How to Count Calories

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Seek approval from a health care professional before starting a weight-loss or exercise plan.

   It is not worth jeopardizing your health with a crash diet.
   
   For most people, a healthy amount of weight to lose is 1 to 2 pounds per week.
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   Step 2: Use free online BMR calculators to take the mystery out of weight loss.

   BMR stands for basal metabolic rate, is the amount of calories consumed while you're at rest, not doing anything.
   
   The Mayo Clinic and many other health-related websites have calorie calculators that determine how many calories you should eat per day to maintain your current weight.
   
   Enter variables such as weight, height, age, gender and frequency of exercise, and the calculator determines the right number of daily calories for you. , Here's how you calculate your BMR.
   
   It's different for men and women:
   For women: 655 + (4.3 x Weight in pounds) + (4.2 x Height in inches)
   - (4.7 x Age in years) For men: 66 + (6.3 x Weight in pounds) + (12.9 x Height in inches)
   - (5.8 x Age in years) You'll come up with a number.
   
   What does this number mean? This is a number of calories that you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day and did absolutely nothing. , Do this to see how many calories you can consume during a day to maintain your weight.
   
   Take your BMR, multiply it by the appropriate number below, and add that to your BMR to see how many calories you can eat during the day to stay the same weight.
   
   This is called your suggested daily calorie intake.
   
   For no activity, multiply your BMR by 20% (this means BMR x .20, not 20!) For little or light activity, multiply your BMR by 30% For moderate activity, multiply your BMR by 40% For strong activity, multiply your BMR by 50% For intense activity, multiply your BMR by 60% , Any calories you consume above your suggested daily calorie intake will cause you to gain weight, while consuming fewer calories than your suggested daily calorie intake will cause you to lose weight.
   
   A pound is measured by 3,500 calories.
   
   So if you consume 3,500 more calories than you burn during a day, you'll gain a pound; if you burn 3,500 more calories than you consume during a day, you'll lose a pound.
   
   For example, say that your BMR is 1,790.
   
   Let's also say that you're moderately active, meaning you exercise three times a week. 1,790 x .40 =
   716.
   
   Add 716 to 1,790 to get 2,506.
   
   That's what you need to stay under in order to lose weight.
   
   Any calories consumed above 2,506 means you're gaining weight. , One pound equals 3,500 calories, so cutting 500 calories a day will add up to a pound a week.
   
   Having a target goal for daily calories makes it easier to decide what to eat.
   
   If your suggested daily calorie intake is about 2,500, then shoot for 2,000.
   
   This will help you along with your goal of losing one pound every week.
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   Step 3: If you don't want to use online BMR converters

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   Step 4: do the math yourself.

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   Step 5: Factor in your level of daily exercise to your BMR.

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   Step 6: Understand how weight loss and weight gain work.

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   Step 7: Cut 500 calories a day to lose 1 pound per week.

Detailed Guide

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