I can imagine your face while reading this title, "Katie, what do you mean lose weight responsibly? Is there a way to lose weight irresponsibly?' The answer is a big, fat YES! Want to know the secret to losing weight? Here it is: there is no such thing as a miracle pill, a miracle drink, a miracle plan. You lose weight by eating foods that aren't processed to the high Heavens and by keeping your calorie consumption below the amount of calories you burn in a day. "But how do I know how many calories I burn in a day?" I am so glad you asked, my friend. Do me a favor and scroll down to both the Basal Metabolic Rate calculator and the Body Mass Index calculator. Your Basal Metabolic Rate will tell you how many calories you burn in 24 hours if you were to never move a muscle and just LIVE. Just BE. Your Body Mass Index will tell you a rough estimate of your body fat percentage. This will help you determine your weight loss goals. Once you have figured out your BMR (with activity level calculations) and BMI, scroll back up here and I'll give you the low down on how to finally get rid of that stubborn, unwanted weight. Go ahead, I'll be waiting.
Found your BMR and BMI? Good! Let us continue onto the great part of your future success story: losing weight. The basic mentality of being successful in losing weight is that you must burn more calories than you consume. While this is true, there are a lot of factors that play a role in losing weight (hormones, exercise, muscle mass, etc.) For this section, I'm going to keep it simple and keep with the mentality of being in a calorie deficit will get you to lose weight. Now that you know your BMR, you know the approximate amount of calories you need to sustain your current weight. Dr. Donald Hensrud has determined that 1 pound is 3,500 calories. Let me say that again:
1 pound = 3,500 calories
This is a replica of one pound of fat. Are you still mad you "only" lost one pound?! That's a job well done, I'd say! DON'T GIVE UP!
Do you see where I'm getting at with all of this calorie talk? If you are deficit of 3,500 calories in one week, you will lose one pound. Pretty cool, right? Do NOT go out and starve yourself to lose weight as quickly as possible. Believe it or not, you gain weight if you do not get a minimum amount of calories (your BMR) to allow your body to function. Your body goes into survival mode and dips into your muscles first and a source of energy. This is no good!!!! The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn! That's right, ladies. Time to saddle up and lift those weights! You're not going to get bulky, just toned. That's another post for another day. My suggestion is to stick with one to two pounds of fat loss per week. Two pounds is a difficult goal, because that means you will be in a deficit of 7,000 calories per week. It can be done by fueling your body with healthy foods and plenty of exercise. So how do you know how many calories you need to eat in order to lose a specific amount of weight per week? Don't worry, you don't have to do such a tedious calculation like your BMR again. This one is pretty easy.
Take your BMR (including activity level calculations) and multiply this by 7 (for the 7 days in a week). Now subtract 3,500 calories from that number if you are aiming to lose one pound a week. Subtract 7,000 from that number if you are aiming to lose two pounds a week. Take this new number and divide it out by 7 to distribute the amount of calories out amongst your entire week. This is the amount of calories you should aim for every day to encourage your weight loss goal. Please do not count calories. Get familiar with nutrition labels and do a rough estimate of calories each meal. Counting calorie by calorie will not only end up with you being discouraged because it's too much time and effort spent contemplating if you should put this food in your mouth, and it will feel restrictive and make you fall off the healthy bandwagon. These calculations we are doing are mere estimates of your calorie burn per day. Don't stress over being spot on. Enjoy life and all the wonderful food it has to offer us! Keep your food choices 80% healthy, and you can have fun with the rest of the 20%. Choose wisely for that 20%, but don't banish your favorite foods. That's just no fun!
Molten lava cakes, chicken fingers, hard shell tacos, candy, and French fries are a few of my favorite thiiiiiings! (sung to the tone of "My Favorite Things" by Julie Andrews)
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Calculator
Basal Metabolic Rate calculators are one of the greatest tools in the nutrition professional's world. Calculating your BMR will help you identify how many calories per day you burn if you were to stay completely inactive all day. This number does not include any activity you have done throughout the day (walking, sweeping the porch, talking on the phone, etc.) Every single movement you make, even the most simplistic ones such as breathing and blinking, require energy. We acquire that energy source from the calories we take in. If you are interested in losing or gaining weight, knowing your BMR is crucial. I really like the Mifflin-St. Jeor mathematical calculation which is believed to be more accurate than the Harris-Benedict equation. I made this BMR calculation break down sheet just for you! If you have difficulty reading it, click to enlarge the image.
Having trouble reading this Basal Metabolic Rate calculation chat? Click to enlarge!
Of course, if you wanted to calculate your BMR the easy way. you can visit this website (click!). Scroll down and calculate your BMR. Please do not overestimate your activity level input! I work 5 days a week, 8 hours a day on my feet, running around non-stop. It is a rarity I am not on the go. I work out three to five days a week 30 mins to an hour and I am considered "moderately active." Ensuring your input is as realistic and honest as possible will get you realistic and honest results!
Of course, if you wanted to calculate your BMR the easy way. you can visit this website (click!). Scroll down and calculate your BMR. Please do not overestimate your activity level input! I work 5 days a week, 8 hours a day on my feet, running around non-stop. It is a rarity I am not on the go. I work out three to five days a week 30 mins to an hour and I am considered "moderately active." Ensuring your input is as realistic and honest as possible will get you realistic and honest results!
Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator
A Body Mass Index calculator calculates the approximate body fat percentage you have. This calculator determines if you are under your ideal weight range, within your ideal weight range, over weight, or obese. BMI is a lot easier to calculate than your BMR. However, I feel that your BMR is worth sitting down and properly calculating if you are serious about losing, gaining, or retaining your current weight. Your BMI is important, and you should do a quick calculation to get an idea of what range you are in. However, a BMI calculator will not give you precise information. The calculator gives you a ballpark range, or an idea, of what BMI you may have. The most accurate way to determine your BMI is by doing a fat Caliper pinch test. People store body fat differently, and the Caliper pinch test measures the fat by "pinching" common fat storage areas. This is more accurate than calculating your BMI with the shown method below, or by using devices that send electrical signals through the body to determine your fat percentage (like the hand held Omron). You can ask your physician to do the body fat pinch test on you, or many nutritionists and personal trainers have them, too. You can order one off of Amazon yourself and have someone help you measure the correct areas of the body as well. It's inexpensive and accurate. For now, use the chart below that I made you to get an idea of where your BMI range is and where you should be.
I shouldn't have Googled 'donuts.' Now I really want a donut. Click to enlarge the deliciousness that is donut!
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