Exercise and Fitness: Questions & Answers
Vital Health Zone is proud to announce Gina Jackson, who is our resident exercise and fitness expert and who is available to answer all your questions about exercising and fitness. Gina has a private practice and is available for consultation.
Gina answers all your exercise and fitness questions below:
Q: I have started to count how many calories my boyfriend and i intake and burn. After realising that his golf playing does burn lots of calories, his calorie intake totalled to 1495 one day.
My boyfriend is 31 years old, 175cm tall and weighs 82kg. Would consuming this low amount of calories result in mostly fat loss or would his muscles start to shrink?
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A: Your concern is warranted here.
The calorie intake for a male of 31 years, 175cm tall and 83kg is:
- 1854 calories - at rest
- 2700 calories - doing light exercise like golf
Basically this means that your boyfriend is not eating enough calories to ensure his body is working at optimum levels and to allow all the metabolic processes to occur in the correct manner, with all the right nutrients.
If not enough calories are being consumed on a daily basis, the body will go into a state called ketosis, where it will burn muscle tissue to gain enough energy to carry out all the metabolic processes the body needs to stay alive. If his calorie intake is at such a low level on a regular basis, this means he is basically starving himself.
Your boyfriend should monitor his calorie intake for two weeks to determine if he is eating enough on most days and adjust his intake accordingly.
If you are concerned, see a registered dietician who can help assess his situation and create a diet plan to ensure he eats enough food.
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