How many calories should I burn a day to lose weight?

From my experience a lot of people hesitate to even try and lose weight because they don’t know from where to start. They know that they should go on a diet and exercise regime but the lack of measurable goals creates uncertainty and this leads to failure before to even begin! To bypass this problem and have clear goals on what you want to achieve, you can start your weight loss process by doing some simple calorie calculations. By calculating how many calories you should be eating per day and how many calories you should be burning per day, you can have a better picture about your daily calorie needs and a rough estimate as to when you will be able to reach your ideal weight.

Before getting into the mathematical part let me explain some basic weight loss concepts that will help you understand what these numbers mean. You do not have to keep a pen and paper because our daily calorie calculator will do the hard part.

When do you lose weight?

There are many factors that affect how much weight you can lose (and when) but in its simplest form weight loss will occur when the calories you burn are more than the calories you consume.  Food and drinks (think diet) are the only sources for calories you consume while exercise, physical activity and other body factors affect the rate you burn calories. So if you manage to control these 2 sources and create a calorie deficit you will eventually start losing weight.

How many calories are in a pound?

Let’s add one more parameter to our equation which is 1 pound of fat = 3500 calories aprx. This means that if you consume 3500 more calories than what you burn in a period of time you will gain one pound but if you manage to burn 3500 more calories than you consume you will lose 1 pound.

What is my daily calorie requirement?

Many studies have found that in general women need 1500-2000 kcal to maintain their current weight and for men the range goes to 2000-2500 Kcal. This number is also known as the Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR). In essence this figure gives you the number of calories your body needs on a daily basis in order to function properly.

Note: This is not how many calories you consume per day but how many calories your body needs to function.

Daily calorie needs to maintain current weight = BMR x Activity Factor

For example if your BMR is 1600 and you are lightly active during the day then your daily calorie requirements are: 1600 x 1.375 = 2200 kcal per day. 2200 calories are needed so that you maintain your current weight. If you want to lose weight you should be consuming less than 2200 calories per day and if you want to gain weight you should be consuming more than 2200 calories per day.

How many calories to eat if you want to lose weight?

Before getting into a real example of how to calculate the calories you should be eating per day for weight loss let me say that this is only an estimate and it is not guaranteed that by following this number you will lose or gain weight. There are many other factors involved in losing weight and the number of calories you consume is just one of the elements and since it is easy to calculate you can use it as your starting point.

Let’s assume that you need to lose 5lb in 2 months, this is how you calculate the amounts of calories to eat per day:

Step 1: Calculate your BMR and daily calorie needs

After using our BMR and daily calorie calculator you found that: BMR is 1800 calories and daily calorie needs are 2000 kcal.

Step 2: Calculate the calories you want to lose

You want to lose 5lb which is aprx 17500 calories (1lb of fat is 3500 calories)

Step 3: Calculate how many calories you need to save per day

Your goal is not lose 5lb in 2 months. Doing some basic calculations you can find out that 17500 calories in 2 months is about 8750 calories per month or 2187 per week or 313 kcal per day. So in theory, if you manage to save 313 calories per day you will lose 5lb in 2 months

Step 3: Subtract the number of calories you need to save per day (Step 3 above) from your daily calorie needs (step 1 above)

Daily Calorie needs – Calorie savings per day = 2000 – 313 = 1687 kcal per day. This is the number of calories you need to eat per day if you want to lose 5lb in 2 months!

How many calories to burn per day if you want to lose weight?

Since you know the number of calories you should be eating per day, you can use a calorie counter to calculate the amount of calories you actually eat (or drink) on a daily basis and find out the amount of calories you need to burn via exercise if you want to lose weight.

Hint: You can use our Free Calorie Counter to keep count of your meals and activities.

For example if you are consuming  1800 calories per day and in order to lose weight you need to consume only 1687 calories per day (as calculated above) then this means that you should burn 113 kcal per day by doing exercise.

What you should know when doing your calculations

1. When you start a diet or weight loss program you will not only lose fat. Especially at the beginning you will lose water weight and in some cases you may also lose muscle. So the results in the first few weeks may be misleading.
2. When you make sudden or drastic changes to your diet the body will try to adapt by lowering the metabolic rate. In other words it enters a protective mode by reducing the number of calories it needs per day. As a result weight loss may slow down, here is how to lose weight and keep it off.
3. The absolute minimum amount of calories you can consume per day is 1000-1100 kcal. It is not recommended to go beyond this number for any reason.
4. The recommended weight to lose per week is between 1 – 1.5 pounds. Anything above that can have other implications to your health and normal body functioning.
5. Do not forget that drinks also carry calories so make sure that you include drinks in your daily calorie calculations. You can read our article on the 5 best healthy weight loss drinks that work to find out which drinks are ‘weight loss friendly’.
6. You can use a technique called “calorie cycling” to make the process easier to follow. This means that once you calculate your daily calorie needs you can go above and below this range on different days of the week. If for example you daily kcal needs are 1700 you can choose to go above this number on Monday and Wednesday and below this number the rest days of the week but try to avoid exaggerations. You can also read about carb cycling to access if this is something you want to try for your diet.
7. Make sure that you give correct measurements for your weight and height when calculating your BMR.
8. Do not lie about your activity level but try to be as accurate as possible.
9. Do not decrease your daily calorie intake by more than 500 kcal per day. Better expand the time period. Reducing your intake by 500 kcal is a lot and very difficult to follow for a long time.
10. Always consult your doctor or dietician before making any changes to your diet or exercise routine.

As explained above you can use these calculations to give you an idea where you stand and how much effort you need to make until you meet your goals and target weight. Weight loss depends on a lot more factors and calculating the calories you need per day is just your starting point.

Comment below if you found this helpful, and let me know if you have any tips to burn calories.



Source

Exercise and Weight Loss

The Importance of Weight Loss and Exercise

Carrying around too much weight feels uncomfortable and it can also damage your health. According the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity rates have skyrocketed in the United States in recent years. As of 2010, more than one-third of American adults were considered obese with a body mass index (BMI) of over 30 (CDC, 2012).

Obesity can lead to a number of serious health problems including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer. In the United States, body mass is derived by dividing weight in pounds by height in inches squared and multiplying the result by 703 (weight (lb) / [height (in)] 2 x 703).

One method that can help a person lose weight is to limit the number of calories taken in through the diet. The other way is to burn extra calories with exercise.

Benefits of Exercise vs. Diet

Unlike diet alone, exercise can prevent or even reverse the effects of certain diseases. Exercise lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, which may prevent a heart attack. In addition, if you exercise, you lower your risk of developing certain types of cancers such as colon and breast cancer. Exercise is also known to help contribute to a sense of confidence and well-being, thus possibly lowering rates of anxiety and depression.

How Much Exercise Is Needed for Weight Loss?

To benefit from exercise, you need to perform some form of aerobic exercise at least three times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes per session. However, more than 20 minutes is better if you want to actually lose weight. Incorporating just 15 minutes of moderate exercise—such as walking one mile—on a daily basis will burn up to 100 extra calories (assuming you don’t consume excess calories in your diet afterwards). Burning 700 calories a week equals 10 lbs. of weight loss over the course of a year.

Calculating Your Target Heart Rate

To receive all of the health benefits of exercise, you’ll need to reach and maintain what is known as your “target heart rate.” The basic formula for determining your target heart rate is to subtract your age from 220 and then calculate 60 to 80 percent of that number.

(Beginners should start at the 60 percent figure and work their way up to 80.)

Those with special health concerns such as an injury, diabetes, or a heart condition should consult a physician before beginning any fitness program.

What Are Some Examples of the Different Types of Exercise?

The type of exercise you choose for weight loss doesn’t matter as much as whether or not you’re doing it. That’s why experts recommend you pick exercises you enjoy so that you’ll stick to a regular routine.

Aerobic

No matter what exercise program you implement, it should include some form of aerobic or cardiovascular exercise. Aerobic exercises get your heart rate up and your blood pumping. Aerobic exercises may include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, and dancing. You can also work out on a fitness machine such as a treadmill, elliptical, or stair stepper.

Weight Training

A big advantage of working out with weights is that, in addition to shedding fat, you’ll build muscle. Muscle, in turn, burns calories. Talk about a healthy feedback loop! Experts recommend working all the major muscle groups three times per week. This includes:

• abs
• back
• biceps
• calves
• chest
• forearms
• hamstrings
• quads
• shoulders
• traps
• triceps

Yoga

While not as intense as other types of exercise, yoga can help you lose weight in other ways, according to a recent study by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The study found that people who practice yoga are more mindful about what they eat and, therefore, less likely to be obese.

Incorporating Exercise into Your Lifestyle

The amount of exercise you engage in matters more than whether or not you do it in a single session. That’s why small changes in your daily routine can make a big difference in your waistline.

Healthy lifestyle habits to consider include:

• walking or riding your bike to work or while running errands
• taking the stairs instead of the elevator
• parking farther away from destinations and walking the remaining distance

Activities and the Amount of Calories They Burn

The average adult male who doesn’t exercise requires approximately 2,200 calories a day to maintain his average weight. A female needs about 1,800 calories to maintain her weight.

The following list contains common activities and the amount of calories burned per hour:

Activities	Calories Burned
playing baseball, golf, or cleaning the house	240 to 300
brisk walking, biking, dancing, or gardening	370 to 460
playing football, jogging (at a nine-minute-mile pace), or swimming	580 to 730
skiing, racquetball, or running (at a seven-minute-mile pace)

Source
http://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-and-weight-loss#Overview1

Article resources

• Exercise and Activity for Weight Loss. (2010, October 1). National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Retrieved May 22, 2012, fromhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000385.htm
• Exercise and Weight Control. (n.d.). President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://www.fitness.gov/exerciseweight.pdf
• Heart and Vascular Health & Prevention. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved May 22, 2012, fromhttp://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/exercise/bestaerob_egan.aspx
• Overweight and Obesity. (2012, May 14). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/
• Regular Yoga Practice Is Associated With Mindful Eating. (2009, August 3). Science Daily.Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185712.htm

Healthy Weight

What's your ideal weight? Learn how many calories you need, how much your BMI matters, and more.

Happy Weight vs. Healthy Weight

Wondering how much you should weigh? You can be healthy and happy by eating well and exercising often, even if you aren’t at your 'perfect' weight.

How Many Calories Do You Need?

See how many calories you need each day to maintain weight, lose weight or gain weight.

Calculating Your Weight Circumference

Do you need to lose weight? Measuring your waist circumference is a good way to tell.

Check out:

>> Does Alcohol Prevent Weight Loss, or Cause Fat Gain?

>> What is Weight Watchers? What are the benefits of Weight Watchers?

>> How to Tighten Skin After Weight Loss

Source
http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/healthy-weight

What Is Obesity?

Obesity means having far too much body fat. It's about much more than your clothing size or how you look. It can seriously affect your health.

Your whole body feels it, from your joints to your heart, blood pressure, blood sugar, and other systems. The extra fat cells produce inflammation and various hormones, which boosts your odds of chronic medical conditions.

If it seems like those odds are stacked against you, remember that it's possible to beat them. The first step is to know where you stand.

Are You Obese?

You step on the scale and your doctor or nurse notes your weight. They might also measure your waist, since it's especially risky to have too much belly fat.

If your doctor says you're overweight, that means "you're slightly over what's considered healthy," says Y. Claire Wang, MD. She's co-director of the Obesity Prevention Initiative at Columbia University.

Obesity is beyond being simply overweight. It's very common -- more than 1 in 3 U.S. adults are obese. If you're one of them, you can work to lose weight. Although it's not easy, dropping some of those extra pounds -- maybe fewer than you think -- starts to turn things around for you.

What Your BMI Says

For adults, experts usually define obesity based on body mass index, or BMI. This formula relates your weight to your height.

For instance, if two people weigh the same amount but one is taller than the other, the taller person will have a lower BMI. To find your body mass index, plug your height and weight into a BMI calculator.

If your BMI is:

• Below 18.5: underweight
• 18.5-24.9: normal
• 25-29.9: overweight
• 30 or higher: obese

If you're obese, your doctor might talk about the categories of obesity:

• Obesity level l: BMI of 30-34.9
• Obesity level ll: BMI of 35-39.9
• Obesity level lll: BMI of 40 or higher, which some also call "morbid" obesity

Problems With BMI

Body mass index doesn't tell the whole story about your body, though.

For example, your BMI doesn't show whether your weight is fat or muscle. If you're a super-fit athlete, your muscle might put you in the "overweight" or "obese" range. Or, if you're elderly and have lost muscle mass over the years, your BMI could be normal, but you're not in as good shape as you think.

The formula also doesn't show where your fat is located on your body. And it doesn't consider differences among ethnic groups.

The CDC recommends that doctors use BMI a first step to screen adults for weight problems. Your doctor should also consider other things, like how fit you are.

Check Your Waist Size

Get a tape measure and wrap it around your belly.

If your waist is more than 35 inches around and you're a woman, or if it's more than 40 inches and you're a man, you might have too much belly fat.

Research shows that carrying extra fat around your stomach is unhealthy, no matter what your BMI is.

The Edmonton Scale

Obesity experts also use the Edmonton obesity staging system. It takes BMI a step further by relating it to your health. There are five stages:

Stage 0: You don't have any health problems related to your weight.

Stage 1: Any weight-related health problems are mild (such as borderline high blood pressure or occasional aches and pains).

Stage 2: You have an obesity-related chronic disease, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, or osteoarthritis, and you have moderate problems doing daily activities or feeling well.

Stage 3: You've had serious weight-related problems, such as a heart attack, heart failure, stroke, or other conditions.

Stage 4: This is the most severe level of weight-related chronic health conditions, which are extreme and life-threatening.

If your doctor doesn't use this system, ask her to tell you how your weight is affecting your health.

What Obesity Does to Your 

Body

"When people become obese we start to see disease rates go way up," Wang says.

Adam Tsai, MD, of Kaiser Permanente Colorado and a spokesman for the Obesity Society, agrees. "The risks go up and up as BMI increases," he says.

Obesity puts extra stress on your bones, joints, and organs, making them work harder than they should. Too much body fat raises your blood pressure and cholesterol, and makes heart disease and stroke more likely. It also worsens conditions like osteoarthritis,back pain, asthma, and sleep apnea.

Too much fat causes inflammation that can damage cells. Obesity is also linked to several types of cancers. It can also make your body respond less well to insulin, which controls your blood sugar. Over time, that can lead to type 2 diabetes.

The weight makes it harder to be active, too. "Carrying around extra pounds takes extra energy, so it can be difficult for obese people to exercise," Tsai says.

Causes

If you think calories are the only thing that matters, think again.

No doubt: Calories definitely count. But so do a lot of other things, like whether you can afford healthy foods and can easily use parks, sidewalks, or other places where you can be active.

"For many people, it's not an individual choice," Wang says.

Your emotions, and how you handle them, also matter. Many people eat when they're mad, sad, bored, or stressed. Weight problems can add to that. If you feel badly or are self-conscious about your body, that can hold you back from the full life that people of all sizes deserve. In turn, you eat more, seeking comfort.

Obesity can run in families, too. Your genes might be part of the reason. And you probably got your lifestyle and eating habits from your family, too. You can change those habits, though.

Your friends also count. Some research shows that obesity is "contagious" socially. In one study of some 12,000 people, Harvard researchers found that if someone gains weight, their family, friends, and partners also tend to gain weight, even if they don't live near each other. Their influence affects you.

Also, you might've heard about studies that show links to air pollution, viruses, exposure to certain chemicals, or even the bacteria in a person's gut. But they don't prove that those things cause obesity.

"There's a lot we still don't know," but it's clearly not just about self-control, Wang says.

Why Change Is Tough -- and 

What Helps

If you've tried to lose weight before, you know it's much easier said than done. It's not just about willpower, and the solutions go way beyond counting calories, fat grams, or carbs.

Think about it: What you eat and how active you are affects your whole day. You'll need to makeover the habits that go into your meals, snacks, and activities.

That's a huge commitment. Take it one small step at a time. You can build on successes. Don't try to do too much, too soon.

If you often eat for emotional reasons, you'll need to find other ways to handle the feelings that usually make you eat. Consider talking with a counselor. She can help you make those shifts in how you think, and how you relate to food and to your body.

Meanwhile, your body might resist your weight-loss efforts.

"If someone does lose 20 or 30 pounds, their metabolism goes down and they start to burn fewer calories," Tsai says. "Our bodies are designed to regain weight, so it's much easier to prevent obesity than to treat it."

Take the First Step

Even if you've been at your current weight for a long time, "if you're committed to getting healthier, there's almost certainly a treatment that can work," Wang says.

A great first step is to partner with your doctor. If he doesn't bring up the topic, make the first move and let him know that you want to work toward a healthier weight. Ask for advice, or for a referral to another doctor with more experience in this area. You might also want a referral to a nutritionist and a certified fitness trainer.

Before you start to make changes, write down everything you eat and drink for a few days. This can help you decide what you need to change about your diet.

Most people, at any weight, need to eat more fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. They also need to cut out junk food and sugary drinks, Wang says.

Being active is also key. Any kind of movement helps, and you don't have to go to a gym. Ask your doctor what's OK for you to do. A certified personal trainer can help you plan a workout that fits your needs.

If you find that you need more help than diet and exercise, talk with your doctor. Certain prescription drugs are approved for weight loss. They curb your appetite or prevent your body from absorbing fat. You'll still need to watch what you eat and be active.

Weight loss surgery can help people lose large amounts of weight. But it's not right for everyone, and it does have risks. You won't be able to eat like you used to, you might need to take vitamins to meet your nutritional needs, and you'll need to work on diet and exercise to keep up the results.

Keep Your Perspective

If it all seems like too much to take on, or if your past tries to lose weight make you wonder if it will ever happen for you, take a moment to challenge those thoughts.

It's not about being a certain size. It's about small steps that add up to better health over time.

If you lose as little as 5% to 10% of your weight, it starts to make a positive difference.

Focus on what is possible for you and what you can commit to, even if it's just for right now. You can make the decision again tomorrow and build your way to where you want to be, day by day.

Source
http://www.webmd.com/diet/am-i-obese

Article Sources

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