Had some questions recently about this so thought I’d take a couple minutes to clarify some more.
The basic science of weight management comes down to this. Calories In vs Calories Out (calories in being calories you consume and calories out being calories you expend or burn). If these 2 numbers equal each other, your weight doesn’t change. If one is more than the other, you will gain (calories in) or lose (calories out) weight.
Calories are actually energy for your body and are a good thing(for the most part). You need a certain amount of calories (energy) to survive. Your body is smart, though so when you consume extra calories (energy), your body stores this energy as fat so it can use it in the future (survival) if there was ever a shortage of calories. That’s why an overweight person would survive a lot longer without food than a skinny person. They have a much larger store of energy.
So here’s the deal: if you’ve gained weight this past year or 5 years or however long, the bottom line is you’ve consumed more calories than you’ve burned, consistently over time. Your current body composition is actually the result of what you’ve eaten and expended over many years. In order to lose weight, you have to create a consistent caloric deficit until you reach your goal. So manage your calories in (how much you’re eating) and increase your calories out (exercise and muscle) and you’ll be on your way.
I keep seeing everywhere that the female body needs 1300 calories per day to survive. I’ve been counting calories and keeping a diet/workout journal and I’m averaging a NET calorie intake of about 800 calories per day.But then I see things that say anything less that 1300 is going to throw your body into starvation mode.. and that’s not what I’m going for here. So… I guess… am I aiming to burn all of the calories I take in and bring my net intake back to zero? Or am I trying to keep my net intake at 1300…?? I can’t find an answer anywhere and I’m so confused! Your help would definitely be appreciated.
27.01.2009, 8:46 amI should probably add that I’m not aiming to maintain my weight.. I’m looking to lose 2-4 lbs per week.. Not sure if that changes anything or not.. but I’m throwing it out there.
27.01.2009, 8:48 amSure I can help with that. A few things I need to know first: What are your long term goals? Are you exercising as well and if so what does that look like? Also what does a typical day look like for you nutritionally?
01.02.2009, 3:33 amI always monitor my Calories when i eat. I make sure that i dont eat foods that are very high in carbohydrates or foods with very high calories.
03.01.2010, 1:59 ami always monitor my calorie intake from my diet because i have a very slow metabolism and i dont want to get overweight.”;`
01.05.2010, 9:07 am