When we think of losing weight what is the first thing that drives into our minds? Eating less amounts of food in order to lose weight or eating less amounts of calories? Well, if you are thinking to eat less amounts of food by starving yourself in order to lose weight for short periods of time then you are wasting your time as well as efforts to lose weight. If you are thinking to eat less amounts of calories and lose weight by staying in calorie deficit then you are on right path and it will help you in long term weight loss. In this article you will be learning how to stay in calorie deficit in order to lose weight. How to calculate the amount of calories and also various other factors which contribute in a long term weight loss program.
What are Calories?
Calories are basically the energy which is present in the food. Every thing which is considered as food contains energy in different amounts. Calories are unit of measurement for energy. For example: if you consume 200 calorie meal, this provides your body 200 calories of energy. This is important because our body is basically an energy reserve. Read also Weight Loss Tips For Teens: Easy & Effective
If we do not provide our body enough energy from food to carry out daily activities, then our body burns of its internal energy reserves in the form of fat. On Contrary, if we consume too many calories from food, then our body get surplus with enough energy than its requirement and store this extra energy in the form of fat. So, our calorie intake has a direct relationship with how much body fat we gain or lose when we are trying to attempt to lose weight or consume more food more than required by the body.
How We Can Create a Calorie Deficit in Order to Lose Weight
Counting and Creating a calorie deficit is not an easy task. But with the simple following steps it can be achieved.
- We need to consume fewer calories than what we burn each day.
- Ensure burning more calories than what we consume by working out more.
- Combination of eating less and exercising more
To achieve a calorie deficit we have to consume fewer calories than what we usually have in a day. In order to lose weight, a person has to be in negative energy balance. If a person stays on the positive side of energy balance and then try to lose weight then it is not going to help him/her to achieve the goal. We must burn more calories by making attempts to do certain kinds of physical activity as it helps to burn more calories. In order to achieve the best results we should try to maintain a low calorie diet by eating the right portions of food and we should try to cut down the fat intake and exercise vigorously in order to lose weight. This way we can eat in calorie deficit in order to lose weight. Also Read Low Calorie Dinner Recipes For Weight Loss
The main variable to look into for most people is calorie intake. If we exercise vigorously for an hour it helps us in losing 500 k. Calories approximately. We can opt for any kind of physical activity whether it could be jogging, running or any sort of cardio workouts or zumba dance forms which helps us burning more calories. We should always keep an eye on how much calories we are consuming through foods. If we do not eat consciously then we can easily gain back those calories what we shed from doing physical activities. It is just a matter of minutes to gain back the calories the same way what we shed. So you must have a tight control over the calorie intake is where most of the gain is in terms of creating a calorie deficit in order to lose fat from the body and lose weight.
How To Figure Out Calorie Deficit For Weight Loss:
There are a lot of different ways to figure out your calorie deficit. There are different ways of calculating calorie needs, Angelone says she usually uses Harris- Benedict Equation, Mifflin- St Jeor Equation. Every nutritionist has a slightly different approach. Read Also WEIGHT LOSS: IMPORTANT DIETING TIPS TO LOSE WEIGHT FAST
Calorie Deficit Calculator With a formula
There are several formulas to calculate the calorie needs, but a study published by the Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found Mifflin- St.Jeor equation is very accurate. However Harris Benedict equation is often used for comparison.
Mifflin-St.Jeor equation calculate BMR that is Basal Metabolic Rate, which the minimum number of calories our body burns at rest. We will discuss how to calculate with both the methods.
For Women, the Mifflin-St.Jeor equation is: BMR = (10× weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm)- (5×age in years)- 161.
So ,the BMR equation for, a 25 year old woman who is 5’4” and weight 155 pounds would be this: BMR = (10× 70) + (6.25 × 163) – (5×25)- 161 = 1432 calories.
The Harris Benedict equation is: BMR = 655.1 + (9.563× weight in kg) + (1.850× height in cm) – (4.676 × age in years).
So,, the BMR equation for 25 year old woman who is 5’4” and weight 155 pounds would be this: BMR = 655.1 + (9.563×70) + (1.850 ×163) – (4.676 ×25) = 1509 calories.
The results are slightly different depending upon which formula you are using.
Ways To Achieve Calorie Deficit For Weight Loss
Be Aware of Calories in Your Food
What we eat and drink has a major role in weight gain or weight loss. We usually eat traditional diet without knowing calories in it. But if we know the calories which our food has, we can create a calorie deficit. So idea is that know the calories in the foods which you usually take. it will help you in choosing low calorie but filling foods.
Do More Cardio Workouts
Exercise helps us to burn the maximum amount of calories which we gain through food. Cardio workout helps to pump up the heart rate and burn more calories when the body is even at rest. It also helps us to boost the metabolic level. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. Strengthening of muscles help us to lose weight. Therefore we need more calories to maintain weight if we have lean muscle mass.
Reduce Your Carbohydrate Intake
When thinking of reducing calories we think on cutting down carbohydrates. If we take Carbohydrates then our body stores less calories in the form of fat. When carbohydrates are taken into the body they are converted into sugars and those sugars are absorbed and then stored in the body for use.
Inclusion of Proteins, Fibre, and Healthy Fat to the Diet
Addition of fibre to the diet helps us to feel more satisfied and end up having filling meals. Protein is considered a king nutrient when comes to weight loss. Addition of proteins to the diet can help to build muscle strength. Protein has more thermic effect than carbs. Also proteins can help to boost metabolism which help to burn more calories.
Frequently Asked Questions:
The Harris Benedict equation is: BMR = 655.1 + (9.563× weight in kg) + (1.850× height in cm) – (4.676 × age in years).
So,, the BMR equation for 25 year old woman who is 5’4” and weight 155 pounds would be this: BMR = 655.1 + (9.563×70) + (1.850 ×163) – (4.676 ×25) = 1509 calories.
A minimum of 500 calorie deficit is needed in order to lose weight. You can initially start with 300 calories then move up to 500 calories.
You can calculate by means of Harris Benedict equation that gives you a more proper way of finding it. The formula to calculate is mentioned above.
Yes it is too much and we should avoid having too many calorie loss as it can affect the physical health in a critical way .
