How To Count Calories To Lose Weight
Counting calories is really the only way to lose weight if you are in a hurry. By counting how many calories you eat and how many you burn, you can be sure you will lose the amount that you desire in the time that you desire. It can also give you the confidence and motivation to meet your goals.
To be able to count how many calories you are eating and burning, you need to know a few numbers before you get started. There are roughly 3,500 calories in 1 pound, so if you want to lose 1 lb per week you would need to eat 3,500 calories less per week or 500 calories per day. For this to work you also need to have an idea of how many calories you eat per day. For example, if you eat 2,000 calories a day, you would only eat 1,500 calories with your new diet.
If you want to lose even more weight you can add in an exercise routine. There are websites on the internet which can calculate how many calories you will burn running based on your weight, pace, and distance but just for this example on average you can burn about 100 calories per mile. So if you wanted to lose 1 lb per week only from exercise you would have to run 5 miles per day. This sounds like a lot but if you can run 10 minute miles (which is really a jog) you can do this on an electric treadmill watching your favorite one hour program each day.
For those who get bored running on a treadmill, a Garmin watch is a good alternative. These watches will track your distance, speed, calories burned and heart rate while you enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Also, since you are running outdoors you will be getting a more intensive workout and won’t have to run as long.
If you really need to lose weight quickly you can combine diet and exercise. One thing to remember when you first start running is to start out slow and build up to your desired amount of miles. It’s probably a good idea to start out with a slow one mile jog your first week or else you will probably be very sore otherwise.
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