The basic diet equation: if you take in fewer
calories than your body uses, you will lose
weight. Since for every shortage of 500 calories
per day, you will lose one pound, low calorie
diets are designed to reduce the number of
calories you consume in order to create a
daily shortfall.
Normally, a 125 pound woman uses 1500 calories
a day and a 200 pound man uses 2800 calories
a day, so you can see that a 500 calorie
per day reduction is a pretty significant
reduction, particularly for a woman. This
is why exercise plays an important role in
weight loss. By exercising, we increase our
daily calorie burn rate. For example, an
active person will burn an extra 450-600
calories a day, which means that an inactive
person can lose a pound a week simply by
becoming active.
The other key to dieting is to remember that
the body needs daily nutrition, and considerable
damage can occur if your body is deprived
of its essential nutrients. Consequently,
it is important to be selective in which
part of your food intake you restrict and
not simply go on a "starvation"
diet.
Before beginning a low calorie diet, it is
always recommended that you speak with your
doctor to make sure that your specific nutritional
needs are met. |
