Weight Management
Maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the most important ways to maintain good health. In the United States obesity is widespread problem and can lead to numerous negative health effects. While obesity is more common being significantly underweight can also have detrimental effects. Maintaining a proper balance through a well balanced diet in the right proportions paired with regular physical activity is the easiest way to maintain a healthy weight as well as overall good health.
Calories In - Calories Out
Balancing the amount of calories you take in through food and the amount of calories you burn during physical activity is the simplest method to approach weight management. When your intake and expenditure are equal your body weight will remain the same. If your intake is greater you will gain weight and if your expenditure is greater you will lose weight. For example if you are looking to lose weight and you are currently at an equilibrium you would either need to increase your physical activity level (calories out), reduce your dietary caloric intake (calories in), or a combination of both. Combining the two is usually the most effective method because it a smaller change in diet and exercise that just focusing on one side or the other.
With all that in mind it is important that maintaining a healthy well rounded diet is equally as important as managing intake and expenditure. Not only will making good dietary choices make it easier to manage a change in your diet but it will also help you avoid several negative health conditions that are caused by a poor diet. Click the link Here to find information on proper nutrition and diets.
Balancing the amount of calories you take in through food and the amount of calories you burn during physical activity is the simplest method to approach weight management. When your intake and expenditure are equal your body weight will remain the same. If your intake is greater you will gain weight and if your expenditure is greater you will lose weight. For example if you are looking to lose weight and you are currently at an equilibrium you would either need to increase your physical activity level (calories out), reduce your dietary caloric intake (calories in), or a combination of both. Combining the two is usually the most effective method because it a smaller change in diet and exercise that just focusing on one side or the other.
With all that in mind it is important that maintaining a healthy well rounded diet is equally as important as managing intake and expenditure. Not only will making good dietary choices make it easier to manage a change in your diet but it will also help you avoid several negative health conditions that are caused by a poor diet. Click the link Here to find information on proper nutrition and diets.
How to Calculate Dietary Changes
- Calculate average daily calorie intake. The most effective way is through a 3 day dietary log. Record what you eat for 3 days, calculate the average number of calories per day.
- Calculate daily calorie expenditure. Click here for a helpful calculator that will estimate your daily calorie expenditure based on your body size and physical activity level.
- Reduce or Increase that number by 500 calories depending on if you are trying to lose or gain weight (If you used the calculator in step 2 the results should have also given you calorie target numbers for gaining, losing, and maintaining weight).
500 calories a day is generally considered the optimal amount of calories to reduce or add because it will lead to a change of 1 pound per week. Trying to do more than 500 calories per day will usually be unsustainable and not be maintained to reach your target goal.
If you are attempting to gain weight your dietary intake might need to be above 500 calories because you are probably going to be exercising more and thus burning more calories (you can accommodate this by inputting your new activity level into the calculator to get an adjusted calorie count).
If you are trying to lose weight you may not need to reduce your diet by 500 calories if you increase your physical activity level and burn more calories on a daily basis (you can also can adjust the calculator to your new activity level to update your daily calorie intake amount).
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