How many calories should I be eating?

How many calories should I be eating?

That is always the golden question.

To figure this out, you, first need to figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate. You use energy no matter what you're doing, even when sleeping. Your Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day. Your Basal Metabolic Rate decreases as you age. Likewise, depriving yourself of food in hopes of losing weight also decreases your BMR. A regular routine of cardiovascular exercise can increase your BMR, improving your health and fitness when your body's ability to burn energy gradually slows down.

An easy formula is the following:

BMR = (LBM*10) + 370

Example: let's say you weigh 150lbs and you have 30% body fat. Your calculation would be the following:

150lbs, 30% body fat = (150*.70*10) + 370 = 1420 cals

After you retrieve your BMR number, you need to calculate the following:

10% add for digesting your food - 1420*1.10 = 1562

Life Style - 400-600 calories - what kind of job do you have? Do you move a lot or sit a lot? 1562+400 = 1962

Exercise: How many additional calories are you burning when exercising? ex. if you worked out 3x a week and burned 400 calories each time. Then divide that by 7 days to spread it across the week (400*3)/7 = 171

1962+171 = 2133

So, a 150lb person with a 30% body fat, exercising three times a week needs approximately 2100 calories to MAINTAIN their weight.

For every 500 calories you cut out per day, you should lose approximately 1lb a week. One pound a week is a recommended, safe amount to lose. It is not to drastic and it makes it easier to maintain. The above example should be eating approximately 1600 calories a day.

Now, what are you eating during the day? Figure out your calories - are you eating enough? Not eating will delay your weight loss, not help it!

Credits: Shelly - Trainer at Lifetime, Health Discovery Website

Resolutions

Here we are - January 2012 - a new year. Everyone starts their resolutions in January. I am thinking, by now, January 20th - a lot of resolutioners already fell off the wagon. :)



Well, I made a new plan this year. I began planning for January at the end of October - 2011. That was when I wrote my last blog.

What has happened in that time, you ask?

1. I joined Lifetime Fitness  - I love this gym. It is great. It has so many things to offer and it just looks like pure wonderfulness. I have to give myself this pep talk everytime I pay my bill. :)

2. I joined TEAM weightloss at Lifetime. This is a group class with a trainer 3x a week. It is for one hour M,W, FR and we, also, do nutrition on Mondays. I am almost done with my second week and it has been fantastic.

3. I bought a Fitbook - This is a perfect tool for tracking all your food and workouts. It is set up for a 12 week program which is perfect because the TEAM weightloss is a 12 week program as well.

4. I joined the 90 Day Challenge at the gym. It is a competition for biggest percentage of weight loss through all the gyms. The good thing about it is that is starts four weeks AFTER TEAM weightloss, so I will have four more weeks with groups to keep pushing me.

5. I signed up for all of the Try It Tuesdays for the 90 day.

So, this is where I am at. I have been journalling all food, so matter what. Even if it is garbage. I am trying to stay accountable. I have been to all my classes and I have been trying to follow what the trainers say.

This is my time, finally.

I will let you know the things I am learning and discovering. Hopefully, it can help you too!

Where are you with your resolution and how are you sticking to it?