PART 1
10,000 steps per day,
Why am I still gaining weight?
Many friends feel that as long as they move, they will definitely become slimmer, but in reality, the energy expenditure of exercise is not as high as we imagine most of the time. From the perspective of evolutionary chemistry, our ancestors used to hunt for food to fill their stomachs. If the energy spent on hunting exceeded the energy intake from food, humans would find it hard to survive. Therefore, the body gradually learned to conserve energy expenditure, reducing the energy output of exercise, which is beneficial for human survival.
The calorie expenditure from walking 10,000 steps daily is actually only about 240-300 calories, which can easily be compensated by a cup of milk tea. Additionally, holiday gatherings often involve large meals, which can lead to unintentional overeating. When daily intake exceeds expenditure, weight gain occurs.
The daily calorie intake mentioned here refers to the energy obtained through diet, while calorie expenditure is the sum of resting metabolic rate and activity-related energy:
Resting Metabolic Rate: The energy the body expends to maintain basic physiological activities in a resting state, including food digestion, respiration, heartbeat, etc. It is usually about 20% higher than the basal metabolism, which is approximately 1200-1400 calories for an adult.
Activity-related Energy: The energy expended during activities such as household chores or specific sports.
Conversely, if the total daily calorie intake is less than expenditure, weight loss can be achieved, a method known as creating a “caloric deficit”.
To simplify the calculation of caloric deficit, let’s consider an example. Assuming Ahua’s resting metabolic rate today is 1500 calories, and he burned 300 calories through running, his total calorie expenditure today would be 1800 calories. If he consumed 1300 calories through food intake, Ahua’s caloric deficit for the day would be calculated as 1800-1300, resulting in 500 calories.
PART 2
How to create a caloric deficit scientifically?
Some may wonder, is a larger caloric deficit better for quick weight loss? The reality is not so. For overweight and obese individuals, the “China Obesity Prevention and Control Blue Book” recommends keeping the daily caloric deficit within the range of 500-750 calories.
▪ BMI= Weight ÷ Height² (Weight unit: kg; Height unit: m)
▪ Overweight: BMI= 24 kg/㎡≤BMI≤28kg/㎡
▪ Obesity: BMI> 28 kg/㎡
So, how can we create a caloric deficit? Here are three methods: adjusting diet, increasing expenditure, and combining diet with exercise.
01
Adjusting Diet
For individuals with limited time for exercise, creating a 500-750 calorie deficit can be achieved by adjusting the diet.
Many may not have a clear understanding of calories; to provide a visual example using common foods: half a bowl of rice is about 100 calories, and around 7 pieces of potato chips can also be around 100 calories, a snack that’s hard to stop.
By consuming a couple less chicken wings and some potato chips, a caloric deficit of a few hundred calories can be easily created. “Watching what you eat” isn’t as difficult as imagined.
It’s important to note that adjusting the diet does not mean solely reducing meat or staple food intake, rather ensuring the energy contribution from the three major nutrients is in a proper proportion, roughly carbohydrates: fats: proteins = 5:2:3. In terms of volume, this translates to roughly a quarter each for staple foods and meats, and half for vegetables.
Next, here are two tips to gauge the caloric content of foods and help control excessive calorie intake.
01 Assessing Caloric Content by Processing Level
Highly processed foods usually contain more oils, salt, and sugar, resulting in higher calorie content. For instance, compared to boiled beef, braised beef is a highly processed food, and 100g of braised beef can have about 156 calories more than 100g of boiled beef. Additionally, highly processed foods often have lower nutritional density and lack the satiety of natural foods, making overeating more likely.
Thus, when choosing among foods, opt for minimally processed options to increase satiety and minimize overeating.
02 Increasing Expenditure
For individuals who prefer not to restrict their diet but are willing to engage in regular exercise, creating a caloric deficit can be achieved through physical activity.
As mentioned earlier, daily expenditure consists of activity-related energy and resting metabolic rate. Therefore, one can boost active expenditure through aerobic exercises, as well as enhance resting metabolic rate by building muscle mass.
For instance, incorporating simple and feasible exercises into daily routines can help burn additional calories. For example, a 30-minute walk after meals can burn 100 calories, while opting for stairs over an elevator can burn roughly 100 calories in about 10 minutes.
Here are some estimations of the time needed to burn 100 calories through various exercises:
Note: Actual burning may vary based on factors such as weight, exercise intensity, provided for reference.
Moreover, engaging in core exercises such as sit-ups, squats, and weight lifting can increase muscle mass.
Muscles are metabolically active tissues, and changes in muscle mass or hormone levels during muscle gain can boost calorie expenditure. Additionally, muscle gain can compensate for muscle loss during weight loss, helping prevent a decrease in basal metabolic rate to a certain extent.
Furthermore, for the same weight, muscle takes up a quarter of the volume of fat, visually creating a leaner appearance with appropriate muscle gain.
03 Combining Diet and Exercise to Easily Create a Caloric Deficit
However, solely adjusting the diet or increasing exercise may have drawbacks.
Solely adjusting the diet can lead to encountering a “plateau” phase in weight loss, where there is no weight reduction for more than two consecutive weeks. This could be due to the body’s “adaptive metabolic decrease,” meaning the body is burning fewer calories at rest. Unchanged intake but reduced expenditure results in a smaller caloric deficit, hindering weight loss progress. In such cases, increasing active expenditure can help break through the plateau quickly.
On the other hand, solely increasing exercise requires consistent daily activity. For example, creating a 500-calorie deficit may require walking for 2.5 hours or skipping rope for 50 minutes, which can be challenging for those leading busy lives.
