26 Apr Myth – Some People Just Can’t Lose Weight
Myth - Some People Just Can't Lose Weight
Fact – if you are living and breathing you can lose weight.
Because fat leaves the body through, breath, urine and sweat – if you are breathing you can lose weight. What you eat will determine whether you successfully maintain a healthy weight, regardless of your weight, eating less and moving more works for everyone.
To make sure your daily food intake is less than your energy expenditure use an app like ‘My Fitness Pal‘ to count your calories for at least 1 week. This will help you avoid overeating and you will soon become more familiar with the calorie content of different types of food.
How many calories should you eat on average?
An average woman needs to eat about 2000 calories per day to maintain, and 1500 calories to lose around 0.5kg of weight per week. An average man needs 2500 calories to maintain, and 2000 to lose around 0.5kg of weight per week.
However, this depends on numerous factors. These include age, height, current weight, activity levels, metabolic health and several others.
What are calories?
A calorie is a unit that measures energy. Calories are usually used to measure the energy content of foods and beverages. In order to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than your body burns each day.
How do I know how many calories I need to consume each day to either maintain my weight or lose weight?
Your BMR is the number of calories required to keep your body functioning at rest.
Basal Metabolic rate (BMR) Formula:
Women BMR = 665 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age)
Men BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in cm) + (5 x height in cm) – (6.8 x age)
Now you know your BMR use the Harris Benedict Equation and apply an activity factor to determine your total daily energy expenditure. This will give you an estimate of the total number of calories you need to maintain your current weight.
Harris Benedict Formula
- Sedentary (little or no exercise) = BMR x 1.2
- Lightly active (light exercise/sport 1 - 3 days per week) = BMR x 1.375
- Moderately active (moderate exercise/sport 3 - 5 days per week) = BMR x 1.55
- Very active (hard exercise/sport 6 - 7 days per week) = BMR x 1.725
- Extra active (very hard exercise/sport & physical job or 2 x training) = BMR x 1.9
*Remember leaner bodies need more calories than less lean bodies.
