Post by Shannon
Most people think that to lose weight you need to eat less calories. It's true you shouldn't eat too many calories, but you also shouldn't eat too few. I got an email from someone the other day who said she was eating 400 calories a day and still not losing weight. 400 is way too few!
Well, the truth is your body needs calories. You need the RIGHT calories. If you are eating too few calories you won't lose weight. In fact, you might even gain weight because when you are eating your body is storing the food as fat. Your body needs fruits, veggies, grains, dairy, and protein. Your body needs a balanced diet.
I've been eating between 2000 to 2100 calories, and I've been losing 1-3 pounds per week. I'm 5' 4" and I'm breastfeeding. When you are breastfeeding, you need 500 extra calories a day.
Everyone's body is different, and something that might work for someone might not work for another. For me, I've notice that I have more energy when I am fueling my body with the right kinds of foods throughout the day.
Here is a link to a great site that will calculate your calories for you! It's awesome!
Here is an equation from Beachbody's Insanity program that you can use too. It takes your weight, height, age and activity level into consideration to determine your calories.
Step 1: Use the Harris Benedict Equation to calculate your caloric needs.
For Women: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
For Men: 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x ages in years)
Step 2: Take the number you got from above and multiply it by the level of exercise listed below.
Exercise # Category Explanation
1.2 Sedentary Little or no exercise1.375 Lightly Active Light Ex. (1-3 days a wk)
1.55 Moderately Active Moderate Ex. (3-5 days a wk)
1.7 Very Active Hard Ex. (6-7 days a wk)
1.9 Extremely Active Hard daily ex. or physical job
Step 3: The number that you now have will tell you your calorie needs for weight maintenance. In step 3, you'll adjust this number up or down, depending on your weight loss or gain goals.
See below:
- For weight loss, subtract 500 caolories from your number in step 2.
- For weight maintenance, do nothing just use the number from step 2.
- For weight gain, add 250 to 300 calories per day to your number from step 2.
It is also important to evaluate your calories weekly. Write down your calories daily at first to see how many you are getting. After a week, evaluate them. Are you hungry? Are you full? Do you have energy? Are you reaching your goals (losing weight, etc.). Adjust your calorie intake if needed.
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