Regardless if you are trying to lose weight, maintain, or even pack on some muscle, you need to know your daily demands. A little math is all we need:
First, did you know that sleeping burns calories? So, if you did absolutely nothing all day, you burn an estimated amount. Caloric energy is needed to breathe, for your heart to pump blood, and other organs to operate. You get the idea. Keep in mind this is an estimate. Some people have a naturally high burning metabolism.
Weigh in once per month – if your gaining, lower your calories.
So, what is our daily caloric demand? This is referred to BMR – basic metabolic rate. It is based on age, gender, and weight. The heavier you are, the more energy it takes to move your body around. How do we figure this?
Well, I cheat and use a calculator
Here is an example of tracking your daily caloric demand:
- My BMR is 1700 (yes, I round down)
- I burn 500 cals per day exercising
- My total demand is 2,200 cals per day
This is an estimate as our bodies are different, so we burn different rates. If you follow the above on a 2,200 calorie per day diet for 30 days, you can see if your weight goes up or down and you can adjust accordingly.
Of course if your job is very strenuous with physical activity you will need more calories than the above – again, adjust accordingly.
To lose weight, you have to create a deficit. The larger the deficit, the faster the weight loss, to a certain extent. If your weight loss is too fast, you will lose muscle tissue and fat, we don’t want that. Unless you are obese, you should try and lose no more than 2 lbs per week. The closer you get to your goal or 18% body fat, the harder it will be to lose the fat.
Intense exercise requires more fuel. The better shape we get into, the more work we can do. It didn’t take you a week to pack on those 40 lbs, don’t expect to lose it in a weeks time.
