Daily Calorie Intake Control
By David McCarthy
Your ideal daily calorie intake depends upon various factors
such as your age, activity level and whether you are trying to lose, gain or
maintain weight. During the past two decades obesity has doubled in the United
States and much the same is true of other countries. If people do not start
taking action now they will experience reduced life expectancy.
It doesn't matter how big you are most can afford to lose some weight, even
a modest loss of ten pounds has tremendous health benefits. To achieve this you
need to find your balance between food intake and physical activity and each of
us will have a different equation to deal with. As I say in most weight loss
articles that I publish: "To lose weight you need to eat less and move more."
There are no secrets, just follow that simple rule.
Fifty years ago life for most people consisted of much activity and it
didn't matter what you ate because you would exercise away excess calories. For
many today life has become a very static experience that consists of long hours
at work in front of a computer, a drive home and so tired that there is just
enough energy remaining to eat and then sleep. It is no surprise that we're
getting fatter.
Now for the good news
You don't have to give up your favorite meals to lose weight. You do need to
exercise a little more each day and be aware of portion sizes that you eat. It
is a fair assumption that people in the United States and other developed
nations can afford to reduce calorie intake by about 300 per day. In less
developed countries where people are more active in their daily lives this
figure will be considerably lower, but they are unlikely to have an obesity
problem anyway.
Exercise values
For a person who weighs 155 pounds (77 kilograms) the following calorie
burn-off rate applies for each 1 hour of exercise:
Light exercise:
Hiking 370 calories
Golf (walking and carrying clubs - not in a buggy) 330 calories
Stretching exercises 180 calories
Heavy exercise:
Jogging (5 miles per hour/ 8 kmh) 590 calories
Bicycling 590 calories
Aerobics 480 calories
Note: If you weigh over 155 pounds the calorie burn-off will be greater,
below 155 pounds the burn-off lesser. There is no accurate science that applies
to each individual.
To lose weight and keep it off you should aim at losing one pound (450
grams) each week and to lose one pound you must reduce your present calorie
intake by 3,500 calories. How you achieve it is up to you. I suggest 300 less
calories each day in your food intake and burn an extra 200 calories each day
through physical activity. As you become fitter you will find this ratio
reversing.
David McCarthy is webmaster of
http://www.recipesmania.com a site dedicated to freely sharing knowledge
about recipes, diet, health and all things good about food.
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