Lose Weight by Cutting Calories

Weight Loss Plan

Sure we want to eat less to lose weight. But it is more important to have a complete plan to help you lose weight. Gaining weight is not just about how much you eat. We gain weight when the calories we consume are more than the calories we burn. To effectively lose weight we must burn more calories than we eat. This is a lifestyle. This requires an effective weight loss plan.

Count Calories

Yes we must count calories and consume less to lose weight. Yet our body needs adequate vitamins, minerals and nutrients to function properly. Starvation diets and Fad diets like cutting out a food group such as carbohydrates, protein or even fat do not work. There may be initial weight loss but that weight usually returns once the body realizes it is being deprived. The best diet is a high fiber low fat diet with a balance of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans. By eating a healthy diet we will automatically consume less calories than we may be currently.

Cut Calories

As we count calories and truly understand how much we are eating daily the best way is to reduce calories by approximately 10% to start. Many times this can be done without losing any vitamins, minerals and nutrients. We can cut calories by first changing some of the things we consume. For instance, if we eliminate soda and drink water or natural tea instead this change alone can reduce our calories by 200 or more per day. Another strategy is to read the labels of what you eat and reduce the amount of refined sugar and flour you eat. Refined sugar and flour are processed differently by our bodies than whole grains and natural sugar found in fruit and vegetables. As such they add calories that are not burned off easily. These processed foods are also instrumental in increasing risks of major diseases like cancer and heart disease.

Digest Your Food

One way to lose weight is to properly digest your food. To do so you should: eat smaller portions more often (5-6 meals a day); chew your food well; and drink plenty of water. Properly digested food will be easily converted to energy, increase your metabolism and help you burn fat. When your food is not properly digested you have less energy and you also retain toxic waste in your digestive system. This waste not only adds weight but it also increases risks of major diseases.

Burn Calories

In an effective weight loss plan not only to you want to consume fewer calories you also want to burn more calories. The net effect is less calories which equals less weight. Regular physical exercise is essential to lose weight. Exercise is mandatory. You do not need to be a body builder but we all need aerobic and resistance exercise to burn calories and lose weight. A 20 to 30 minute brisk walk everyday plus a low impact resistance program can be all you need to shed pounds and keep them off. 

Wrap Up

Finally, it takes more than just eating less. We must have a comprehensive weight loss program, count our calories, cut about 10% of our calories by eliminating unhealthy food choices, digest our food properly and become more physically active to burn the fat. This formula will always help you lose weight. If you make eating healthy and regular exercise a lifestyle you will keep the weight off.

Louis Jeffries is a Christian, Husband, Father, Grandfather who is passionate about sharing the truth about eating healthy, fitness and weight loss. For more information on how to easily lose weight go to Healthy Weight Loss

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How Many Calories Consumed to Lose Weight?

If you want to find out how many calories consumed to lose weight, I shall go through some simple arithmetic with you. But before doing so, let me share with you some of the facts about calories and fat in relation to losing weight.

I see dozens of people running on treadmills every day I go to the gym. Some of them are running from the moment I arrive until the time I leave. I always wonder if these people really enjoy running, or if they are running in hopes of burning off body fat.

I did a mini survey because we are there every day and we almost know each other. Most of them are interested in fat loss, and only a small portion of them are actually doing it simply because they like running. Some just do it as a pass time, knowing that exercising is better than not exercising. Unfortunately for these people running is not a very effective way of burning fat and losing weight. Let me explain and please get ready a calculator.

No matter if you walk or run your body burns the same number of calories per kilometer that you travel. You actually burn one calorie per kg of bodyweight per kilometer.

1 calorie x kg bodyweight x kilometer = total calories burned

Let's say you are a 200-lb man (app. 90 kg), and you went for a 5 kilometer run/walk. You would burn off about 450 calories during this exercise, for arguments sake let's also say it took you 1 hour.

The calculation looks like this:

1 calorie x 90 kilograms bodyweight x 5 kilometers = 450 calories

There are two catches to this.

First catch: you will only burn this many calories if you weigh 200 lbs. If you weigh 150 lbs you will only burn 340 calories over a 5 kilometer run/walk. And don't forget it takes you an hour.

Second catch: This total number of calories is not over and above your resting metabolic rate.

In this example the 200-lb man probably has a resting metabolic rate of about 90 calories per hour. So even if he didn't go for this 5 kilometer run/walk he would have still burned off 90 calories during that hour.

This means his total EXTRA calories burned from this hour of exercise is actually 450cal - 90cals.

So his total number of EXTRA calories burned for the day is only 360 calories.

When it comes to exercise I know there is an old saying that "every little bit counts". But wow every bit really does seem LITTLE when you really get down to measuring it like this!

You may have already known that you need to burn 3,500 calories in order to lose one pound. Depends on the number of pounds you want to shed, it's easy to work out how many calories you need to burn on a daily basis. Reviewing the above calculations, exercising to burn off body fat and lose weight doesn't sound a good deal. However consuming fewer calories is. So your question of "How Many Calories Consumed to Lose Weight" sounds sensible.

The amount of calories required varies according to sex, age, height, activity level and the amount of muscle you have. Let say the 200-lb man requires 2,500 calories everyday and he wants to lose 20 pounds. He can skip two days of eating to cut 5,000 calories in a week and lose roughly 1.5 pound. That will take him around 13 weeks to achieve his 20 pounds weight loss goal. However we don't only count on numbers to survive. There are many associated concerns such as low energy, slow metabolism, hunger strike, starvation and the list goes on. Is it really possible to eat less, maintain our normal activities and at the same time lose weight?

The bottom line is - If you truly want to lose weight and burn fat you must find a style of eating that allows you to eat less food and enjoy the food you eat.

Check out the book Eat Stop Eat and you'll find scientific answers to the above.

Anna is the author of http://www.fasting-for-weight-loss.com

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