If you have ever thought about trying to lose a few pounds, you have likely tried counting your calories. This can be a bit of a daunting task if you have never spent much time reading a food label or tracking what you eat. One step further, you may have been told to track your “macros”, or macronutrients, which are proteins, carbs, and fats. If you have spent time watching your calories, you may be wondering what the heck you are supposed to do with the information. Let's discuss how to determine your caloric needs, and how to use this information to meet your fitness goals.
First off, what is a calorie? A calorie is essentially a unit of energy that comes from the food we consume. Looking at our macronutrients we find that 1 gram of protein contains 4 calories, 1 gram of carbs contains 4 calories, and 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories. We are not going to delve into the depths of macronutrients and how many grams of each you should eat because that can become a deep dark abyss of confusion and no one wants that. Therefore, we will stick with the main thing, calories. The most basic understanding you need to have of calories is that if you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight. On the contrary, you will lose weight if you eat less than you need. This is why oftentimes it is recommended to start counting your calories when you are wanting to shed those unwanted lbs.
While everybody is different in their needs, frequently it is recommended that adults eat around 2,000 calories a day. For some this is a lot. If you are anything like me you can feel yourself starting to wither away at the thought of only eating 2,000 calories in a day (I get dramatic when I’m hungry). The best way to find out how many calories you likely need is to get online and find a basal metabolic rate calculator. Your basal metabolic rate is the amount of calories your body needs to stay functioning at your current size. This calculator will consider your size, sex, age, and activity level and give you a rough number of how many calories your body needs to function to maintain your current status. Simply search for a BMR calculator online (not to be confused with BMI). Once you have your BMR, there is usually a graph that will show how many you need to match your activity level. This should give you a rough idea of how many calories your body needs to maintain your current size at said activity level.
You've found the calories needed for your particular lifestyle. Now what? If your goal is to lose weight, the first thing you need to do is start exercising. We are not going to discuss what you should be specifically doing in this article, but you need to be doing some kind of activity regularly. The second step is to start eating less calories than your body needs. It is often recommended to start with eating about 500 calories less than what your body needs. If you are already eating 2,000 or less, you may start with dropping 250-300 calories and go from there. It is important to note that not all calories are created equal. As I mentioned earlier, you may need to consider your macronutrients (protein, fat, carbs) when deciding where to cut calories. Ultimately, if you cut 500 calories from your diet, you should start to see a change. However I highly recommend trying not to cut your protein intake by much, if at all. Protein is the necessary building block for muscle and other bodily functions and it is the one macronutrient you should fight to keep, regardless of body type or diet. This is where you need to be aware of what you are eating and realize that eating greek yogurt or eggs in the morning is much better than cereal or toast which has very little protein compared to the latter options.
How long will it take to see results? There is some research to say that there are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat. This would mean if you cut 500 calories from your maintaining level of calories it would take 7 days to lose one pound. This number, however, is imperfect and is not necessarily the best number to go by. Realistically if you are weighing yourself weekly, it will likely take two weeks before you notice a change. It is worth mentioning that the scale is not always the best indicator as your hydration status can significantly affect this. If you are using a scale, I recommend weighing yourself first thing in the morning completely naked. You heard it; you have to be “all naturale” if you want the most accurate measurement. It is also important to note that the scale is not a good indicator of health and fitness. Take it for what it is, your weight. Many people find themselves in a position where they are not losing weight but they are putting on muscle and improving their cardiovascular fitness. This is far more valuable than simply weighing less.
To wrap this all up, start by determining how many calories you need to eat to stay at your current weight. Then, start cutting back a little bit. I highly recommend cutting back on the fat and carbs and not any protein sources. I also encourage you to ensure you are regularly exercising first before just trying to cut food out of your diet. Change can be hard, and it can seem impossible to drop even a few pounds at times. It is important to know that YOU CAN CHANGE! God has made your body and mind to adapt. If you are willing to take the step, you can achieve the health and fitness level for which you are searching.
