Can’t Lose Weight? Maybe Your Not Eating Enough.
We are a few months into 2018 and lots of us are wanting to lose a few pounds. Me included! There is nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight; however, the approach taken may not produce the results we want if we are not careful. Lately I have seen a number of clients who in their efforts to lose weight are not eating enough.
The following reflects what I have experienced. “Vicky” comes to see me and talks about how she’s made changes to her diet and has been exercising but she’s not seeing any weight loss. I weigh her and determine Vick’s basal metabolic rate (BMR) is 1407 calories. Vicky agrees to track her meals in between appointments. At her next appointment, we take a look at her calorie intake which ranges between 1200 and 1400 calories. Don’t see the problem yet? Keep reading……
The basal metabolic rate is the minimum number of calories the body burns at rest; the amount of calories needed to keep your heart beating, lungs working, etc. Vicky has been eating between 1200 and 1400 calories daily which is less than her BMR. Guess what the body does when it gets less calories than it needs? If you guess conserve calories YOU ARE RIGHT! Vicky has inadvertently slowed down her metabolism. This makes weight loss nearly impossible.
Please avoid Vicky’s mistake. Instead of blindly reducing your calorie intake take these steps first:
- Track your food intake for 5 to 10 days before making any changes. I recommend an app like MyFitnessPal or Lose It! so you get an idea of your total calorie intake,
- Now calculate the amount of calories your body needs using this tool, http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/calories-burned. It determines your total calorie needs based on age, height, weight and activity level. Subtract 500 calories for weight loss. The result is your target calorie intake. Be sure to set your goal in the app to your target calorie intake,
- Compare the number of calories you have been eating with your target calorie intake,
- Adjust your food intake to meet this target number while making healthy swaps.
This will help get you off to a good start. Work with a licensed certified nutritionist to help you further personalize your goals, discuss healthy swaps and ensure proper fueling of YOUR body.
In wellness ~
Michelle
