Galahad's

     Calories are a simple way to keep track of one important aspect of your changes in eating behavior towards weight loss. If you eat too many calories you gain weight. There are more factors than that, but this one is very straightforward.

 

     The basal metabolic rate is the amount of calories a person burns at rest throughout a day. It is calculated using many factors through different equations, but it is typically based on your age, height, gender and weight. Aside from lab testing, the best results use body composition as a factor, as well. The easiest method to discover your BMR is to use an online calculator that takes all of these factors into account.

 

     The more muscle you have for a given weight, the higher your BMR. My weight and body fat percentage have been all over the place, yet my BMR has remained around 2000 calories a day. That means, without doing anything, my body uses 2000 calories to keep my heart going, breathe and such.

 

     If your body uses 2000 calories a day, do you have to consume 2000 calories a day? Absolutely not. You know all of that fat that you are trying to get rid of? The body will burn that to make up for a caloric deficit and add more of it if you’re too far over.

 

     To lose 1lb of fat, your body has to burn 3500 calories more than it uses to function at rest. It is not realistic at all to accomplish that in one day. That is not healthy.

 

     There are two ways to reach the 3500 extra calories. One is exercise, which I’ll explain later, and the other is through calorie restriction.

 

     Capping your calorie intake to be 500 calories below your BMR will, by numbers, result in a loss of 1lb per week. However, you have to cut the right calorie sources as well, getting rid of the bad and keeping the good.

 

     I took the time to experiment with different calorie restrictions. I tried limits that ranged from a 200 calorie reduction from my BMR, all the way to 800 calories off of it.

 

     With a sedentary lifestyle, too much of a deficit also leads to muscle loss, which will lower your BMR and leave more fat as a fuel reserve. If you have too much of a difference and are active, you become much more prone to injury, fatigue and malnutrition.

 

     You do have to find what works for you here. Your body will tell you if you are doing things right. If you are doing diet alone, I would shoot for 400 calories shy of your BMR a day for the first couple of months. Don’t worry about being so shy on calories as you will also be feeding yourself healthier food to obtain the calories that you do ingest.

 

     Calorie counting is a good way to keep yourself on track, especially when starting out. There are many great apps and websites available to help; FatSecret, Calorie Coach, My Fitness Pal, Lifescale and Noom to name a few. A lot of these will allow you to track more than just calories. If you want to be quite accurate, I would recommend FatSecret. It’s very user friendly and you can edit everything to what you actually consumed. You’ll be quite surprised at the amount of calories and garbage that is in your favorite foods.

 

     But I said that I don’t count calories. That’s true, I did. I started off doing so. It is a bit of an annoying practice, albeit helpful. I went from using several apps and websites, to using Noom Pro. Their entry system is color coded, general and quick. It is not precise, but it teaches you to estimate your caloric intake so that you eventually do not even need that part of its services.  With all that I have learned, I don't even use it anymore.

 

     Now, I still check labels, but I estimate quantities and calories in my head while cooking or by looking at my plate if we go out to eat. Plus, just by consuming better foods, you don’t really have to worry about it so much anyway. It just happens. Portion control becomes the hardest part. Don’t go nuts just because the food is healthy for you.

 

     Calorie restriction is not a permanent method. Once you reach your weight loss goal, start eating right around your BMR. Afterwards, if your goal is to tone and maintain, stick around that number. If you are wanting to add some big muscle mass, eventually, you will want to be eating more than your BMR.