Real weight loss is a simple numbers game. Truly, it is “calories in” vs. “calories out” per day. To see results, you need to have between 200-500 more calories going out than coming in.
Understanding what exactly makes up the “calories in” and the “calories out” is key to your success.
“Calories In” consists of every single calorie ingested in your day. Including all liquids.
“Calories Out” consists of a few numbers added together:
1. First your BMR or Basil Metabolic Rate, this number is how many calories your body would burn just laying in bed all day. For a quick easy calculation of your BMR click here and input your height, weight, age and gender.
2. The second number is how many calories you burn in your daily activity (not including an exercise session). For me, between teaching fitness all day and walking my dogs I burn approximately 500-600 calories in my daily activities. For someone who sits in an office and does not go out for a walk at lunch, the number can be as low as 200 extra calories a day for daily activity. Given these two examples figure out approximately where you fit in.
3. The third number is how many calories you burn during exercise. For this number, Google your activity plus the words “calories burned.”
The best way to work your numbers is take a tally of both calories in and calories out around 4pm. By 4pm we all pretty much know what the rest of the day looks like until bedtime and you can make the necessary adjustments to hit that higher calorie out number. Weight Watchers is one excellent way to work this system and so are calorie counting apps like MyFitnessPal.
Sometimes having a number system in front of you can help take emotional sabotage out of eating and therefore making it easier to achieve your goals.
Most of us sabotage ourselves at night when we are bored, or when we stuff our feelings or don’t eat enough calories during the day. Eating enough during the day and taking a moment to examine the reason behind wanting food is a good way to identify and stop sabotage eating. As it gets later in the day turn to your numbers each time you get hungry and decide what to eat based on what they are telling you.
Sticking to this system takes a few days to get used to but the results are worth it!
