For some reason when reading up on calories in v’s calories out, I would have a brain fart moment and it would all look like "goobledygook" to me. My eyes would glaze over and I would pick up words here and there, but it is quite obvious to me now, that I had some type of dyslexia where anything regarding weightloss was concerned.
The basics were that I knew that I needed to create a calorie deficit to lose the weight, and I could do that through exercise and reducing my food intake - that was it.
I really need to thank @Determined93 for patiently explaining how she came up with her calorie total that she needs to burn every day to have a week of weight loss. Without her patience, and answering all my questions, I would still be fumbling along not understanding the bigger picture….
So, the formula is;
One pound of fat equates to 3,500 calories, so for a weekly loss of 2.2 pounds, or 1 kilogram, you need to plan a 1100 calorie deficit each day for a period of 7 days. (7700 calorie deficit each week).
When I looked at this number (1100) I was like holy shit balls that is huge! The last week I had been aiming for a 400 calorie (if not more) exercise burn each day plus keeping my total food calories between 900 – 1000. (Don't be concerned about this number, thinking it might be to low - my circumstances are different). I took a look at the standard recommended calorie intake for women wanting to lose weight and its 1200. Right I thought, I have already taken off 300 calories there if I stick to 900 food calories.
Ok what’s my daily total? 400+300= 700 calorie deficit each day. How the hell am I going to burn or reduce my calories by another 400? Its my first week exercising each day in nearly 10 years and I am really am pushing myself, don't think I could find anymore there. My food intake I don't want to go any lower, but I still have another 2800 calories I need to find each week to try and reduce/burn just to lose a freaking kilo!!!
Sometimes I can be amazingly dense! I never took into consideration my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). In the back of my mind I knew that our bodies burned calories just by functioning, well duh! but I didn’t grasp that this was needed to help me achieve my deficit!
Talk about brain fart moments!
There are heaps of BMR calculators online that will give you a general idea by using your height, age and weight plus your level of physical activity - but for me my Apple Watch has a great Health app on it which gives me my BMR.
So my averages for the week were:
Calorie intake (what I ate): 800 per day (obviously didn't make my goal)
Calories burned via exercise: 592 per day
BMR (resting energy): 1799 - basically what I burn everyday - what my body uses to function.
Exercise Calories + BMR = 2387 per day gone.
If I look at what I achieved and get my weekly total (2387 x 7) I get a total of 16709. Lets divide that by 7700 (the calories I need to burn weekly to lose 1 kilo) and my result is: 2.17 kilos - pretty darn close to the 2.8kg loss I had this week!
Edited to Add (28/05/2018): That I also wanted to note on this page the differences between BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate). Both estimate the number of calories you burn at rest, but RMR takes additional factors into consideration when determining needs.
BMR measures your basal energy expenditure, or BEE. The BEE is a 24 hour estimation of the number of calories you burn maintaining your most basic bodily functions, such as breathing, circulating blood and growing and repairing cells.
RMR measures your resting energy expenditure or REE. REE determines the number of calories you burn in a 24 hour period maintaining basic bodily functions, but also includes the number of calories burned eating and conducting small amounts of activity.
(My calculation above used my RMR average)
Why is it so important to me? Its structure, its planning, it's science! and I finally get it!!
I know others would have already known this and I cant say why it took so long for me to comprehend, but my blog is all about writing down what I am thinking and what conclusions I come too.
Edited to add: Each time you lose weight, re-calculate your BMR as it will change!
The basics were that I knew that I needed to create a calorie deficit to lose the weight, and I could do that through exercise and reducing my food intake - that was it.
I really need to thank @Determined93 for patiently explaining how she came up with her calorie total that she needs to burn every day to have a week of weight loss. Without her patience, and answering all my questions, I would still be fumbling along not understanding the bigger picture….
So, the formula is;
One pound of fat equates to 3,500 calories, so for a weekly loss of 2.2 pounds, or 1 kilogram, you need to plan a 1100 calorie deficit each day for a period of 7 days. (7700 calorie deficit each week).
When I looked at this number (1100) I was like holy shit balls that is huge! The last week I had been aiming for a 400 calorie (if not more) exercise burn each day plus keeping my total food calories between 900 – 1000. (Don't be concerned about this number, thinking it might be to low - my circumstances are different). I took a look at the standard recommended calorie intake for women wanting to lose weight and its 1200. Right I thought, I have already taken off 300 calories there if I stick to 900 food calories.
Ok what’s my daily total? 400+300= 700 calorie deficit each day. How the hell am I going to burn or reduce my calories by another 400? Its my first week exercising each day in nearly 10 years and I am really am pushing myself, don't think I could find anymore there. My food intake I don't want to go any lower, but I still have another 2800 calories I need to find each week to try and reduce/burn just to lose a freaking kilo!!!
Sometimes I can be amazingly dense! I never took into consideration my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). In the back of my mind I knew that our bodies burned calories just by functioning, well duh! but I didn’t grasp that this was needed to help me achieve my deficit!
Talk about brain fart moments!
There are heaps of BMR calculators online that will give you a general idea by using your height, age and weight plus your level of physical activity - but for me my Apple Watch has a great Health app on it which gives me my BMR.
So my averages for the week were:
Calorie intake (what I ate): 800 per day (obviously didn't make my goal)
Calories burned via exercise: 592 per day
BMR (resting energy): 1799 - basically what I burn everyday - what my body uses to function.
Exercise Calories + BMR = 2387 per day gone.
If I look at what I achieved and get my weekly total (2387 x 7) I get a total of 16709. Lets divide that by 7700 (the calories I need to burn weekly to lose 1 kilo) and my result is: 2.17 kilos - pretty darn close to the 2.8kg loss I had this week!
Edited to Add (28/05/2018): That I also wanted to note on this page the differences between BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate). Both estimate the number of calories you burn at rest, but RMR takes additional factors into consideration when determining needs.
BMR measures your basal energy expenditure, or BEE. The BEE is a 24 hour estimation of the number of calories you burn maintaining your most basic bodily functions, such as breathing, circulating blood and growing and repairing cells.
RMR measures your resting energy expenditure or REE. REE determines the number of calories you burn in a 24 hour period maintaining basic bodily functions, but also includes the number of calories burned eating and conducting small amounts of activity.
(My calculation above used my RMR average)
Why is it so important to me? Its structure, its planning, it's science! and I finally get it!!
I know others would have already known this and I cant say why it took so long for me to comprehend, but my blog is all about writing down what I am thinking and what conclusions I come too.
Edited to add: Each time you lose weight, re-calculate your BMR as it will change!
