Looking to take off weight and lose excess fat?
There must be a calorie deficit if you are trying for fat loss. The first step is to get your calories down in proper alignment.
This deficit is what causes the body to turn to body fat as the primary fuel source. It’s just basic math: if you are not eating the right amount of calories, you can try as hard as you like, but you will not be burning fat.
However, a very important distinction must be made – you must also choose the right foods if you want to lose fat. It’s the combination of proper calorie intake and the right foods that you need that’s essential for success.
Keep in mind, that a greater calorie deficit is not always better. Starvation diets are not the way to a healthy – or fit and toned body.
If you’re trying to lose a high amount of weight, 30 plus pounds or more, you may be able to take this up a bit higher and use a 750-1000 calorie deficit. But be reasonable and tread lightly when doing so. Slow and steady is the way to go when it comes to the game of fat loss – you’ll win the race 9 out of 10 times.
It’s important to plan your meals in advance so there’s never any question as to what you should be eating each day.
Your calorie intake is made up of three different components:
Your BMR – Basal Metabolic Rate
How many calories you body needs to consume each and every day just to stay alive. The simplest way to approximate your BMR is to multiply your body weight by 10. Take your current weight in pounds and multiply by 10 to get your BMR.
Your TEF – The Thermal Effect of Food
How many calories your body will burn simply by breaking down the food you eat. Your body burns calories digesting it and this gets added to your daily calories burn. Take your BMR value that was just tabulated and multiply by 1.15 to get your new calculation. This now includes your BMR and the TEF.
Your Activity Level
How many calories you burn off on a day to day basis going about your normal lifestyle activities.
Put yourself in one of three categories:
Sedentary: 1.1 – office job
Lightly Active: 1.2 – on your feet all day – hair dresser, teacher etc.
Very Active: 1.4 – constantly moving – manual labor, construction worker etc.
Take the level you arrive at above and multiply it by the factor for you activity level. This gives you your maintenance calorie intake. If your goal is to lose weight, you’ll need to subtract calories from this so that your body is turning to body fat as a fuel source.
It takes 3500 calories to burn off one pound of body fat. Approximately 250-500 calorie deficit daily produces a good rate of fat loss, 1/2 to 1 pound weekly which is about where most people should be. I recommend that most people use a deficit of 500 calories per day as this tends to be the sweet spot for most people for an ideal rate of weight loss results.
When starting, you’ll likely need to count calories but as time progresses, you’ll be able to get a feel for how much you’re eating and hit your targets naturally. Consider also, the 80/20 rule. If you make good healthy choices 80 percent of the time, you can indulge slightly. For example, if you really want to allow yourself some freedom, you could treat yourself to one cheap day per week.
Remember: “Failing to plan means planning to fail”…
Plan your weekly meals and snack times, but keep them under control.
“Stop Weight-Loss Resistance” can help you do just that…
For more tools and resources from Carolyn Hansen to assist you in attaining your health and fitness goals and achieving the success you desire in life, please visit:
It’s time to throw away all the false statements you’ve accepted about dieting and exercise and learn what it really takes to stay healthy and fit.
