to some serious conditions such as heart attacks, kidney disease and muscle breakdown over the long term.

Low carb diets do not cause any harmful side effects or health risks. This is because these diets are basically made up of foods with good carbs. Note that, there is a difference between good carbs and bad carbs. Good carbs provide the body with energy, essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins. On the other hand, bad carbs causes can cause harmful diseases such as obesity, heart attacks, cancer and diabetes. Some of the foods that contain good carbs include nuts, seeds, legumes, beans, whole grains, many fruits and leafy green vegetables. You should avoid foods with bad carbs. These foods are usually stripped much of their fiber and nutrients. They include things like sodas, baked foods such as white breads and cakes, rice and wide rage of snacks. On the issue of snacks, it is very big problem to find snacks recipes with good carbs. Most snacks recipes are loaded with bad carbs. They are mostly made up of wheat, corn syrup, high fructose and sugar. These ingredients contain high levels of bad carbs that can cause all sorts of harmful conditions. It is therefore, important that you find healthy no carb snacks that you can eat instead of most of the conventional snacks out there. The following are some healthy snacks recipes that can help you with in your dieting efforts.

The first delicious low carb snack that you should consider is bacon. Fried strips of bacon are delicious and crunchy. They can provide you with essential energy without making you fat. Pork sausages are the other no carb snacks. They are easy to prepare and carry around. Once you prepare them you can put them in a lunch box and carry with you as you leave for work or school. You can always heat the sausages if you like your snacks hot. Pork sausages are a rich source of protein, and they have zero carbs. Apart from pork and bacon, you can prepare great snacks from other types of processed meats such as turkey and fish. They work just as well as bacon and pork. When you are buying processed meat products it is advisable to check the carbs count on the side. There are some products that contain fillers such as wheat floor and corn meal. Avoid such snacks recipes.

Another even lower carb diet food option is chicken breast. Chicken breast requires more energy to digest. As a result, energy will not be stored in your body as you rest. This is also the case with snacks recipes made up of a salad and egg whites. Other great low carb foods include tomatoes, whey protein shakes, tuna fish, salmon, egg whites, lean red meat, broccoli, spinach, skinless turkey and skinless Chicken. Note that, you don’t have to purchase all these no carb snacks, and incorporate them in your diet plan. Just choose two or three low carb foods that you can easily afford. Always keep them prepared so that you can pick them whenever the craving for a snack strikes instead of high carb snacks.

There are things you can do however that will reduce the temptation to hit the drive thru and keep you on course with your dieting needs. The first of these is a process known as once a week cooking. With this method you cook enough meals to last you a week on one day. This means that for every night of the week you have a diet friendly meal ready to go. If your entire family is dieting or eating healthier with you, this works for this situation as well. Dieting and incorporating healthier eating habits into the food for your entire family is a great way to set an example for your children will keeping you motivated and removing temptation.

With once a week cooking you freeze the food that won’t be immediately consumed and thaw it the morning you will be eating the food to cook when you arrive home after work or decide it is time for your evening meal. This is a process that works well no matter how many soccer games, dance practices, and band recitals you have on your calendar for the week. You can manage to stick to your diet while having a great meal for your family each and every night of the week.

You should also make sure to have a nice supply and cleaned and cut fruits, vegetables, and salad ingredients in your refrigerator in order to make these dishes readily assessable for quick lunches or snacks. Having these foods readily available will help you resist the temptation to snack on higher calorie prepackaged food while also helping to insure that you have a ready supply of fresh fruits and vegetables to help you get your 5 servings a day.

You should also keep some conveniently packaged yogurt on hand as a good quick and easy dairy product. Sugar free pudding cups are another decent snack for those who need something quick and easy to have on hand. Preparation and planning are essential to successfully meeting your weight loss goals. By preparing as much of the food as possible ahead of time you will never even miss the convenience of those high calorie pre packaged meals and snacks that so many of us survive on when not dieting.

Another time saver is to work your fitness opportunities into the course of your day. Rather than performing one lengthy workout each day, try to find methods of bringing a little fitness activity into the most mundane portions of your day (go stair climbing at lunch, park on the top level of the parking garage and walk down-then up when returning-the stairs), park far away from the door of the supermarket and see if your mall has a walking path that is clearly marked. You’ll be amazed at the hidden opportunities many of us have for exercising during our busy days. The trick is often in discovering the activities rather than the time.

When all is said and done, dieting doesn’t have to be as time consuming as you may think it is. There are all kinds of prepackaged plans for dieters however if that is the choice you feel is best for you. Whether you are going with Lean Cuisine meals, Weight Watchers frozen entrees, Jenny Craig, or the Slim Fast program there are all kinds of opportunities to work dieting and fitness into even the busiest of schedules. When planning your dieting practices be sure to consider the tips and advice mentioned above.