Weight loss can be extremely challenging. It may seem that no matter what you eat or do, your weight stays the same. Or, you might have experienced weight loss but then the weight slowly came back.
The answer to weight loss should not involve a crazy diet that your friend swears by. It should not have you eating a handful of things and restricting everything else, nor should it be consisting of all liquids.
Extreme diets may work for a period of time, but once you start eating normally again the weight will come back.
The simple fact is weight loss can happen using science.
The Formula
Many have already heard this, but it is important that the focal point of any diet is cutting calories. Now, that doesn’t mean eating one tiny meal a day because while that will induce weight loss, it is totally unhealthy. Instead, cutting a small number of calories will lead to weight loss over time which is healthy.
The magic formula to weight loss is pretty much-reducing calories to the point at which you burn more calories than you consume. But you don’t want to go overboard because you want your body to adjust healthily.
An individual must burn 3,500 calories to shed one pound of fat. In order to get the healthy 1-2 pounds of weight loss a week, this means cutting about 500 calories per day. Your body likes to adapt over time, so cutting 500 calories per day instead of 1500, or even 2000 and beyond, will just make your body crash and the weight will fluctuate. You need to allow your body to slowly burn the fat and adjust so it can function normally at that weight.
You might be wondering how to calculate the number of calories you should be getting every day. It turns out there is an equation based on weight, height, and age that can determine your metabolic rate and give you your daily recommended calories. The formula for females is:
BMR (basal metabolic rate) = 655 + (9.6 x weight) + (1.8 x height) – (4.7 x age)
So you will notice that the higher the numbers for each category, the higher your metabolic rate, and thus the higher the amount of calories to be consumed each day.
Now there is a bit more calculating you will have to do, and that is tracking what you eat and adding all the macros up each day. Do this for a week to get a good understanding of what you are typically eating each week. Compare this to your BMR calories and you should see they are about the same. Now you have a great idea of where you are and you can begin reducing calories.
How to Reduce Calories
One way to reduce calories is by exercising. Moderately intense swimming or cardio classes can burn 100 calories in 15 minutes. So, it would take about an hour of moderate exercise to burn about 400 calories.
But for that extra 100 calories or days when you don’t/can’t exercise, the reduction has to come from food. Keeping track of everything that goes into your body will really help you decide what to stop eating and what to continue eating. For example, a small bag of chips is already about 100 calories and that’s a simple compromise to give up when starting out.
It’s important to remember that not all food sources are equal either. Fried and processed foods contain many more calories than whole foods so simply switching for a healthier alternative can provide a huge benefit. Even a small switch of white rice to brown rice can make a difference in weight loss even though calories will be the same.
Also, not all fats are equal. There are healthy fats and unhealthy fats. Healthy fats come from things like avocados, olive oil, and nuts/seeds.
A tip is to load up on veggies and protein. Reducing unhealthy fats and carbohydrates and replacing them with veggies is a simple way to reduce calories while introducing nutrient-dense food. Your gut will also thank you.
When your body is nutrient-deprived, it can send the same signals as starvation to the brain and your body will store energy in the form of fat.
Conclusion
The key to weight loss isn’t some crazy diet, it is eating more nutritious foods and reducing the calories consumed. For some, simply cleaning up the diet and eating healthier alternatives can lead to weight loss. But for others, they need to calculate the calories they normally take in and reduce that amount. The best results come with a mix of exercise and food reduction.
Modern Fit believes in making steady lifestyle changes, not constrictions. Our coaches provide clients with personalized meal plans that are not only tasty and extremely healthy but take your lifestyle into account. You’ll also receive a fitness plan to help supercharge weight loss and keep it off. Try a 7-day trial today, offer ends soon!
