Some Basic Tips For Weight Control I

Calories: Obviously calories are going to be the biggest problem. Every 3150 calories you don't eat compared to normal you'll lose a pound. To determine the calories you need, first determine your activity level: 13 if you are completely sedentary, 15 if you are extremely active (such as going to the gym every day), and 14 for everyone else. Multiply that number by your target weight, and that's how many calories a day you should be consuming.

So, a guy that weighs 250 lbs. aiming for 170 lbs who does average activity(14) is going to need 2380 calories a day. Since he would normally need 3500 calories, the saving of 1120 calories/day means he should be losing a pound every three days :-).

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Calories: Obviously calories are going to be the biggest problem. Every 3150 calories you don't eat compared to normal you'll lose a pound. To determine the calories you need, first determine your activity level: 13 if you are completely sedentary, 15 if you are extremely active (such as going to the gym every day), and 14 for everyone else. Multiply that number by your target weight, and that's how many calories a day you should be consuming.

So, a guy that weighs 250 lbs. aiming for 170 lbs who does average activity(14) is going to need 2380 calories a day. Since he would normally need 3500 calories, the saving of 1120 calories/day means he should be losing a pound every three days :-).

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Exercise Tip: If you have the choice, do some quick cardio before breakfast. This not just warms you up, but heightens your metabolism a bit. This has the effect of allowing you to burn more calories throughout the day, even while sitting at work.

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Don't drink and eat at the same time. I'm not referring to drinking alcohol, but any liquid during meal time. Eat your meal, and then drink your beverage of choice when you are done. The liquid acts as a compactor allowing you to eat more than you normally would, so what starts out as a small meal will end up as a large one. So only drink whatever you're drinking after you have decided that the eating portion of the meal is over.

If you eat soup, you're on your own...

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If it helps: The human body has adapted to a certain period for eating: About twenty minutes. This means that when you eat, you will eat for about twenty minutes before feeling full. Use this to your advantage: Eat slow, and you will eat less. If necessary, enjoy a conversation while eating.

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To increase your daily exercise debate car use. If it's within fifteen minutes or so and it's a relatively small load, walk there instead of using your car. Increase to where you feel comfortable walking, and can walk there without a break. Not only will this save gas and the planet, it also increases the amount of exercise you get.

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Today's Tip: A good basic exercise program, especially if you have little time in the morning, is to start with a few minutes of push-ups or sit-ups each morning. You start with eight minutes; each minute you you have to do eight push-ups. If you take less than that, you can relax for the remainder of the time. As you get more comfortable, raise the number of reps per minute or the number of minutes; the maximum I've heard of is 21 minutes of 18 reps (from 64 to 196). 

Each day, you do either push-ups or sit-ups, and you can do whichever version you prefer. I suggest push-ups go from so-called "girlie push-ups" (from the knees), to regular, to elevated (the body starts parallel to the ground). Sit-ups should go from regular to crunches (half-way up, pause for a moment, back down).

If you need a little more exercise, during the day stop for a minute or two and do 10-20 push-ups or sit-ups each hour.