Using Calories for Fat Loss

By Gary Matthews, http://www.maximumfitness.com

Ever wondered what a calorie is? The definition of a calorie is “the amount of energy, or heat it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water to1 degree Celsius.”

A calorie is a unit of energy that is associated with food and drink and is a measure of the energy, or heat, that food produces as your body uses it as fuel.

The first step in counting calories for your personal weight loss (fat loss) is to calculate how many calories you burn in a day (your total daily energy expenditure), this is the total number of calories that your body expends in 24 hours, including all activities. This is known as your maintenance level and will be the reference point (number of calories) from which to start your dieting.

The average calorie maintenance level for women in the United States is approx 2000 per day and the average for men is approx 2500 per day. These are only basic averages and are usually higher for athletes or active individuals.

A quick and easy method to find out how many calories you require per day for weight loss and maintenance is to calculate a calorie value with a multiplier as set out below.

Fat loss = multiply your bodyweight in pounds with 12 calories (12 x lb).

Maintenance = multiply your bodyweight in pounds with 15 calories (15 x lb).

This is a very easy method to estimate your daily caloric requirements, but it has its drawbacks as it doesn't take into account your particular activity levels or body fat levels. Despite this, it will give you a good estimated figure that you can work with.

The maintenance figure that you get is the amount of calories that you need to consume to stay at your current weight.

For you to lose fat, your calorie intake must be lower than the calories you burn.

To lose one pound of fat per week, you must reduce your weekly calorie intake by 3,500 calories, which works out at five hundred calories per day.

[Editor's note: Many people try to "burn off" calories through exercise, but the body is very efficient in how it uses energy, and the math just isn't there. You need to reduce the intake of calories.]

Becoming more conscious of counting calories in your everyday eating regime is imperative if you are trying to lose weight. Studies have shown that men and women “underestimate” their daily calorie consumption by 500 to almost 1000 calories.

[Editor's note: Gary makes an excellent point. See our article on hidden calories]

You can get a truer picture by keeping a seven-day eating plan of what you typically eat and drink during the day.

At the end of each day's eating, add up the total amount of calories consumed and write them down on to the eating plan. At the end of the seven days, add the total calories for the whole week and then divide by seven, you now have your daily calorie intake.