Listen to “ What You Need to Know About Calories“.
The amount of energy in food or drinks is measured in calories.
When we eat and drink more calories than we burn, our bodies store the excess as fat, and over time it will cause us to put on weight.
As a guide, the average woman needs to eat about 2000 calories per day to maintain their weight, and 1500 calories to lose one pound of weight per week. The average man needs 2500 calories to maintain, and 2000 to lose one pound of weight per week.
As we get older, our metabolism slows down. This reduces our need for energy. From the ages of 19 to 25, the recommended intake for women is 2,000 calories a day, but after 51, this falls to 1,600.
If you’re gaining weight, it could mean you have been regularly eating and drinking more calories than you have been using. To lose weight, you need to use more energy than you consume and continue this over a prolonged period of time. The best approach is to combine diet changes with increased physical activity.
The more vigorously you do an activity, the more calories you’ll use. For example, fast walking will burn more calories than walking at a moderate pace.
However, cutting calories without taking the foods you eat into account is usually not a sustainable way to lose weight. While it may work for some people, most end up hungry and eventually give up on their diet. Therefore, it’s highly recommended that you make a few other permanent changes to help you maintain a calorie deficit in the long term, without feeling starved.
1. Avoid Sugary Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices
One relatively easy change you can make is to eliminate liquid sugar calories from your diet. This includes sodas, fruit juices, milkshakes and other beverages that have added sugar.
These products are likely the most fattening aspect of the modern diet, as your brain doesn’t register liquid calories in the same way as solid calories.
2. Reduce Carbohydrate Intake, Especially Refined Carbs and Sugars
Cutting carbs is an effective way to lose weight, as it reduces appetite and makes you eat fewer calories automatically. Studies have shown that eating a low-carb diet until fullness can make you lose about 2–3 times more weight than a calorie-restricted, low-fat diet
3. Eat More Protein
When it comes to losing weight, protein is the king of nutrients. Increasing your protein intake can reduce your appetite, cut cravings and increase the number of calories you burn.
Adding protein to your diet is the simplest, most effective and most delicious way to lose weight with minimal effort.
4. Drink More Water
One very simple trick to increase weight loss is to drink more water. This can increase the number of calories you burn for up to 90 minutes. Drinking about 8 glasses of water per day can make you burn about 96 more calories.
The timing of when you drink water may be even more important. Having it before meals can help reduce your hunger and help you to eat fewer calories.
5. Exercise!
Doing some cardio exercises such as walking, swimming or jogging is also important, not necessarily for weight loss, but for optimal health and general wellbeing.
