Author: FrazeeDK » October 7, 2006, 9:57 pm
Actually one pound of fat equals about 3000 calories..
A person who does practically nothing except exist requires about 12 calories of food energy per pound each day.. A more active person would need 13-14 calories per pound..
Using the formula above an average person needs about 1800 (150 pound person)-2500 (200+ pound person) calories per day of food energy
JUST to maintain their current weight.. Drop intake a bit, drop weight a bit.. Increase output a bit, drop weight a bit.. Do both together and buddy, you've got a program..
So, weight loss is simple to understand Less input, more output..
An example is if say, you're a "Big Fellah" like a friend of mine who weighed in at about 350 pounds, he needed about 3800 calories a day JUST to maintain his rotundity. When his Doctor hammered him for high blood pressure and other health issues, my friend got fairly serious and started cutting down on food intake.. A diet?? NO I wouldn't call it that!!! He merely adjusted his food intake to a more normal level of around 2250 calories(he wasn't drinking numerous beers a night anymore).. He also started moderate exercise using a treadmill for about 40 minutes or about 400 calories worth of exercise a day.. He also made an effort to walk to work and back home; perhaps another 300-400 calories.. So go figure, Input dropped around 1600 calories.. Output increased about 800 calories plus.. Result (remembering 3000 calories = one pound of fat).. Each day he dropped about 3/4 of a pound..
He was flabbergasted to find his was losing nearly a pound a day when all he'd done was moderately upped his energy output and dropped his energy intake to about 2000-2250 calories a day.. That is no starvation diet..
I did a similar program (but to my shame didn't keep working it). I cut down food intake very moderately and upped my output by walking at a fast pace up and down our street for 40 minutes in the morning, and an hour at night.. I also used a treadmill at the gym for 15-25 minutes a day and lifted light weights.. In about six weeks I quickly shed 15 pounds, primarily through a large amount of low-cardio low impact fast walking.. I never ran on the road nor on the treadmill, my old knees won't take it..
A key thing to remember here is MODERATION.. Do not start a starvation diet and for God's sake don't think you can try to start a PT program by running 5 miles or lifting huge weights. If you do either you'll merely hurt yourself.. Trim a few beers from your to-do list.. Start walking moderately 15-20 minutes a couple of times a day.. As you drop a bit of weight, you'll feel a bit better so up the output..
If you have ANY complicating medical problems, ASK YOUR DOC First before doing anything that might cause you problems..