There are hundreds of fad diets and products that guarantee weight loss, but there are only two surefire ways to lose weight once and for all: diet and exercise. With the right workout regimen and the right balance between calories burned and calories eaten, just about anybody can shed the pounds they are looking to drop over time. While the number of calories you consume and burn is not the be-all and end-all of weight loss, it is important to have a good understanding of calories, the right calorie goal for your weight loss endeavors, and how it all ties in together.
Some Calories Needed
Many people make the mistake of cutting down drastically on the number of calories they eat per day, thinking that this will spur massive weight loss. In a way, it is easy to see how it could make sense: If losing weight is about burning calories, why not burn calories on top of limiting the number of calories you eat per day? However, while a healthy weight loss diet does involve cutting out some calories, this does not mean you should cut out huge numbers of calories. Calories are the way your body converts food into energy; using up energy burns calories. Severely limiting your calories will have a drastic effect on the amount of energy you have, making it difficult to find the energy you need to exercise.
Calculating BMR
The first step in deciding the number of calories you need to be consuming on a daily basis is to calculate your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. BMR is an estimate of the number of calories your body burns automatically at a state of rest, without you having to do any work or exercise. Calculating your BMR requires the completion of a mathematical formula called the Harris-Benedict equation.
The equation to figure the BMR for a man is: 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
The Harris-Benedict equation for women is: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Using BMR to Calculate Caloric Needs
Once you have determined your BMR, the next step is to determine how many calories you need to maintain your weight. If you are pretty lazy, multiply your BMR by 1.2. If you are slightly active and exercise once a week or so, multiply your BMR by 1.375. If you do play some light sports and work out a few times a week, multiply your BMR by 1.725. If you are very active, have a physically demanding job or work out most days out of the week, multiply your BMR by 1.9. The number you come up with is the number of calories you need to eat per day in order to stay at your current weight.
Cutting Calories for Weight Loss
The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you take in. Between cutting calories and burning calories through exercise, it is possible to lose weight every week. Consider that 3,500 calories equals 1 lb. of body fat. Creating a deficit of 500 calories per day every day for a week can help you to lose a pound a week.
Make Healthier Food Choices
Part of cutting down on calories eaten is making better choices when it comes to eating. Everyday Choices, a collaboration of the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association, recommends eating five servings of fruits and vegetables in a day, opting for whole grains over processed white grains and choosing smaller portions of foods. The smaller the portion is, the fewer calories it contains. As a rule, fresh fruits and vegetables contain fewer calories than some other unhealthier food choices. By making better choices in food you can cut calories inadvertently while properly fueling your body for exercise and weight loss at the same time.
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