The Inner Workings of Weight Loss

The overall goal in everyone’s weight loss battle is centered around one number… 3500. 3500 is the amount of calories that is equal to one pound of fat. So if someone sets a goal of a twenty pound weight loss then they have to find a way to get rid of 70,000 calories. 70,000 calories can seem like a huge and insurmountable number. But the process that you can go about to losing the weight is scientific and straight forward.

There are many ways to get rid of these calories but the fundamental equation is:

1. Decrease Amount of Calories Consumed
2. Speed Up Your Metabolism

 Decrease Amount of Calories Consumed

 We will use The Biggest Loser as an example of what happens when you cut back on calories because it is so extreme. People are amazed at how much weight the contestants lose their first week on the ranch, frequently seeing numbers like 15, 25, and even 35 lbs. One of the reasons that such massive amounts of weight loss are possible is because of the amount of calories that they suddenly cut out of their diet.

 Some contestants go from eating a 7000 calorie per day diet to eating a 1500 calorie per day diet. If you do the math, that is a change of 5,500 (7000 – 1500) calories per day. Multipl7 that number by seven days and you achieve a deficit of 38,500 calories! Remember we said that 3500 calories is a pound, so just by changing their diets, they have lost 11 pounds.

 In no way am I saying that people should expect to lose 10+ pounds per week under normal circumstances, but this example paints a very clear picture. By cutting out excess calories, you can begin to whittle away at the larger weight loss goal.

Speed Up Your Metabolism

 Metabolism is the chemical process that your body uses to turn food into energy for your body to use in daily functions. Everyone has a daily rate that your body uses just to conduct normal functions like keeping your heart pumping and your organs functioning. This is called your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). If your RMR is 1,000, you want to look for ways to speed up your metabolism so that you are burning additional calories per day to burn off the food you are consuming.

 There are many ways to speed up your metabolism. Some of the major methods are:

• Being more active
• Eating MORE OFTEN through out the day (more often, NOT more)
• Creating more muscle in your body
• Eating a High Fiber Diet.
• Drinking enough water through out the day

So if you can eat an appropriate amount of calories on a daily basis, lets say 1500 as an example, and you can take the proper steps to increase your metabolism to 2500 calories, every day you’re 1000 calories closer to your goal!


**Note: I will get into the specifics of metabolism in future postings, so stay tuned for more in depth information about the above suggested methods and how to measure metabolic rates.


Go To Body Solutions - Weight Loss + Health Website