Sensible Diet Tips to Lose Weight

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites


Determining Daily Calories to Support Body Weight

Knowing the amount of calories contained in the foods you eat is a very wise step that leads to the pathway of Weight Loss Success.

It takes 3,500 calories to equal one pound of body weight. A two-pound per week weight loss is considered ideal as dieters are less likely to regain weight lost at a slow rate. To see how much two pounds weighs, lift the wart off your mother-in-law's chin.

Generally, dieters decrease an average of 1,000 calories per day in an effort to lose 2 pounds of body fat per week.

- 3,500 calories equal one pound

- 7,000 calories equal two pounds

- 1,000 calories per day equals 7,000 calories per week

However, not all individuals has the leisure of trimming back 1,000 or more calories per day. If the individual has only a few pounds to lose - such as 30 or less, they probably cannot cut back this severely without suffering in the area of nutrition. Therefore, a reduction of 500, 300, 200 or even 100 calories daily might prove most effective.

If you are in need of losing a lot of weight - such as 50 or more pounds, check in with your doctor before proceeding. They can assist on the number of calories which best suit your personal needs.

Individuals who have a significant amount of weight - such as more than 100 pounds will require more calories at the beginning of their plan so that they drop the excess fat in a safe manner. When pounds drop suddenly, it's not a good situation for the body and it may enter a plateau phase - or stall fat-loss.

Calculating the Number of Calories in Current Eating Plan

We recommend that pre-dieters create a log for three days before dieting, jotting down all the foods that they would normally consume. Tallying up the calories provides them with valuable information that can be used for weight loss. 


Make notes of what you consume for 2-3 days. Don't forget to jot down the amount of energy contained in the beverages you drink. Next, add all the caloric values and divide by the number of days you have tracked.

Sensible Eating Tips

The big bucket of " Movie Hot Buttered Popcorn"will cost you 1,650 calories.

But take heart because during that two hour movie, you'll burn 150 or more calories, depending on your current weight. (A 200 pound person will burn about 216 calories.)  

But seriously, given the high amount of energy values contained in that bucket, it's best kicked to the side. Instead, don't head to the movies on an empty stomach.

Holiday Diet Tip: Two ingredients to watch out for during the holiday season are oils and sugar because these contain the most fat and calories and will add unwanted pounds to your frame.

Fasting is unhealthy and can be fatal. Don't skip meals and build them upon the healthiest foundation - the Food Pyramid and it's healthy Food Groups.

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