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A calorie is a measure of energy, it is used to measure the energy you take in through food and the energy you expend through daily activities.

You body uses energy for keeping you alive, basic bodily functions such as pumping blood round your body, breathing, digesting food all require energy and that’s before you start standing up, walking around, working or even doing any exercise.

The basic principal of weight loss is that you must burn more calories than you consume, this is called creating a calorie deficit. The size of the calorie deficit is determined by Calories In minus Calories Out, to burn 1 lb of fat you need to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories.

Example:

A woman consumes 1,500 calories a day and expends 2,000 calories a day for 1 week
= (1,500 calories in – 2,000 calories out) X 7 days
= -500 calories per day
= -3,500 calories per week
= 1 lb of weight loss in a week

An average man requires 2,500 calories a day to maintain his weight while an average woman requires 2,000 calories a day. The amount of calories required a day to stay at the same waight depends on your weight, the heavier your body the more energy required to fuel it.

Unless under medical supervision you shouldn’t reduce your daily calorie intake to less than 1,200 calories for a woman or 1,800 for a man and do not aim at losing more than 2lbs per week. So dont just stop eating or drastically cut back your calorie intake to much, this will not work, your body will just go into starvation mode and change the rate at which it burns calories.

The typical calorie deficit you need will be between 500 and 1000 calories per day which will result in you losing 1 to 2 pounds of weight per week.

Life requires energy, your body requires energy to keep all your organs functioning and keep you alive, it requires even more energy to allow you to move around, the more you move the more energy it requires. Your body’s fuel source for this energy is simply the food and drink you put in, your digestive system breaks down this fuel, releasing the energy to power your body.

When you provide your body with more fuel than it needs it stores the excess as fat to be used later, when you provide your body with less fuel than it needs it breaks down the internal stores of fat and uses them for energy. This principal is what all weight loss programs are based upon, either put less fuel in or take more energy out or ideally do both together.

What Is A Calorie?

A calorie is a measurement created to represent the amount of energy contained in either the food (fuel) we put in or the energy (life and movement) we take out. One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories of fuel / energy. Put in 3,500 calories more than you need and you will put on 1 pound of weight, take out 3,500 calories of energy more than you put in and you will lose 1 pound of weight.

All calorie controlled weight loss programs are based around recording and understanding how many calories you put in to your body verses how many you expend as energy output and creating a deficit, i.e. less in than out. The act of recording the calories makes us very conscious of what we put in and take out of our bodies. Being aware of the facts puts us back in control so we can make changes and build these changes into permanent habits, such as reducing our portion size or increasing our exercise level.

In today’s world with convenience food it is all too easy to end up providing our body with more fuel than it needs. Technology has also removed the need for us to expend as much energy in every-day routine tasks, just think about what we would have done before we had:

• Washing Machines
• Dishwashers
• Vacuum Cleaners
• TVs
• Computers
• Cars

These are all essential elements of today’s life but each one of them means we dont need to move as much or use as much energy as people would have done previously.

How To Lose Weight Safely & Sustainably?

How to Lose Weight Safely:

In order to effectively lose weight you need to do it in a safe controlled manor, any calorie values mentioned on this or any website are always averages, the safest way is always to start by consulting your physician.

That said, when you create a calorie deficit of the correct amount you will burn fat, however make that deficit too large (i.e. not eating enough) and your body will think you are starving and lower the rate at which it burns energy, your body will also start to burn muscle instead of fat, if in future you put weight on again you will end up with a higher fat percentage than you started.

Unless under medical supervision don’t drop your calorie intake lower than 1,200 calories per day for a woman or 1,800 for a man and do not try to lose more than 2lbs per week. The average ideal calorie deficit is typically between 500 and 1000 calories per day which equates out to 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss per week.

How to Exercise Sustainably:

Start with a routine you can maintain – Do not just start exercising madly 5 hours a day 7 days a week, it will not be sustainable, you will find you injure yourself meaning you can’t carry on exercising net result, less overall exercise. Your body needs time to heal in between workouts and you need to start any routine gradually. Start with just 2 workouts per week and increase it from there always trying to give your body a day to rest and recover.

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