In order to continue making correct choices, you need to understand why you are making them.
Here is where some of the math comes in.
Each person has a Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which stand for basal metabolic rate.
This is the amount of calories your body burns to survive in its most basic state - sleeping for example.
The total amount of calories that your body needs on a daily basis is impacted by factors such as your activity level, gender, and height/weight.
This calculation will provide you with a number that is at best a guesstimate - but provides a good baseline.
Remember you need this number to help with you lose weight.
The amount of your total calorie needs (TCN) is a maintenance number.
I would recommend doing you calculation based on the activity level that has been standard in your routine - not incorporating the amount of activity level you plan to be performing as you ramp up your weight loss efforts.
The figure that you calculate here represents the calories you could consume on a daily basis to stay exactly the way you are right now.
Maintaining a sedentary lifestyle and eating more calories than your TCN would result in gaining weight.
Conversely, maintaining the same activity level but consuming fewer calories than your TCN generally would result in losing weight.
The other factor to the equation, activity level, works similarly to adjusting the amount of calories you consume.
maintaining your calorie level (assuming based on TCN amount) but increasing your activity level would result in losing weight, and becoming less active than previously would result in again, gaining weight.
This is starting to sound tricky isn't it? If you take away one thing from this lesson, remember 'Calories In equals Calories Out'.
The calories that you consume from eating and drinking (yes, drinking!) in excess of what your body can metabolize are going to stick with you and be stored as fat.
Luckily, our bodies need energy as fuel for performing physical activity, which it gets from calories stored as fat.
Wait! I'm still confused! How do I lose weight? Option 1: Maintain the same activity level, but eat fewer calories than your body needs to function on a daily basis.
This creates a calorie deficit.
If you do not feed your body enough food (fuel) then it will get it from another source (i.
e.
fat stores) Option 2: Increase your activity level, and keep your calorie consumption level.
Again, you're creating a calorie deficit that requires your body to find another source of fuel.
Option 3: Increase your activity level, and consume less calories...
creating a larger calorie deficit.
As you can see, the third option really is the most effective - creating a larger calorie deficit will require your body to burn more fat.
Therefore you will be losing weight at a more rapid pace.
Good luck with your weight loss