Posted by Dr. Brent RidgeHi, Dale: It sounds like you have a very healthy routine, so you are
definitely on the right track. It also sounds like you are pretty healthy, just not at your goal
weight. You don’t give me enough details in your comment to make
specific recommendations, but I will go back to my standard statement (which
everyone is probably tired of hearing by now!), that losing weight is about
calories consumed and calories burned. There are about 3,500 calories in
every pound of body fat. So for instance, if you are currently at a
steady-state where your exercise and consumption habits keep you at a constant
weight, then to lose a pound a week you need to find a way to eliminate 500
calories per day (500 calories X 7 days = 3500). I often tell people to
split up the workload. Eliminate 250 calories from your diet (this is
very easy to do—sometimes it’s just replacing one bottled beverage
with water) and work to burn 250 more calories via exercise (spend a little
longer on the cardio).
Hi, Dee: See my answer to Dale above. I think it is a
reasonable goal (and safe) to aim for one pound of weight loss per week. This means finding some way to get rid of 500 calories per day. In order
to do this, you have to have a good understanding of how many calories you are
consuming and burning each day. It’s actually pretty
easy to figure out calories you are consuming as long as you keep track of
everything that goes into your mouth. This is why a food diary is helpful
initially. Calories burned is a harder estimate to make because it
depends on your size and the intensity of your work out.
Here’s a good rule of thumb from the National
Institutes of Health:
- Regular physical activity can help you feel
better because it: Boosts energy, helps you cope with stress, improves
self-image, increases resistance to fatigue, helps counter anxiety and
depression, helps you relax and feel less tense, improves your ability to fall
asleep and sleep well, and provides an easy way to share time with family
and friends.
- The information below shows the number of
calories burned during physical activity. The calories burned are listed
for a 175 pound healthy man and a 140 pound healthy woman. The number of
calories you burn in an hour for each activity may vary according to a variety
of factors, including environmental conditions
Activity + Calories Burned per Hour
Light Activity:
Men: 300 calories per hour
Women: 240 calories per hour
Cleaning House
Office Work
Playing Baseball
Playing Golf
Moderate Activity:
Men: 460
Women: 370
Walking Briskly (3.5 mph)
Gardening
Cycling (5.5 mph)
Dancing
Playing Basketball
Strenuous Activity:
Men: 730
Women: 580
Jogging (9 min/mile)
Playing Football
Swimming
Very Strenuous Activity:
Men: 920
Women: 740
Running (7 min/mile)
Racquetball
Skiing
Here's how to find the number of calories you would burn during your workouts:
1) Write down your weight and divide your weight by 140 pounds (for a woman or 175 for a man)
2) Multiply this number by the number of calories burned in an hour as shown above
3)This will give you the number of calories YOU burn for the same activity
Good Examples of Moderate Activity*:
Washing and waxing a car for 45-60 minutes
Washing windows or floors for 45-60 minutes
Gardening for 30-45 minutes
Wheeling self in wheelchair 30-40 minutes
Pushing stroller 1.5 miles in 30 minutes
Raking leaves for 30 minutes
Walking 2 miles in 30 minutes (15 min/mile)
Shoveling snow for 15 minutes
Stair-walking for 15 minutes
*Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH)
Hi, Tad: Congratulations on your 35lb weight loss! You’ve
almost made your goal! Sorry for the confusion about the worksheet. You did
pick up a labeling error on the “boxes” which may make the
instructions confusing. As you correctly did, overlook the “box 1” and
“box 2”
labels and follow the instructions at the bottom of each box.
You are absolutely correct. The primary benefit of
this chart is to encourage people to get started by seeing that losing weight
is not about depriving yourself. The number of maintenance calories you
would be consuming at your goal weight are not that different than the number
of calories you may currently be consuming.
On the chart, you will see that there are two boxes labeled
“exercise” and that they are the same size. The worksheet
makes the assumption that the amount of exercise you do will remain constant,
but if you increase your exercise levels as you try to lose weight, you can
consume more calories and still balance out.
In terms of cutting calories out of your diet or burning
more calories, I never recommend that you cut calories below the total in the
box labeled “resting metabolism,” as this is the number of calories
your body needs to carry out its day-to-day functions. A reasonable goal
is to create a daily 500 calorie deficit.
Hi, BJ: You are such a success story. You must be a wonderful
teacher. To be a great teacher, you must first be a great student, and I
can tell that you have learned so much over the last 30 days. Keep up the
great work and let us all know about your progress.
Hi, Maureen: The calorie counter is a worksheet that you fill out on your
own by following the instructions given. It is not automated, but is VERY
easy to complete. You should be able to fill it out in under 5
minutes.
Please leave a comment and we may contact you to appear on the show (your email will be kept confidential)! If you DO NOT want to be contacted, please email us at bodyandsoulchallenge@marthastewart.com.
Posted by Mary Tedesco
Posted by Eva Scrivo
