DF - Counting Calories Doesn't Always Work

...regardless of which diet you are on. Yes, even you out there thinking, "I never diet." By diet , I am referring to those items you choose to put into your mouth every day. We are all on a diet (noun), we are not all dieting (verb). It's ok, stick with me here.

I hate dieting. Never done it; never will. And, I have the figure I want. Go ahead and be mad. I pay attention to my DIET. If you try this, you will never need to diet (verb) again. Forget all of those two-word, three syllable agencies out there to help you, temporarily - at least until the holiday binge, shed weight.

You body's metabolism hinges on what it takes in. While you may never be an elite athlete, you can get your body to start feeding your fat cells to your muscle cells...no, you won't look like Arnold (ladies), and I am sorry but you won't look like Arnold overnight (men). Lean muscle is needed to move your skeleton, provide shape to your body and a couple of other things. Bodybuilding is it's own monster for another day.

When you exercise, your muscle cells need nutrition to rebuild. If they are eating, your fat cells can't if there isn't enough food to go around...see where this is going...ok. Now, in order to feed the machine correctly, and get the greatest benefit out of exercise, you need to eat the right calories. Oh. That again. I didn't say don't count. I just said counting doesn't always work. Why? Example time:

Person 1 and 2 each "need" 2000 calories a day (for this example just push I believe here).

Person 1 has an iPhone and an app that tracks total calories throughout the day. Simple, single entry processing. Person 1 is not getting any smaller one month later.

Person 2 has a Samsung Android phone (yes, I have this jealously right now...want one) and MyPersonalDiet. I love this software. Sorry, shameless plug for something I don't make money off of. They only know me as that lady who had to beg for a new product key when she re-loaded windows. Person 2 has lost 4-6 pounds in a month. This is a healthy rate...please don't listen to anyone who says that they can do more than 1-2 pounds per week. You may get a bit higher in the beginning with water weight loss, but not much. You may even get heavier at first with muscle weight...remember the muscle has to steal the food from the fat to starve those cells.

So, what makes that software great? Nothing you can't do on your own. It just makes it easier. You need the correct combination of Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins in your Diet (noun) to properly feed your lean muscle mass based on your exercise and your goals. For your average person, the ratio breaks down into: 20% protein, 55% carbohydrates, 25% fat...so, based on many dieting (verb) ideals people out there are eating horribly while dieting. Then they quit, and wonder why: A. They don't feel better and B. The diet (noun) they use isn't working. Weight loss and weight gain change these numbers, so do kids and athletes. So, a full BCA and a plan is the best place to start. But, at least now you are better prepared.