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The guide to weight control.

This guide has been assembles to help you reach and sustain your body weight goals. It is not an absolute scientifically proven formula but can provide some excellent tips and advice to help steer you towards your body weight goals. The best advice to consider before starting might be to always consult with your physician first and to remember that exercise and good nutrition are vital to maintaining a healthy body.

We hope this will be a growing guide as our customers share their successful experiences and efforts with you. Please watch for more tips to come.

Here is the guide:

There is one truth at the foundation of nearly all weight loss and that one truth is this:

Your body use calories for energy, so for your body to do whatever it needs to do each day, a certain number of calories are required to sustain your current weight. We call this your sustaining calorie level. This is the number of calories your body requires to perform its daily functions.

Eating and drinking is how your body acquired calories. When you consume the same amount of calories that your body requires each day, you sustain your current weight. When you consume more calories in a day than your body requires, your body will store the excess calories as fat and you will gain weight. When you consume lesser calories in a day than your body requires, your body will convert your stored body fat into energy instead of using calories and you will lose weight.

A calorie shortage every day is what causes weight loss.

There are three healthy options for weight loss. You can either consume lesser calories, burn more calories through exercise or a combination of both. Those are your choices with the combination being your best choice.

Weight loss happens through staying below your sustaining calorie level.

Now you will need to figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). The Harris-Benedict Equation is the most commonly accepted equation used for calculating your BMR number. Your BMR is the number of calories your body burns doing the required tasks to sustain your life while you are at rest. Your activity level is considered for additional calories after your BMR has been estimated.

Your sustaining calorie level is the total of your BMR and activity level.

The charts we have provided are estimates and based on your sex and height. These charts can help you to determine your ongoing sustaining calorie level. Once you have estimated your sustaining calorie level, you can start to determine if you have the correct level estimated. Your goal is to reduce your weight and to make this happen you will need to be fairly accurate with your estimate. 

Start eating your estimated sustaining calorie level each day and be as consistent as you can be every day. Don’t worry if you go over or under your level a little bit but try to stay as close as you can. Continue on your sustaining calorie level for two weeks. Weigh yourself when you first get up in the morning on an empty stomach about once each week. After two weeks, notice if you have lost or gained any weight. Remember you are staying at your sustaining calorie level and you should NOT gain or lose any weight.

If you have lost weight during your process of determining your sustaining calorie level, you have probably estimated your sustaining calorie level too low and will need to adjust it up a little. If you have gained weight during your process of determining your sustaining calorie level, you have probably estimated your sustaining calorie level too high and will need to adjust it down a little.

If you have maintained your weight you have accurately determined your sustaining calorie level and can now start making your adjustments toward losing weight. To lose weight at a healthy pace, start consuming 500 calories per day less than your sustaining calorie level. To lose about 1 pound per week, you will need to stay 500 calories below your sustaining calorie level. The idea is to consume 500 calories less than your sustaining calorie level every day.

Continue weighing yourself each week on the same day. If you are losing a pound each week you should continue to make adjustments to your sustaining calorie level each month. Adjustment should only be about 25 fewer calories to your sustaining calorie level each month until you reach your desired weight.     

Remember your sustaining calorie level is a daily level. Once you have reached your desired weight, you should stay at your new sustaining calorie level to continue your desired weight.

Should you be counting every calorie? Not necessarily. Tracking every calorie can turn dieting into an unpleasant and time-consuming task. But you should have some idea of what foods are low in calories (think fruits, vegetables, fish, baked or grilled chicken and low-fat dairy products) and what foods are high in calories so you can make healthy choices. The idea is to be mindful of what you eat and of how many calories are in what you eat each day. It can help to look at each food item as a number.  

Staying below your sustaining calorie level is the key to weight loss but if the calories are all coming from ice cream you are not maintaining a healthy balance.

If you must snack, do it with non starchy vegetables like broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, onions, pea pods, peppers, radishes, squash, tomatoes, etc.

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Tip:

Sent by Steve in Wisconsin 

1. Start everyday with breakfast because your body will absorb as many nutrients as possible from the breakfast and this will boost your body metabolism.

2. Instead of one big meal, try to eat more times having smaller meals and calculate your calorie intake.

3. Eat slowly, chew more and drink more water with your meals.

4. Choose foods that are low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain cereals and breads.

5. Drink lots of water, a glass every one - two hours will keep you feeling full.

6. Change your diet from high calorie foods like fatty meats, oily dressings, regular soft drinks to lower-calorie options like fish, zero-calorie dressings and water.

7. Switch to high fiber foods, low fat diet and, most importantly, exercise regularly.

Your thoughts help.

If you have a tip or comment regarding weight loss or our Slimmer product, please feel free to send it to us. With your permission the tip or comments you give could become a part of Encoura.com.

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