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Step 3Find out what your basic needs per day are and try to meet but not exceed them.
There are many basic resources you can use to do this. My favorite is mypyramid.gov, but there are also many others online. I love mypyramid.gov because not only does it tell you the amount of calories you need, it also gives you a personalized food pyramid. It is a great resource for those curious about losing weight - and best of all, it's free and reliable.
I really recommend that ya'll check it out and also browse the site after you put in your information. You can browse "Subjects" to the left, or click on the links to the right for more information.
Other great weight loss and fitness resources include:
Mayo Clinic Weight Loss Center
Self Magazine
Fitness Magazine
Men's Health Magazine
All of the above offer free information on their websites ranging from diet and exercise plans to tips for dieters. :)
The most important part of finding out your recommended caloric intake is that you see what you should be getting. Once you know this, it is easy to see how many calories over you are. I recommend starting at your recommended calories for the day and trying to stick with it for a couple weeks. If you do not see any results (and you should be checking your weight every day) then drop your total amount of calories by 100-200 calories or increase the amount of physical activity you participate in - but never drop your calories by a drastic amount!
Just dropping the amount of calories you consume to your recommended amount can help immensely!
It is also important to look at your basic nutritional needs. Here are the basics:
- 1g of fat is 9 calories. 1g of carbohydrate is 4 calories. 1g of protein is 4 calories.
- 60% of your daily calorie intake should come from carbohydrates. There are two basic types of carbs: simple and complex. These are also sometimes just referred to as sugars and starches. Try to stick to complex carbs such as those found in fruits, grains and vegetables. Simple sugars are more likely to be empty calories.
- 25-30% of your daily calories should come from fat. While this sounds scary, it is important to note that there are different types of fats and that your body needs this fat to survive! As stated before, it is important to stay away from saturated fats as much as possible. However, it is safe for saturated fats to be 10% of your daily 30% fat allowance. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats will make up the other 20%.
- Protein should be at least 10-15% of your daily caloric intake.
- WATER WATER WATER! It is important to keep hydrated at all times. I take a 32 oz. bottle everywhere and I just try to go through two of them a day. If you set goals like that, it's easy to meet them.
For more information on the vitamins and minerals your body needs, you can head to Nutrition.gov.
I really recommend that ya'll check it out and also browse the site after you put in your information. You can browse "Subjects" to the left, or click on the links to the right for more information.
Other great weight loss and fitness resources include:
Mayo Clinic Weight Loss Center
Self Magazine
Fitness Magazine
Men's Health Magazine
All of the above offer free information on their websites ranging from diet and exercise plans to tips for dieters. :)
The most important part of finding out your recommended caloric intake is that you see what you should be getting. Once you know this, it is easy to see how many calories over you are. I recommend starting at your recommended calories for the day and trying to stick with it for a couple weeks. If you do not see any results (and you should be checking your weight every day) then drop your total amount of calories by 100-200 calories or increase the amount of physical activity you participate in - but never drop your calories by a drastic amount!
Just dropping the amount of calories you consume to your recommended amount can help immensely!
It is also important to look at your basic nutritional needs. Here are the basics:
- 1g of fat is 9 calories. 1g of carbohydrate is 4 calories. 1g of protein is 4 calories.
- 60% of your daily calorie intake should come from carbohydrates. There are two basic types of carbs: simple and complex. These are also sometimes just referred to as sugars and starches. Try to stick to complex carbs such as those found in fruits, grains and vegetables. Simple sugars are more likely to be empty calories.
- 25-30% of your daily calories should come from fat. While this sounds scary, it is important to note that there are different types of fats and that your body needs this fat to survive! As stated before, it is important to stay away from saturated fats as much as possible. However, it is safe for saturated fats to be 10% of your daily 30% fat allowance. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats will make up the other 20%.
- Protein should be at least 10-15% of your daily caloric intake.
- WATER WATER WATER! It is important to keep hydrated at all times. I take a 32 oz. bottle everywhere and I just try to go through two of them a day. If you set goals like that, it's easy to meet them.
For more information on the vitamins and minerals your body needs, you can head to Nutrition.gov.
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if anyone is serious about losing weight, they need to cut carbs almost completely out, with no refined carbohydrates or starches. during the weight loss period i would minimize fruit as well (not long term). it will be difficult at first to break addiction to the blood sugar surge/crash cycle, but once you get over the hump it will be fine.
there is lots of new science on this. carbohydrates and ESPECIALLY SUGAR are bad for your, and hormonally they induce production of fat.
you don't need to take my word for it, try it. try one month on a 60% carb calorie restricted diet, and one month on an extremely low carb sensible calorie diet. the difference will be night and day.