Winning the Battle of the Bulge: How to Safely Lose a Pound a Week

I think it's probably safe to say, at some point in our lives, everyone has been on a diet. With society being so focused on appearances and with so many famous faces out there promoting different diets and dieting products, it's hard not to succumb to the pressures to look a certain way by trying to lose weight. There are hundreds of diets out there, but probably your best bet is the old standard: watch what you eat and get some exercise.

People usually don't want to hear those words. In this day an age where quick fixes seem like they're only a pill or a patch away, it's a slap in the face when someone says that the best way to lose weight is to count your calories and get off your lazy butt and get moving. But it's true, and it's more likely that, when your approach is slow and realistic, the weight you lose will not only come off, but it will stay off as well. (Provided you don't reach your goal weight and then settle down on the couch with the remote in one hand and a box of Ho-Ho's in the other!)

So, how do you lose weight safely? Or better yet, how do you know what's safe for you and for your body? Everyone is unique and we all have different needs based on our age, gender and activity levels. Luckily, there's a fairly simple way to figure it all out. All you need to do is grab your pencil and paper, a calculator (the one on your cell phone will work just fine), and yes, you have to get on the scale. I know, it's something most of us dread, but if your goal is to lose weight, you need to know your starting point in order to figure out how to get to where you want to be.

Now, I need a couple volunteers to get up in front of the class to be our guinea pigs. Don't everyone raise your hands at once! Okay, I'll take the young lady in the lime green t-shirt and you, sir, with the powdered sugar on your sweats. Yes, put the donut down, sir.

Okay, here we go! Lets start with our first subject, Sarah.

Sarah

Sarah is a 32 year old female. She is a stay-at-home-mom with 3 boys ages 2, 5 and 8. She doesn't get much time to go to the gym, but she does take a yoga class every Saturday at the YWCA. Sarah is 5'6" and currently weighs 162 pounds. She'd love to get back to her pre-pre-pre-pregnancy weight of 135, but would settle for anything in the 140-145 range.

Now, there are a few factors we take into consideration to figure out how to help Sarah reach her goal. These factors are:

BMR: How many calories your body needs per day for basic energy needs

Activity Factor: Throughout the day, on average, how active you are

Digestion/Absorption: How many calories your body needs for these basic functions

BMR

Your BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate. In a nutshell, this is what we usually refer to as our metabolism. The body has a basic number of calories that it needs in order to perform functions such as breathing and keeping the heart pumping.

There are a couple of methods you can use in order to determine what your basic energy needs are. The first way to estimate this number is to simply take your present weight in pounds and multiply that number by 10 for a woman or by 11 for a man.

Using this method, let's estimate Sarah's basic energy needs:

current weight (162) x 10 = 1620

This calculation shows that Sarah's body uses an estimated 1620 calories a day just to function.

An alternate and more accurate method of figuring out your BMR is one that takes into account your age in addition to your sex. If you don't know your weight in kilos, just divide your current weight in pounds by 2.2. The chart below shows how many calories both men and women needs for basic energy:

AGE Equation to Calculate Your BMR

Men

18-30 (15.3 x weight in kilos) + 679

30-60 (11.6 x weight in kilos) + 879

Over 60 (13.5 x weight in kilos) + 487

Women

18-30 (14.7 x weight in kilos) + 496

30-60 ( 8.7 x weight in kilos) + 829

Over 60 (10.5 x weight in kilos) + 596

Let's plug Sarah into our example. Remember, she's 32 years old, so her calculation would look like this:

(8.7 x weight in kilos[162/2.2]) + 829 =BMR

(8.7 x 73.63) + 829 =BMR

(640.63) + 829 =1469.73

Let's round that number up to make it easier.

Sarah's BMR = 1470

Notice, this method gives a number that is 150 calories less than the estimated 1620 calories we figured when we used the short method. By taking a person's age into account as well as their sex, we're able to pinpoint a more accurate number.

Activity Level

The next factor to take into consideration when wanting to lose weight is your activity level. Your activity level can be estimated by figuring on average, how active you are throughout the day. The chart below will help you decide what your activity factor is:

My Daily Routine Includes: Activity Level Activity Factor

Sitting/standing; lab work, sewing,

cooking, sleeping, laying down,

typing, reading, etc. very light 0.2

Restaurant work, garage, carpentry,

household cleaning, childcare, light

exercise such as golf or boating. light 0.3

Heavy gardening and housework,

bicycling, tennis, dancing, very

little sitting. moderate 0.4

Manual labor such as digging,

warehouse work, lifting, playing

sports such as football, basketball,

soccer, rock-climbing. heavy 0.5

To calculate the calories your body needs for your level of activity, multiply your BMR by your Activity Factor.

Remember, Sarah's a stay-at-home-mom, but she's got young kids who keep her on her toes. Throw her weekly yoga class into the mix, and she's got a light-moderate activity level (0.3-0.4). We'll average the two since her kids are young and, chances are, she's running herself ragged most of the time.

Sarah's BMR x Activity Factor = Activity Calories

1470 x .35 = 514.5

So, we'll round it up again and say that Sarah's body uses roughly 515 calories a day for physical activity.

Digestion/Absorption

The next factor to take into consideration when trying to lose weight is something we often forget about. Along with calories for physical activity, the body burns calories when it's digesting and absorbing nutrients your body needs. We need to figure these calories in when we calculate your body's daily energy needs. It figures out to be about 10% of your daily energy.

To calculate your calories used for digestion and absorption, we basically add your BMR and Activity calories and then multiply that number by 10%.

BMR + Activity Calories x 10% = Calories for Digestion/Absorption

Sarah's calculation would be as follows:

(1470 + 515) x 10% = Calories for Digestion/Absorption

(1985) x 10% = Calories for Digestion/Absorption

(198.5) = Calories for Digestion/Absorption

Lets' round that up to 199.

Putting It All Together

Now, we just need to put it all together to determine Sarah's total calorie needs. The equation for that is as follows:

BMR Calories + Activity Calories + Digestion/Absorption Calories = Total Calories

Sarah's total calories are:

1470 + 515 + 199 = 2184

So, the total number of calories Sarah needs to maintain her current weight (at her current activity level) is 2184 per day. But she doesn't want to maintain her weight, Sarah's goal is to lose slowly and steadily until she reaches her goal weight of 135-140.

How does Sarah know how much she can eat and still lose weight? The safest approach is not a crash diet or weight loss pills, but for her to simply decrease her calories which, over time, will result in weight loss. It sounds like a no-brainer, but here's how it works.

A Pound a Week

A pound is basically made of up of 3500 calories. That's how many extra calories need to be hanging around in order for each pound to be maintained. So, if Sarah wants to lose a pound a week, she can simply figure how many calories to deduct from her diet per day by dividing 3500 calories by 7 days of the week. The calculation looks like this:

3500 calories / 7 days = 500 calories per day

We already figured out Sarah would need 2184 calories per day to maintain her weight. Now all we have to do to help her lose a pound a week is to decrease her caloric intake by 500 per day.

2184 calories - 500 calories = 1684 calories per day

So, using this guide, if Sarah stays within her 1684 calories per day and gets some exercise, chances are she'll meet her weight loss goal. She could start a daily walking group with other moms in the neighborhood or do a half hour of aerobics before the kids wake up. Whatever realistically falls into her schedule, she'll not only lose the weight, but since it's come off a little at a time, chances are better that she will keep it off. In 6 months, Sarah will be proud of her accomplishments and pulling out those jeans she's been wanting to get into for years. Okay, maybe they're acid washed and went out of style ages ago, but the point is she reached her goal and that's what's most important.

Losing weight is a constant battle for some people, but for those of us who take the smart approach and don't look for an easy way out, it makes our goals more tangible. If we set realistic expectations, were less likely to be disappointed and fall into the pitfalls of yo-yo dieting and eventual weight gain.

Now, let's have our next volunteer. Sir? .... Sir, come OUT from behind the dessert table!

Okay, well, if you're ready to lose weight, maybe you can use YOURSELF as the next volunteer. Good luck!

Weight Loss charts and formulas taken from "Dieting For Dummies: A Reference For the Rest of Us!"