Dieting is the Only Game the Players Want to Lose

Losing weight and keeping it off is the unattainable goal of millions. The diet industry continues to be one of the most profitable businesses, making millions from weight loss centers, books, foods, and other diet related products. Each new diet offers the only plan guaranteed to help you achieve permanent weight loss. The truth is, if you are not concerned with your health, quality of life, and longevity, you can lose weight eating ice cream, candy, and McDonalds. Keeping the weight off, however, requires following the rules of the game.

The Rules

1. These four words produce the numbers appearing on your scale, “calories in, calories out”.
   
   • "Calories in" obviously refers to the amount of calories consumed. It is required that we take in a sufficient number of calories to fuel our system and keep it working properly in order to safeguard our life and health, and also to support our daily activities.
   • "Calories out" refers to two processes. First is the number of calories used or burned up to keep our hearts beating, lungs, kidneys, and all other organs and processes functioning at their optimal level. You can determine the number of calories needed to fuel these processes by calculating your RMR or resting metabolic rate. You will find more information on your RMR in Rule 2.
   • Second, we burn calories for all of our daily activities. Anything that requires body movements such as walking, shopping, studying, housework, repairing a car, exercising, even surfing the net, burns up calories. Consuming more calories than are required for fuel and maintenance will ultimately result in weight gain because those calories have nothing to do but take up residence in fat cells. Eating fewer calories will bring about weight loss, but can also cause illness, injury to your body, and death.
2. Learn how to calculate your RMR, Resting Metabolic Rate, to determine the number of calories required to keep your body functioning in a state of health. This is the formula I prefer using to check my own RMR. Females: 655 + (4.36 x weight in lbs) + (4.32 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age); Males: 66+ (6.22 x weight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age). Lazy people can use this online RMR calculator that does the work for you. You will find the calculator about ¾ of the way down the page.
3. Estimate the number of calories you burn in your daily activities. This is the online activity calculator I like to use, . Enter your weight, and choose your activity and the time involved-for example, housework-30 minutes, reading-1 hour, studying-2 hours, bicycling-45 minutes, shopping-1 hour, 30 minutes, etc. This calculator is fast and simple to use. You are not looking for an exact total, just an estimation, so do not make a project out of it. Even the minimal amount of energy required to obtain this information will burn calories and actually benefit your weight loss efforts.

The Rules In Action

Let us assume that in checking your RMR, you have discovered that you require 1578 calories just to keep all your parts in working order. Eating fewer than 1578 calories will jeopardize your health and can ultimately lead to death.

Your activity calculations inform you that an additional 986 calories are required to get through the day. Your combined totals come to 2564 calories needed to maintain your current weight.

In order to lose one pound of body weight, we have to consume 3500 fewer calories. To achieve safe and permanent weight loss, it is advisable to lose no more than one pound per week. By dividing 3500 by 7 days, we learn that we must have 500 fewer calories each day to lose one pound of body weight in one week. You have four options for meeting this challenge.

Options

1. Eat 500 fewer calories. This is not the most popular option.
2. Eat 250 fewer calories and increase activities to burn the additional 250 calories required to make up your daily 500-calorie deficit. Using the activity calculator, a 160-pound person will burn 145 calories in 30 minutes of leisure bicycling, and an additional 145 calories jogging in place for 15 minutes. That is 290 total calories burned putting you ahead by 40 calories. Of course you can choose the activity that best suits your life style, health, and energy level.
3. Use the activity calculator to pick a series of activities totaling 500 calories that are realistic and convenient for you to do. This will help you to satisfy your goal of burning an additional 500 calories without reducing your caloric intake.
4. Use all of the above options. If you are not especially hungry one day, option 1 is a good choice. On a day when your energy level is exceptionally high, option 3 is perfect. For those in between days when you have energy, but your time is limited, you can use option 2.

Conclusion

We have heard this so many times in the past that it has become annoying, but it is truly worth repeating once more. The quality of the food you put into your body determines your health, quality of life, and contributes to the length of your life span. If you do not know how to make wise choices in your food selection, use the food pyramid.

Snack lovers can enjoy any snack they desire as long as 85 to 90% of their daily calories come from healthy food selections. The remaining 10 to 15% can come from any “free snack” of your choice. Yes, candy and ice cream fall into that category. If you eat 2500 calories a day, they can consist of 2125 to 2250 calories coming from healthy food choices, and 250 to 375 calories for your snack. Even though it has been determined that your “free snack” will not undermine your weight loss, some people have discovered that having one more than three or four times a week can slow down their progress. The percentages for “free snacks” vary slightly, so do not be surprised if you find information that suggests a higher allotment for snacking. I prefer to use the lower estimation, because I personally have had more success with it.

If your favorite foods happen to be on Taco Bell's menu, a once a month visit to their establishment will not put an end to your weight loss. Just be certain to choose an item that does not contain trans fat, and is low in saturated fats, and always be aware of your calories in, calories out. Their “Fresco Style” menu offers some excellent choices. Most fast food establishments now offer “healthier” food choices. It is wise to request nutrition information before placing your order. This will provide a breakdown of calories, fats, sodium, and other vital information on all menu items.

Let the game begin!