Calcium and Weight Loss

Drink milk lose fat

Is there a link between calcium and weight loss? Numerous studies have been done to determine if consuming a diet high in low-fat dairy products will aid in the loss of weight.  Although experts have not come to a conclusive result as of yet, many of these studies have shown when compared to a diet of low dairy intake, (2 or less servings) people who consumed a diet with high dairy intake (3 or 4 servings a day) burned more fat and lost more weight.  Research from Purdue University claims that “a higher calcium intake from dairy products decreases levels of parathyroid hormone in the body, which in turn appears to increase the body’s ability to burn off fat.”¹

Although consuming a diet high in low-fat dairy products is said to aid in the loss of fat, and help you burn fat more efficiently, you still need to burn more calories than you consume to see results on the scale.  If your plan is to maintain your current weight studies show that adding dairy to your diet will make maintaining your current weight much easier. For people trying to lose weight studies show if you consume a low calorie diet high in low-fat dairy products you will see the pounds come off faster, and more pounds will come from fat.

Calcium is the number one mineral most likely to be deficient in the average diet, resulting in many people missing out on the many benefits that calcium has to offer, such as building strong bones, maintaining healthy teeth, protecting your heart, and aiding in weight loss.  

So, how much calcium should you be consuming on a daily basis?  The general recommendation for children over age two and for adults is 1,000 milligrams a day, or three to four servings.  For more specific calcium intake based on age and other factors see the chart bellow.  This is not a hard task to accomplish.  Replace your juice in the morning with a glass of skim milk,  kill your afternoon hunger with a low-fat yogurt or slice of cheese, or add skim milk to your coffee. However you chose to get your daily intake the benefits speak for themselves, and your body will thank you later!

Here’s a calcium guide to help you get what you need:

1. Study Backs Dairy Weight Loss Claims, http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Study-backs-dairy-weight-loss-claims. Extracted on October 10, 2008.

Tags: Calcium, Dairy, Weight Loss

Burn Calories by Drinking Water

Did you know you can burn calories by drinking water? It’s true. Aside from facilitating virtually every process in the body, water can be used to burn calories if consumed at the right temperature.

Every movement you make requires energy: every step, every jump, every word you say, every heartbeat every nerve impulse, and by processing cold water!

For every gallon of ice cold water (40 degrees F) you drink, you burn 123 calories¹. You can put this calculator on your website by visiting my calculators page.

You can figure the calories burned by taking the liters of water you consume times the temperature difference between your core body temperature (37° C) and the temperature of the water in Celsius.

Remember to drink 2.0 liters of water per day as discussed in a previous post.

1. Darden, Ellington (2004). The New High Intensity Training, pg. 196. Rodale.

Tags: Calories, Water, Weight Loss

What are Calories | How Many Calories are in 1 lbs/kg

Calories

In my Top 10 Reasons Why You’re Fat post, I talked about the importance of regulating your calories. A calorie is often referred to a kilocalorie (kcal) in the academic world. I will use the word “calorie” so I don’t cause confusion.¹

One calorie is the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water 1 degree Celsius¹ (4.23 cups of water 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit²). A calorie is the potential energy in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, proteins contain 4 calories per gram, and fats contain 9 calories per gram.¹

How many calories do I have to burn to lose 1 lbs or 1 kg?

You must burn 3,500 more calories than you consume to lose 1 lbs of fat (7,700 calories to lose 1 kg).³  This means that if you consumed 2,000 calories and burned 2,500 every day, you would lose 1 lbs in a week ( (2,000 - 2,500) x 7 = 3,500).

To lose weight you can either eat less calories, burn more calories, or both.

1. Insel, Paul, & Turner, R. Elaine, & Ross, Don (2004). Nutrition –2nd ed, pg. 14. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

2. 1 US gallon weighs 8.34 lbs or 3.78 kg. 0.26455 gallons weighs 1 kg (1 / 3.78). There are 16 cups in a gallon, so 4.23 cups weigh 1 kg (0.26455 * 16).

3. Corbin, Charles B. & Lindsey, Ruth (2005). Fitness for Life –5th ed, pg. 230. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Tags: Calories, Weight Loss