A simple guide to understanding calories and how to USE them to HELP you lose FAT and keep it off!

 

THE BASICS 

 Calories are a measure of energy, we need energy to run basic metabolic functions.

 Your body burns calories constantly to live, just breathing burns almost 1 calorie a minute!

 To lose ½ kg (1 pound/1 lb) you must burn 3500 more calories than you consume.

 By giving your body the time and energy it needs to lose FAT you can keep it off for good!

 

 Your body works on an instant level, it doesn't know or care what your 24 hour intake is but it's easier for us to understand our intake looking at a 24 hour period.

 Your body adjusts constantly to its needs based on what nutrition it's getting at that moment.

 By eating small meals often you prevent your body from storing calories as fat and use them to their maximum potential. If you eat 3 meals a day at 450 calories each your body will store most of it as fat because it doesn't need 450 calories at one time. If you eat more often, 5-6 times a day, your body will USE the calories instead of storing them!

 Your BMR is the number of calories your body needs to survive through the day.
[4.35 x weight in pounds plus 4.7 x age in years plus 4.7 x height in inches plus 655 = how many calories your body needs a day simply to exist]

 A healthy calorie deficit is 500-1000 calories per day (that's ½-1 kg {1-2 pounds/lbs} per week).

 To create a calorie deficit find your BMR and do this equation:

[BMR x activity level plus exercise calories burned minus food intake = deficit] 

 

When your body does not have enough calories to function it will use whatever energy it can process fastest. If you are not consuming enough calories to survive it will use muscle instead of fat because it's a faster energy conversion. By eating enough calories you allow your body to take the time it needs to use fat stores because it doesn't have to worry about running out of energy completely.

 

Eat enough calories so your body can function but few enough to create a healthy deficit and you'll lose FAT and keep it off!