Weight Loss Information |
How Many Calories Can I Have And Still Lose Weight?
How to Estimate How Many Calories You Can Have and Still Lose WeightTo figure out how many calories you should have, first start with where you are. In other words, figure out how many calories it takes to maintain your present size and then reduce from there. You can go about this in many ways. Most people simply choose an arbitrary number like 1200 calories and that's what they eat, but in nearly every case that's not nearly enough calories to ensure adequate nutrition, not to mention the deprivation that sets up. While losing weight and to this day, I eat over 2000 calories a day on average and I've maintained a good weight for my height for over 17 years. Remember, your body requires calories to maintain itself. Basic Calorie Requirements Calculation Based on Activity Level:Sedentary : 13 X Weight = Avg. cal/day Moderately Active: 16 X Weight = Avg. cal/day Very Active: 19 X Weight = Avg. cal/day If you weigh over 200 pound now, and you'd like to weigh closer to 150, here is a calculation you could use to get started: Assuming you are going to be adding enough exercise to quality as Moderately Active, we'll use 16 as our modifier: 150 pounds X 16 calories per pound = 2400 calories If you started to incorporate a plan that allowed an average of 1900 calories every day, you'd start to lose weight. The mistake most people make is to reduce calories too much, which ultimately sacrifices muscle plus sets you up for feeling deprived. It's far better in the long run to go more slowly, keeping as much muscle as possible while burning calories via exercise. Remember too, even if you don't eat quite that many calories on many days, you might eat more on the weekends for instance, so it ends up being closer to your goal of 1900 average per day. Take the total calories for the week divided by seven. Remember, this average calorie number gives you plenty of wiggle room during the week. You can have some treats along with everyone else, or add more on weekends. Instead of constantly saying, "I can't, I'm on a diet," now you can say, "Thank you, that looks delicious," and enjoy some. It doesn't ruin your diet plan because you've got a large enough calorie allowance that if you are more careful some days than others, it will work out to the average number of calories you want. I tend to eat far less calories during the week than on weekends and my totals generally average out to 2000 to 2200 calories per day. The 500 calorie reduction is a well accepted amount. You can reduce your calories further, but I wouldn't recommend it. It doesn't benefit anyone to try for faster weight loss, in fact, if you reduce your calories too much you end up wasting muscle in the process, which is exactly what you do not want to do. If you want faster results, it's better to add more activity, thereby burning more calories at rest. You may be thinking I'm nuts, recommending 1900 calories per day, but I can say for a fact that if you eat too little (1000 - 1200 calories is too few, IMO) then you set yourself up for all of the following: Deprivation. You're going to feel deprived, mentally and physically. 1000 calories isn't enough for your basic metabolic needs, much less to fuel yourself for your activity needs. Add more food! Just have a bit more than you're already having, so for instance, if you are allowed 1/2 cup of vegetables is a whole cup going to ruin all your progress? I doubt it. Eat a whole cup, or go ahead and have two oranges. Fruits and vegetables are very low calorie but provide high nutrition. Sure, some vegis and fruits are high in sugar, but it's natural sugar. I seriously doubt our planet grows any killer foods - it is more likely the food industry which has processed those foods to become nothing more than a dried powder, then add back more sugars, and chemicals so it will resemble the original product, is more harmful than a simple apple or banana? If you are diabetic or must watch the sugars, have a small bit of protein along with the higher glycemic food, such as an ounce of cheese with your apple. Notice I said an ounce of cheese, not a slab big enough to feed a small country. Metabolic Slow-Down Feeding yourself too few calories sets you up for metabolic slow-down. Studies have shown time and again that a heavier person can find it difficult to lose weight, even though eating very low calories, simply because their body's metabolism is burning at such a slow rate. As you probably already know exercise helps to speed up your metabolism but so does eating. That's why they say breakfast is so important, not only to fuel yourself but because it starts the metabolic furnace burning, and it continues to burn all day. If you don't eat anything until noon, you don't stoke your furnace to start burning until then either. Has the ultra low calorie approach worked for you so far? If not, why not try something more reasonable? Tag along with a friend who doesn't have a weight problem and you'll see how sometimes they eat more, sometimes less, but on average they eat enough to fuel their body and maintain their weight. Adding more food gives you additional eye appeal. If you split up 1000 calories over the course of an entire day you're looking at pretty skimpy portions on your plate each time you eat. I like to feel like I'm getting enough to eat and I do this by rounding out my plate with extra vegetables. If I'm having a frozen entree for instance, I'll cook up a cup or more of frozen vegetables to add to my plate. The extra vegis really fill me up, providing the satisfaction I need, and I often have a bit extra vegetables to throw away. Is that wasting food? No, it's smart. Far better for me mentally to have extra food to toss away than to be licking the plate because I'm still hungry. I'm also not likely to start wanting something else to eat right after dinner if I'm feeling content with the amount I've eaten. Make an effort to learn to like your food as is. Plain mixed vegetables with nothing on them are delicious. It took me awhile to stop putting butter on them, and then even quitting the Molly McButter (just chemicals and sodium). I eat them plain and yes, they are great. Nature made our fruits and vegetables naturally sweet and all those "extras" we are used to using like butter on vegetables or potatoes certainly make things taste all yummy but they also make us larger than we need to be. Those "extra" calories add up. Start to Slowly Make Ajustments to What You Eat or How Much You EatFor instance wean yourself off adding sugar to your cold cereal. Read the label; all processed cereals contain a ridiculous amount of added sugar already. There's no need to add more. My only exception is brown sugar on oatmeal. I don't sugar my cereal at all anymore but it took me awhile to make the change. Start by adding a bit less, then next week cut back a bit more until you break the habit entirely. Tiny changes make up for big results over time. If you feed yourself well, and focus on increasing your activity, even if only a little, then you will continue to lose fat, build muscle and get more shapely, all the while increasing your metabolism so you can eat more food! ~~ Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of the free e-book: Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com Get The Daily Bites: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss.
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
How To Lose Weight Quickly and Safely "I eat like a bird, why do I gain weight?" When someone says that, I ask them "What kind or a bird a sparrow or a vulture"? Studies showed that there is a direct correlation between a person being inactive and weight gain. Experts say that it is inactivity, not excess eating that can add excess body fat. 5 Easy Steps to Help You Lose Weight When losing weight, most of us don't have the time to drastically change our lifestyles. We need a practical and convenient way to integrate effective habits into our daily lives. Close Kept Secrets to Weight Loss Lesson #7 Well, look at you go! You keep moving closer and closer towards your goal. How extraordinary are you? Do you want to know? You are the most extraordinary person on this earth!! To quote Wayne Dyer, we are human beings having a spiritual experience. Youll Need Total Will Power To Undergo Weight Loss How much will power does it take in order to go through the torment of weight loss? Though the answer to weight loss varies from each individual, all it takes is the correct attitude, admitting to yourself that you do have the desire of letting lose the unwanted pounds.For years, people all over may have experienced the defeat from their own lack of self-will, thinking that weight loss is not worth the pain. 5 Tips to Keep Your Mental Health in Shape as You Diet Losing weight and going on a diet can be quite challenging! As someone who has lost over 50 pounds, I will share a bit of my "dieting wisdom" with you.1. Weight Loss and Water: The Unknown Secret Weight Loss and Water: A Way to Make Your Body Shed Pounds Fast and Keep Them Off!Almost everyone reading this -- even the skinniest -- think they should lose weight. And Americans are almost obsessed with weight loss. Nutrition and Metabolism Disorder What is the relationship between intake of nutrition and metabolism disorder? Is slow metabolism the cause of my overweight? Are there any types of nutrition that can speed it up? Could a pill speed it up?There are many myths and misconceptions about metabolism. The idea that a low metabolic rate is always responsible for excess weight is one of them. Fast Weight Loss Using Herbs And Spices I wonder how much it is generally known that the benefits of using herbs and spices can speed up your weight loss efforts, by quite a considerable amount actually.We all know that herbs and spices are used with cooking to varying degrees, and of course the primary reason for doing so is to make food much more tasty and interesting. How Can You Find Newport Beach Liposuction center? Finding the clinic that performs liposuctions in Newport Beach is quite easy. All Newport Beach liposuction clinics have their websites, so it's a good idea to start looking for them on the Net. Hydrate to Lose Weight: The Real Skinny On Water Retention and Sodium If you've been scouring the news, devouring as much information as possible regarding weight loss, you've likely heard all the buzz about the relationship between weight loss and drinking water. It has been well documented that the liver is able to metabolize more fat if you help out your kidneys by drinking plenty of water each day. Resist that Snack Attack and Keep Your Diet on Track When on a diet, snack attacks can hit hard and fast. Everywhere you go reminds you of what you can't have and what you want. To Diet or not to Diet, That Should Be The Question! Diet information is everywhere. In advertisements, on TV, in magazines; the bookstores are crammed with books on many different diet options - The South Beach Diet, The Atkins Diet, Weight Watchers, The Cabbage Soup Diet. The Culprit of Obesity in Children - Inactivity It was bad enough hearing almost daily that obesity in adults is a growing problem, now our children are the focal point. Yes, moms and dads, the research is in. WLS Patients Report Frequent Dizziness: What Causes It? Many gastric bypass patients report frequent spells of dizziness. In general they are using the word dizzy to describe everything from feeling faint or lightheaded to feeling weak or unsteady. Weight Loss Surgery: Benefits and Risks You may be considering weight loss surgery if you are overweight or obese. For many people, surgical weight reduction is one of the only viable ways to lose a significant amount of weight and enjoy better health. Obesity is Big Business Obesity and overweight, weight reduction and weight management therapies, miracle weight loss pills are everywhere. Open the newspaper, switch on the T. 4 Surefire Ways NOT To Lose Weight At Your Health Club Everyone has their own individual reason for joining a health club, lose a few pounds, tone up, lower your blood pressure, strengthen a bad back or shoulder, perform better in sports, or just keep in shape by playing some basketball or racquetball.By joining the gym you have shown a time, and a financial commitment to achieving your goals, congratulations!However, joining the gym is only the first step. Diets, Diets, Diets?Do They Work? Almost everyone has attempted to follow diets and weight loss programs at some time in their lives. The trouble with so many diets and low fat diets is that they are hard to follow. Unearth the Weight Loss Values in an Egg At the University of Illinois, a new research found that eating high quality protein such as protein found in eggs can help weight loss. An essential amino acid leucine reduces muscle tissue loss, promotes body fat loss and stabilizes blood glucose levels. Diet Sodas & Losing Weight: Is Diet Coke Good Or Dangerous For Healthy Weight Loss? Zero Calorie Diet Sodas: Good Or Bad For Weight Loss?Calorie-free diet sodas, like Diet Coke?, Diet Pepsi? or Diet-7 Up? seem very good for weight loss or maintenance, compared to their sugar-saturated counterparts. For example, just a cup of orange juice contains a whopping 110 calories. |
home | site map | contact us |