I thought I would write up a quick thread on weight loss as it was a topic here recently.
So you’ve decided that you want to lose some weight, feel better, sleep better, and have more energy…..Great!
Step #1 Find your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate.
See link -> http://exercise.about.com/library/blbmrcalculator.htm
Your BMR is the calories that your body burns daily. What your body needs to maintain normal functions and weight.
Step #2 Track your daily intake
See link -> http://www.fitday.com/
Your diet is 90% of the total picture and is what determines weight loss. After tracking your diet for a week you should have an idea of how many total calories your putting in your body.
Monday
BMR- 2000 calories
Actual intake- 2300 calories___________+300 calories
Tuesday
BMR- 2000 calories
Actual intake 2600 calories____________+600 calories
Wednesday
BMR- 2000 calories
Actual intake 2400 calories____________+400 calories
If I were to continue and gather data for the week, I’d be 2400+ calories over my BMR. These excess calories are your weight gain.
+3500 calories = 1 lb of weight gain OR -3500 calories = 1lb of weight loss
How cleanly you eat also factors in but for the sake of keeping it simple, I’ll avoid that topic at this point.
Step #3 Getting your diet in check
Now that you know what you’re putting in your body you can make minimal changes to dictate that total calorie intake.
Below are some tips that may help you cut back….
-Portion size, use a smaller plate.
-Eat slow, actually enjoy your food. It takes your stomach 5 minutes to tell brain that you’re full. Inhaling food skips that feature of your body.
-Before you planned meals, drink 2 glasses of water
-Drink water, lots of it. Always!
-Avoid high in fat, sodium foods. But realistically I love [censored] food, so do the above steps.
Step #4 Exercise
Along with a decently balanced diet, exercise will really kick start weight loss.
If you have not been active for years just jumping into an exercise program can be a terrible idea. Here are some simple things that you can do.
-Go for an evening walk with spouse, dog, kids
-Park car far from store, work, etc.
-Yard work, cut your own lawn, save money and burn calories
-Ride bicycle
A gym membership isn’t needed to lose weight. As I stated above, your diet is 90% of the weight loss puzzle. You cannot spot reduce fat lose. Doing sit-ups isn’t going to lose belly fat. I hate sit-ups, do planks instead. Actually belly fat in men will be the last area to dissipate when losing weight. Losing more than 2 lbs a week is unhealthy. Don’t weigh yourself on a daily basis. Pick one day a week right when you wake up. Remember that this is a process and nothing works overnight.
If you are physically active then this doesn’t really apply to you, however I have lots of other training philosophies that may help your weight loss.
If you have any questions please let me know. I wrote this up quickly at work during a free period. I’ll most likely add more over time as things pop in my head.
So you’ve decided that you want to lose some weight, feel better, sleep better, and have more energy…..Great!
Step #1 Find your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate.
See link -> http://exercise.about.com/library/blbmrcalculator.htm
Your BMR is the calories that your body burns daily. What your body needs to maintain normal functions and weight.
Step #2 Track your daily intake
See link -> http://www.fitday.com/
Your diet is 90% of the total picture and is what determines weight loss. After tracking your diet for a week you should have an idea of how many total calories your putting in your body.
Monday
BMR- 2000 calories
Actual intake- 2300 calories___________+300 calories
Tuesday
BMR- 2000 calories
Actual intake 2600 calories____________+600 calories
Wednesday
BMR- 2000 calories
Actual intake 2400 calories____________+400 calories
If I were to continue and gather data for the week, I’d be 2400+ calories over my BMR. These excess calories are your weight gain.
+3500 calories = 1 lb of weight gain OR -3500 calories = 1lb of weight loss
How cleanly you eat also factors in but for the sake of keeping it simple, I’ll avoid that topic at this point.
Step #3 Getting your diet in check
Now that you know what you’re putting in your body you can make minimal changes to dictate that total calorie intake.
Below are some tips that may help you cut back….
-Portion size, use a smaller plate.
-Eat slow, actually enjoy your food. It takes your stomach 5 minutes to tell brain that you’re full. Inhaling food skips that feature of your body.
-Before you planned meals, drink 2 glasses of water
-Drink water, lots of it. Always!
-Avoid high in fat, sodium foods. But realistically I love [censored] food, so do the above steps.
Step #4 Exercise
Along with a decently balanced diet, exercise will really kick start weight loss.
If you have not been active for years just jumping into an exercise program can be a terrible idea. Here are some simple things that you can do.
-Go for an evening walk with spouse, dog, kids
-Park car far from store, work, etc.
-Yard work, cut your own lawn, save money and burn calories
-Ride bicycle
A gym membership isn’t needed to lose weight. As I stated above, your diet is 90% of the weight loss puzzle. You cannot spot reduce fat lose. Doing sit-ups isn’t going to lose belly fat. I hate sit-ups, do planks instead. Actually belly fat in men will be the last area to dissipate when losing weight. Losing more than 2 lbs a week is unhealthy. Don’t weigh yourself on a daily basis. Pick one day a week right when you wake up. Remember that this is a process and nothing works overnight.
If you are physically active then this doesn’t really apply to you, however I have lots of other training philosophies that may help your weight loss.
If you have any questions please let me know. I wrote this up quickly at work during a free period. I’ll most likely add more over time as things pop in my head.
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