In order to maintain healthy and well functioning bodies, we need a constant intake of fuel. Imagine running a car with no gas? Or trying to drive a car with the wrong sort of gas. We'd be going nowhere fast, that's for sure. Same goes for our bodies, where calories equate to our fuel.
What are calories and what is the relevance to everyday life?
These days everyone has some awareness about calories. We know that calories are the units used to measure our energy intake from the foods which we eat. Too few calories in our daily diet (and we're talking typically less than 1200) on a continual long term basis can lead to increased health risks. Whilst consistently taking in too many calories will almost certainly result in weight gain. According to healthy eating guidelines, the recommended daily allowance for women is 2000 calories and for men that figure is 2500 calories.
So how do we make sure we keep tabs on these pesky calories?
Fortunately, the trend these days is for food companies to list nutritional information of food packaging. More often than not you will see energy described as kilojoules (kj). Bear in mind that 1000 kilojoules is the equivalent of 239 calories.
Calculate calories needed for goal weight
Now it's important to note that the number of calories you need to lose weight varies from person to person dependent on their current weight. For example let's say two friends, Alice and Gail, want to lose 2lbs a week but Alice is 2 stone heavier than Gail. Alice's daily calorie allowance will be higher than Gail's even though both are on a plan to lose weight. This is because Alice still needs the extra energy function and to keep her weight lose at a steady pace. Once Alice has successfully lost the 2lbs her calorie intake would need to adapt to that her new weight otherwise she could quickly regain the weight.
OK so what do YOU need to do to lose just 1lb? Answer: Burn more calories than you consume per day, ideally 3500 more. Now that does sound like a lot, but if you reduce your daily calorie in take by about 250 - 500, you'll be on track for not only losing weight but keeping it off.
Also don't be afraid to try out a weight loss supplements. There are some great products on the market these days which can help you lose between 3-5lbs a week, by increasing the number of calories you burn.
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