When we put gas in our car we normally fill the tank up. With calories, imagine you had to put just enough gas in your car to get to work, then refuel every time you want to drive somewhere else, only putting enough gas in your car to get to your destination. Master this concept with fueling your body, and you'll be able to maintain or change your weight as you desire. Most importantly, you put yourself in control of your own destiny.
The rule of thumb is that we have to take in 3,500 extra calories to gain a pound of fat. So, if your body needs 1,500 calories per day to maintain all of the fuel for the energy you will burn, and you take in 2,000 calories per day, it will take a week to gain a pound. Weight gain and weight loss occur over time, which is why one day of not eating or overeating doesn't change your weight.
Learn to Burn
Of course, everyone's body is different, so knowing how many calories your body needs per day has many determining factors, but a primary one is how often you exercise. You can use this Calorie/BMR Calculator to estimate how many calories your body needs to maintain its current weight. You may also want to try this BMI Index and see if you are underweight, normal or overweight for your body size.
The healthier way to lose weight is to increase your exercise and reduce your calories, unless you consume many more calories than your body needs. Depriving your body of calories, without exercise, can lead to a short-term loss of weight, but your body will also adjust its metabolism to compensate for less fuel. A better plan is to eat according to your activity. When you use the calorie calculator, watch what happens to the amount of calories you are allowed when you increase your exercise levels.
Using the same math as above, you would have to reduce your daily calorie intake by 500 calories per day to lose a single pound at the end of the week. Based on my age, weight, and 45 minutes of exercise, I can consume 2,500 calories per day to maintain my present weight, so 2,000 would be my target goal. When I exercise, I have one of those calorie burners which I hate staring at because it doesn't seem to move too quickly, but I do regularly burn 500 calories per day. That's like getting a free meal!
If you are motivated to make a change in your lifestyle, spend a day logging all of the calories you actually eat. What you think you consume is usually a lot less than what you actually consume. If you don't count, you don't know. Be sure to accurately log calories to the proper portion size.
CalorieKing.com is a good place to look for any caloric values not found on a nutritional label. They also have a book version that's always quite handy.
The best way to make calories your friend is to count how many friends you have. You don't want too many friends, but you don't want not enough friends either. You want the perfect balance of friends that works best for you and your lifestyle.
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