Tag: Body composition

Approximately 20% of the weight lost during dieting can come from lean body mass, which includes muscle, rather than just fat. While the body prefers to burn fat for fuel, certain factors can force it to break down muscle tissue, hindering your progress and slowing your metabolism.

The 40/30/30 macro split, often associated with the Zone Diet, is a popular eating plan where 40% of your daily calories come from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 30% from fat. This balanced approach aims to stabilize blood sugar levels and provide sustained energy throughout the day.

Most people assume that bodybuilders are perpetually shredded, but the reality is that maintaining single-digit body fat year-round is not feasible or healthy. The truth is that bodybuilders have fat due to a strategic process of cycling between phases of muscle growth (bulking) and fat loss (cutting). This approach is essential for maximizing muscle mass and achieving their peak physique for competition.

For decades, the common rule of thumb has been that a surplus of approximately 7,700 kcal is needed to gain one kilogram of body fat. However, this number is a foundational estimate, and the real answer to how many kcal to gain 1 kg is more complex, depending on your body composition goals and individual metabolism.

According to the American Council on Exercise, men need a minimum of 2–5% essential body fat, while women need 10–13% to function properly. This statistic highlights why maintaining essential body fat levels is important for good health, supporting vital biological functions often overlooked in the pursuit of leanness.

According to research published in the *Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome*, increasing protein intake can lead to enhanced satiety, or a feeling of fullness, which helps manage appetite. Understanding what does eating a bunch of protein do is key to leveraging its benefits for muscle building and weight management, while also navigating potential drawbacks.

Over 750,000 foods are included in the RP Diet App's database, making logging meals simpler and more effective for progress tracking. The app is designed to eliminate guesswork, acting as a dynamic diet coach that tracks weight, food intake, and adherence to provide personalized, data-driven adjustments to help users achieve their goals.

While the body prioritizes using amino acids for protein synthesis, it has no formal storage mechanism for excess amounts, unlike with carbohydrates or fats. So, do amino acids turn into fat when consumed in excess, or are they metabolized differently?

The human body expends approximately 60-70% of its total daily energy on basal metabolic functions, such as breathing, blood circulation, and cell production. These essential, life-sustaining processes at rest constitute the basal metabolic rate, or BMR. Understanding the specific components that make up this significant energy expenditure is key to grasping how your body manages its daily caloric needs.

According to health experts, everyone has some amount of visceral fat, a type of deep-seated body fat that protects and cushions your internal organs. While a certain amount is normal and healthy, the accumulation of too much can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.