Weight Loss By Counting Calories

It’s no secret to anyone that the average person is becoming more and more likely to struggle with his or her weight at some point during the average lifetime. Unfortunately, in a country where food is cheap and plentiful, far too many people are living to eat as opposed to eating to live, and obesity rates are souring out of control as a result. Of course, no one wants to be fat or unhealthy, so more and more people are looking for solutions to their weight loss. One of the most common and long-standing weight loss strategies is through the counting of calories and the intentional creation of a calorie deficit.

Each person’s body requires a certain number of calories in order to perform its daily functions, no matter what their lifestyle may be like. Even if you simply spend the day lying in bed watching television, your body is still burning calories in order to breathe, circulate blood, think, digest your food, flip the channels, and much, much more that most people rarely if ever think about. This figure in terms of the number of calories required is known as your basal metabolic rate (or BMR) and is relative to several factors, including a person’s height, weight, and age.

In addition to your BMR, your body also burns additional calories in relation to whatever activities you do throughout the day. All activities burn calories, even low-key activities you don’t normally consider such as walking, driving to work, or doing light housework. Some certainly burn more than others, like working out strenuously or running, but they all burn fuel regardless. Add your calories burned through activity throughout the day to you BMR, and you have your total amount of “calories out” for the day.

“Calories in” come from the foods you consume, of course. As with activities, some foods account for more calories than others. When you consume more calories than you burn a day, you gain weight. When you consume fewer calories than you burn a day, you lose weight. When you consume the same? Your weight stays constant.

Now that you know the basics of how and why you may gain or lose weight, you need to know the basics as to how many calories a pound of fat is actually worth, which is more or less 3500 calories. This figure is the same whether the pound in question is going on or coming off. If you want to burn a pound of fat a week, then you need to create a calorie deficit of roughly 500 calories a day in order to meet the 3500 calorie deficit necessary, and this is best done through a combination of calorie-cutting and increased calorie expenditure through physical activity.

However, as with any diet method, it’s important to remember to make healthy choices. Choose your calories wisely, prioritizing fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Eliminate junk food from your diet, or at the very least, cut way back on your intake of it. Do this in tandem with an exercise regime that allows for 20-30 minutes of continuous exercise at least 5 days a week. It’s also important to remember to discuss any potential diet or exercise program with your doctor before deciding once and for all that it’s the right one for you.