Calories In vs. Calories Out – Finding a balance that works for you!

Posted on 08. Sep, 2009 by Ellen in Health & Fitness

A matter of simple math

Losing weight or maintaining weight is really a matter of simple math. Yes, the math is simple but the actual work is a little more difficult. To lose weight you need to burn more calories than you eat; to maintain weight you need to have an equal balance burning calories and consuming calories. Sounds simple right?

I have put together a couple of charts to help you devise your own balance system so you can take some of the guess work out of it, and start eating and exercising in a way that will benefit you and help you achieve your goals. Check them out  here.
Remember, your body needs food (calories) to live. That means if you were to sit in a chair all day, every day you would still need to consume calories to maintain living in a healthy state. It takes around 1000-1200 calories to keep your organs and brain processing properly. That means that everything you do during the day needs to be accounted for.

Looking to trim some calories
A healthy person trying to lose weight should never consume less than 1200 calories…especially if you are active. Your body will get run down and will be more prone to injury. If you want to lose weight the healthy way, your best bet is to reduce your current diet by 500 calories. It takes 3500 calories to lose one pound, which means you will lose 1 pound a week if you are only cutting calories. If you are way over your healthy weight you may choose to reduce your calories even more, but if you cut 500 calories a day and exercise you will most likely begin to lose 1-2 pounds a week which is a healthy amount and something that is easier to be maintained.

500 Calories
What does 500 calories look like? The internet is one the most useful tools for this right now. There are many great calorie counting websites that will help you find out if what you’re eating is good or not. One of my favourites is:  http://caloriecount.about.com/. It gives you many different foods to choose from and also gives that food a grade (A+ if it’s good or D if it’s bad). Try to keep the good foods in your diet and slowly weed out the bad ones. Keep the bad ones for a special occasion!

Remember, doing well at math takes homework…so don’t forget to do yours!

Keep Well… Kristy

Ellen

Ellen is two things: bossy and a foodie. She loves to tell everyone why they should cook with canola oil by indulging in her love of cooking and teaching.

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Tags: balance, calories, canola, exercise, health