Calorie Count: How Many Should I Eat To Lose Weight?

What do you think of when you hear the word, `diet`? If you`re like most of us, diet generally coincides with `not eating.` In truth, it is actually very unhealthy to not eat enough food during the day, and can actually lead to weight gain when you start eating a normal diet again.

You can eat well balanced, healthy meals and still lose weight, they key is simply to know how many calories you can consume in order to either maintain your weight or to lose weight.

To figure out how many calories you can eat in order to maintain your current weight, use this formula:

women: 655 + (4.3 x weight by pounds) + (4.7 x height by inches) - (4.7 x age)

men: 66 + (6.3 x weight by pounds) + (12.9 x height by inches) - (6.8 x age )

Losing weight is a slightly more complicated, as you will have to take out some calories from your regular diet plan. Remember, it is vital that you eat enough food during the day to keep you feeling full and energized, so if you ever feel lethargic or depressed, stop the diet and see a doctor right away!

To lose weight, you need to cut out calories, or increase your exercise level. You will need to create a caloric deficit of 500 calories, so you can either cut them out, or increase your cardio level to burn 500 more calories than usual.

What does 500 calories of food look like? Well, it could be:

*One 100g Mars Bar *150 g Buttered Popcorn *2 cups Haagen Dazs Chocolate Ice Cream *Small Burger King Fries *Taco Bell Chicken Salad *2 Cans of Tonic Water *One bottle of white wine *2 Pints of Stout Beer *2 Blended Margarita's (with alcohol)

When you look at the list of food and drinks that are worth 500 calories, it doesn't seem too difficult to cut out the 500 calories per day necessary to lose weight. Skipping that extra few glasses of wine or fast food treat can save you hundreds of calories and can make you lose weight without having to starve yourself.

Another option would be to share the 500 calories between food and exercise. For example, you could cut out only 250 calories per day, and then make sure to burn an extra 250 calories per day, making your total calorie deficit 500.

Some great exercise ideas that burn around 250-500 calories are:

*Step Aerobics (burns around 400 calories/30 minutes) *Biking (burns around 250 calories/30 minutes) *Swimming (burns around 500 calories/30 minutes) *Rock climbing (burns around 380 calories/30 minutes) *Running (burns around 300 calories/30 minutes) *Walking (burns around 360 calories/1 hour)

You can lose weight through eating a healthy, balanced diet and getting exercise everyday. Dieting does not mean starving! Food is an essential part of our lives, as it gives us the fuel and nutrition to stay active and get through the day, but choosing the right foods is important, and is the difference between being overweight or being fit and healthy!

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