How Many Calories Do I Need? - Eat Less!

Eat Less to Lose Weight

As you may know, to maintain weight loss you need a good combination of Input and Output. Many people today are placing too much emphasis on either diet or exercise. The key to lasting weight loss is to treat both with equal importance.

Certain people for example exercise vigorously every day yet they can’t seem to lose those last 10-20 pounds. These people are probably not concentrating enough on food intake and rely only on physical activity to lose weight.

You have to understand that once you pass the age of 30 your body’s metabolism begins to slow down. In other words, at 35 years of age you would burn fewer calories by the exact same training routine than you would at 20. And that margin increases as you get older.

People that don’t account for this rely only on exercise for weight loss and mistakenly think they can eat as much as they want. Then they become frustrated that they can’t overcome their weight loss plateaus.

We hear constantly that there is a big problem with obesity in this country; and we put the blame on lack of exercise and often ignore the other factor – diet!

How much food should you be eating? Well, just as a general rule, your daily calories should equal roughly 10 times your weight in pounds – unless you are overly obese.

Overeating is as much to blame as is inactivity for the obesity epidemic in the Western world today. What we need is a weight loss plan with a proper balance between food intake and physical activity.

Eating fewer calories has other health benefits as well. A recent study, published in World Science, showed that eating less can actually decrease the aging process.

The other factor that should be taken into consideration for weight loss is the quality of diet. The types of foods we should be eating, as well as the amount of food intake play equally important roles in weight reduction. Foods that we should reduce or avoid are refined carbohydrates (processed carbohydrates that have been stripped of fiber), foods that are high in saturated and trans fats and high in salt contents.

Our meals should include ample amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. We should choose whole instead of refined grains and reduce starchy carbohydrates. At least 2 meals per week should contain fish. Avoid or reduce fried chicken, beef, and pork and substitute French fries with salad and/or vegetables.

Hopefully these tips can help you overcome your weight loss plateaus and to lose weight more effectively.