A Personal Strategy for Muscle Gain, Weight Loss

The purpose of this report is to identify my personal plans for achieving two important goals: increasing muscle mass and therefore strength, and losing weight to achieve improved fitness. As Alexander (2004) pointed out, a combination of proper nutrition or diet and exercise regimens is necessary to achieve these goals. More significantly, once weight loss and muscle tone and strength have been achieved, a maintenance regimen involving both consistent exercise and diet is needed (O'Connell, 2002).

Kris-Etherton, Champagne, and McManus (2003) pointed out that the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States is skyrocketing. The following table illustrates how overweight and obesity is classified according to Body Mass Index (BMI), a measure of fat.

Classification of overweight and obesity by BMI

BMI (kg/[m.sup.2]) Obesity class

Normal 18.5-24.9

Overweight 25.0-29.9

Obesity 30.0-34.9 I

35.0-39.9 II

Extreme obesity [greater than or equal to] 40 III

While I am not significantly overweight, I am conscious that I need to lose about 15 pounds and that I very much need to improve my activity and exercise level, improving muscle mass and tone as well a

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1 vegetable Tomato 1 vegetable Italian dressing, fat free, low sodium Free Multigrain dinner roll 1 starch Snack Banana 1 fruit Yogurt, fruit variety, nonfat 1 skim milk Summary values Nutrient Amount Exchanges Number Calories 1503 Starch exchanges 6 Total fat 34g Fruit exchanges 3 Saturated 6% kcal Skim milk exchanges 2 Protein 93 g Other carbohydrate exchanges 1 Carbohydrate 215 g Vegetable exchanges 3-4 Dietary fiber 19g Lean meat exchanges 8 1/2 Sodium 2400 mg Fat exchanges 1 It is important for me to develop a consistent dietary pattern while simultaneously improving the quality and nutritional value of the food that I consume. Eating fairly lean cuts of meat, taking in up to 40 grams of protein per meal, and reducing dietary fat, particularly from sources high in saturated fats will help increase metabolism, build muscle mass
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Loss Introduction, Champagne McManus, Index BMI, BMI BMI, overweight obesity, weight loss,
Approximate Word count = 2514
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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