I can’t stand it any time I hear this question: “how many calories do I need to burn?” Now I suppose I could do the proper thing when asked this question and be like the hundreds of other ridiculous weight loss sites, programs, and supposed experts that are on the net and tell you that the answer to the question how many calories do I need to burn is Five Hundred a day! You see you need to either eat 500 calories less per day or work out enough that you burn at least 500 calories a day in order to lose the 1-2 pounds!

But being proper is never one of my finer points!! I mean come on?? What is that information going to do for you?? Who in their right mind thinks that they are going to count calories either consumed or burned for the rest of their life? Instead adapt this as your mindset and you will see much better results with your weight for life!

Ok, so most people know that they require a certain amount of calories for their body to function throughout correctly. If you are active or performing other more strenuous tasks throughout the day you require even more. I recommend thinking of the calories you need for energy like money you have in your pocket. Everyone has a total calorie “budget” and with any budget, you should divide it into “necessities” and “extras.”

With your financial budget, necessities would be things such as your mortgage and groceries. The extras would be like vacations, going out to eat, new shoes, etc. In a calorie budget, necessities are the minimum calories required to meet your nutrient needs. The nutrients found in foods are the essential components we need to sustain life, grow and be active. Healthy eating is often misinterpreted with drastically cutting calories or going on unbalanced, crash diets. Which typically originates by the way with that hated question of how many calories do I need to burn!

By selecting the lowest fat and no sugar added foods you make the best nutrient buys. Why waste extra calories in full fat or full sugar foods when the healthier options taste just as good? When considering what to eat in the run of a day don’t ask yourself how many calories I need to burn, instead think along the lines that you want your “biggest bang for your buck.” Depending on the foods you choose, you may be able to burn more calories than the amount required to meet your nutrient needs. These calories are the “extras” that can be used on luxuries like solid fats, added sugars and alcohol. They are your discretionary calories. If you have been good all week and eaten clean meals…there may be some room once in a while for you to have a small indulgence. It’s when our calorie account is always overdrawn with extra calories, that doesn’t allow you those treats, because you simply continue to store more calories, in turn more fat.

When asking the question how many calories I need to burn, the best rule to go by is the 80/20 rule which applies in 2 different ways. The first is that 80% is what you eat and 20 % what you do, that is the deciding factor whether or not you reach your weight loss goal, much easier then asking how many calories do i need to burn. The other rule that applies when asking yourself how many calories do I need to burn is 80 % of the time you should eat to fuel your body, 20 % is sufficient for enjoying the junk foods. With that in mind make educated choices on what you put into your body. Every time you eat something, say to yourself am I eating for fuel or for pleasure? Take pride in your educated choices and pass your health knowledge along to the people you care about; it’s all about knowledge, so teach someone something today! Explain to them that the question is not how many calories do I need to burn but how many do I need to function through out the day and lead a healthy life.

Basal Metabolic Rate is not usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think about weight loss. We usually think about dieting and exercise programs. But, BMR is a large factor in how our bodies gain or lose weight.

Counting the calories consumed in foods or used in exercise needs to have some base line to measure against. Part of this measurement is based on the basal metabolic rate or BMR. The BMR is the base rate for the body’s calorie consumption for the basic functions of the body like pumping blood, maintaining body temperature and repairing blood cells.

The food calories consumed and the exercise calories expended are both important to success in weight loss. The number of calories taken in less the number of calories used equals the calories that are left to be stored as fat in adipose tissues. That amount is approximately 70 calories per hour; a little more when we are awake and a little less when we are sleeping. Everyone has a slightly different BMR depending partially on their genetics and partially on their body types.

Other factors that affect the basal metabolic rate are your body temperature (for instance, if you have a fever) and some medications (such as antidepressants). A fever can cause weight loss and antidepressants can cause weight gain. Talk to your health care professional about how the medications you take can affect your body and whether you would need to take additional steps to prevent excessive weight gain.

Your body must have some fat in order to function. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are used for electrical functions by the heart, brain and muscles. They are also used by the body for regulating hormones.

BMR can also be changed when you are injured. This is a temporary change while your body is using essential fatty acids and proteins to rebuild damaged tissues. Some weight can be lost when recovering from an injury, depending on its severity. Of course, you wouldn’t want to go out and break a leg just to lose a few pounds.

Foods that are high in fat and refined sugars can reduce the basal metabolic rate because they are low in fiber and bulk. This slows down the activity in the intestines and causes the body to absorb more calories from them. Proper nutrition and getting enough vitamins and minerals can help regulate the BMR.

BMR is generally determined by family genetics. To prevent the poor BMR levels that are handed down from the generations before you, it is important to eat a proper diet and exercise according to your age and body’s fitness level.

Joining a weight loss program can be quite a challenge. It takes time, mental toughness and support to change lifetime habits. But it’s a process you must learn in order to succeed. Regardless of which of the many diet pills or weight loss programs you decide to join, you alone are the one who has the power to lose your excess weight.

We are flooded with success stories every day on television and in newspapers, magazines and tabloids, all of them about people who have lost their excess weight and kept it off with a new miraculous weight loss program.

Diets and weight loss programs are generally more flexible now than they once were. The meals are attractive and can often be prepared in a matter of minutes. Low-fat and low-calorie foods are on shelves everywhere.

You will probably need to learn new, wiser eating skills. You will want a weight loss program that gives you some control, rather than imposing one rigid system. Look for one that offers a variety of different eating plans, so you can choose the one that’s best for you.

Keep in mind, too, that your weight loss program will most likely include some physical exercises. Look at the exercising aspect of your program as fun and recreation and not as a form of sweaty work. You can also benefit from using one of the diet pills recommended on this web site.

If you are willing to take the few simple steps that lie between you and fitness, you will soon begin to feel better, and the improvement will reflect in every part of your life.