Keeping a healthy weight is more challenging than ever for most of us these days. Technology has made it easier in today’s times to be more sedentary. The temptation of fast food and it’s mass availability has made it’s way into the average household to the point where for some, cooking is out of the norm. We are challenged more than ever to incorporate exercise and healthy eating habits.
But what happens if we gain unwanted pounds and we desire to get to a healthy weight? Where do we start and how do we know what that weight is? Below is a quick way to calculate how many calories you need to intake in order to lose weight, taking into account your goal weight and level of activity.
Step 1:
(Ideal body weight meaning 5 pounds less of what you want)
There is also a BMR (Basal Metabolism Rate) Formula which is more complicated but you can also use to calculate your needed calorie intake for weight loss.
- Men: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) – (5.677 x age in years)
- Women: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) – (4.330 x age in years)
- (1 pound= 2.2 kilogram for conversion; 1 inch = 2.54 cm)
(above credit for calculation from: https://www.garnethealth.org/news/basal-metabolic-rate-calculator )
➡️Or push the easy button⏺️ so to speak and fill these parameters out with your personal data and let it calculate your BMR from the site below:
https://www.verywellfit.com/how-many-calories-do-i-burn-every-day-3495464 💪🏿🍉🥗🍎🐟
By the calculations for my gender, height, weight, activity level and age, I need to intake no more than about 1,650 calories in order to maintain my current weight. About 2 pounds per week is a healthy goal for most of us for weight loss.
Step 2:
The majority generally need to take in about 500 calories less in order to lose weight and about 300 or more to gain weight. This means for me that if I desire to lose weight, I need to take the above 1650-500= 1,150 calories per day. This number is just your starting point. It is up to you to fine tune it depending on how you feel and the appearance that is satisfying to you.
Step 3- Remember also these important keys:
✔️exercise at least 3-4 times a week such as brisk 40 minute walks, ✔️some form of resistance training for maintaining muscle, ✔️at least 7 hours per night of sleep ✔️and drinking your water goes a long way to help you on this journey. ✔️Intermittent fasting is very key. If you can fast for 14 hours and eat 10 hours you will receive great benefits. Make it a part of your day to day lifestyle. It’s not as hard as you think. See my previous post! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Please comment back if you have any weight loss tips or your success story. Even if it’s small progress. It’s great to share and encourage others.
I want to also share some food hacks that are essential in my household and have helped me on my journey to maintaining a healthy weight.
- Coconut Sugar: a great sweetener to replace white or brown sugar because it’s less likely to result in blood sugar spikes. Each serving contains a small amount of inulin, a type of soluble fiber which helps to stabilize post-meal spikes. Also rich in iron, zinc, potassium and calcium. This helps me to not crave sugar and I feel satisfied. I use it for baking and sweetening most things in small amounts.
- Veggie & Fruit Smoothies: Juice fresh fruits and veggies such as frozen kiwi or an alternative with beetroot, carrots, celery, and apple. Keep the pulp in your smoothie!!! The latter 4 ingredients combined help with weight loss, provide vital nutrients for overall health and muscle maintenance among many other things. Also helps with satiety so lessens cravings.
- Decreasing sodium for healthy heart, arteries and blood pressure. Increasing potassium to prevent excess fluid retention, sheds pounds, builds muscle, balances electrolytes, promotes kidney health and aids metabolic activities.
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