February 22, 2010

There's a lot of talk in the media these days about calories and nutritional labeling.    Blogger Scott Keith of 'Its a Guy Thing Blog' released a post over the weekend about calories and why you need to understand how many calories you require.   The premise is that you can read nutritional labels all day long, but it only helps you lose weight if you understand your daily caloric needs. 

Here's a quick  take on this topic with additional information on balancing calorie intake with calorie expenditure....

One handy rule of thumb for estimating your daily calorie requirement is to multiply your body weight (in lbs) by 12.

I weigh 184 so my daily calorie requirement is 2208, according to the formula.

This number includes the calories I burn simply by being alive plus activity calories associated with a typical sedentary lifestyle, meaning it does not include exercise. So, theoretically, I can maintain my weight by eating 2200+/- calories, assuming little or no exercise.

Why is this good to know?

Because at the end of the day, weight loss is about simple math. 

It starts with a simple equation:   3500 calories = 1 lb of body fat

This means that over any given period of time, if I burn 3500 calories more than I consume, I lose 1 lb of body fat.

If you divide 3500 by 7 days, that's 500 calories per day.   Burn 500 calories more than you consume every day for a week and you lose 1 lb.

Therefore, if I cut 200 calories from my daily calorie intake and burn 300 calories per day in exercise, I'll lose 1 lb per week.  

In this scenario, I would try to eat no more than 2000 (2200 - 200) calories each day. I would walk, jog, bike, lift weights, or engage in some type of physical activity to burn 300 calories each day.

If I happen to eat more than 2000 calories, I would make sure to engage in additional exercise to maintain the 500 calorie differential needed to drop 1 lb per week.

The big idea here is that you don't have to starve yourself to lose weight. Most diet books and articles focus only on reducing calorie consumption. Long-term healthy weight loss occurs by cutting back on consumption -and- burning more calories through exercise.

It may not be completely obvious, but having the abililty to manage your calorie intake -and- your calorie expenditure will provide you with much needed flexibility to live your life and stick with your weight loss plan.

If you're interested in additional information about this topic, make sure to download our free eBook "A Few Simple Facts".

As always...   make sure to talk to your doctor before beginning a weight loss plan.  

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