Daily Calorie Intake Control
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.
This article is copyright (c) David McCarthy 2005. It may only
be reproduced in its entirety with no additions.
About The Author: 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.