The "Secret" to Weight Loss... Part 1

Calorie.

Many of us have a hate-hate relationship with this word! Calories, we reason, make us gain weight. It is true that excess calories cause weight gain. (Nope, not the secret... keep reading :-)...)

However, let's try to de-vilify the calorie. In scientific terms, a calorie is an unit of energy. (If anyone wants the more complete definition, please let me know.)

- Calories from food allow our body to function. Much like a car, our bodies need fuel (in our case, food) to keep going.

- Physical activity allows us to burn calories (energy). There's lots of other great benefits we'll discuss soon.

Weight maintenance is all about balancing calories in & calories out.

- Calories in = food

- Calories out = functions required to stay alive + physical activity

When we amass 3,500 excess calories (meaning 3,500 calories more than our body uses), we gain 1 pound.

So, for every pound we want to lose, we need to eliminate 3,500 excess calories. To lose 1 pound per week, look for ways to get rid of 500 calories per day (3,500 cal/7 days = 500 cal per day). This can be done with dietary changes, physical activity changes, or a combination.

This "formula" can be multiplied for faster weight loss. HOWEVER, as mentioned last week, we encourage healthy, lasting lifestyle changes. It is counterproductive to skip meals &/or starve yourself. Without active medical supervision, nutritionists recommend NOT dropping below an 1,200 calorie per day diet.

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Are you confused about:

- how many calories you need each day,

- how to incorporate physical activity into your day,

- what foods are healthy, or

- how to make changes you can stick with?

Join us next Tues. (4/3) at our "Getting Started" WLC Class!

5:30pm at Maria Parham's Auditorium

_OR_

7:15pm at Oxford Public Works

If you can't make it to class, stay tuned to our blog. We'll continue to elaborate on this (& many other related) topics. Or, if you just can't wait a week, feel free to review some of last year's posts.

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BTW, there is some recent debate regarding this "oversimplification" & "1 size fits all approach". Scientists are working on an online calculator that can consider individual factors like metabolism. Unfortunately, it's still a work in progress & will solely be for healthcare provider use.