Calories Consumed

• 1). Divide up your calories. Think of the day in terms of three solid meals and two light snacks. Aim for 500 calories at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Add in two 100-calorie snacks a day for a total of 1,700 calories. Use this allocation of calories as a jumping-off place. If you find you need another snack at night, have a 400-calorie breakfast to save the extra 100 calories for an evening snack.
  
  
• 2). Keep a food journal to record the amount of calories consumed for each item you eat. Use the nutrition information on packages to determine calorie counts. For foods without packaging such as fruits and vegetables, estimate calorie counts on websites such as NutritionData.
  
  
• 3). Record snacks in your food journal. A small handful of 12 almonds equals 80 calories. A quick banana adds 121 calories. Those 10 small M&Ms account for 103 calories.
  
  
• 4). Identify proper serving sizes. Read nutrition labels to determine if a particular brand of bread considers one or two slices a serving. A prepackaged ready-to-heat container of macaroni and cheese may contain two servings in one box.
  
  
• 5). Eat a balanced diet consisting of 10 to 35 percent protein, 20 to 35 percent fat and 45 to 65 percent carbohydrates. Good sources of protein are fish, poultry, lean cuts of meat and beans. Stick with whole-grain breads, vegetables and fruits for carbohydrate intake. Cook with healthier fat sources such as olive oil and canola oil, avocados and nuts.
  
  
• 6). Increase dietary fiber. Eat whole-grain breads with 3 to 5 grams of fiber per serving instead of breads with only 0 to 1 grams. High-fiber diets help control blood sugar levels and make you feel fuller longer. Women should consume around 25 grams of fiber a day while men about 38 grams.
  
  
• 7). Drink plenty of water and avoid sugary drinks. Drinking a glass of water with meals and snacks help hydrate the body and make you feel fuller. The majority of calories should come from foods you eat and not foods you drink.
  
  

Calories Burned

• 1). Calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Your BMR is the amount of calories your body burns with life sustaining activities such as breathing, pumping your heart and digesting food. Your BMR factors in such variables as gender, height, weight and age. Use the following formulas for BMR.
  
  Women: 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
  
  Men: 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )
  
  
• 2). Multiply your BMR by the Harris Benedict Equation activity factor that most closely matches your activity level. Use the resulting number as an estimate of how many calories you can expect to burn on a typical day.
  
  Little or no exercise: BMR x 1.2 = calories burned per day
  
  Light exercise one to three times per week: BMR x 1.375 = calories burned per day
  
  Moderate exercise three to five times per week: BMR x 1.55 = calories burned per day
  
  Hard exercise six to seven times per week: BMR x 1.725 = calories burned per day
  
  Vigorous exercise two times per day (may include physically, labor intensive jobs): BMR x 1.9 = calories burned per day
  
  
• 3). Calculate the difference between the calories you burn off each day and the calories you plan to consume.
  
  Calories burned per day minus 1,700 = potential calories burned for weight loss
  
  If your result is between 500 calories and 1,000 calories, you are on track to lose one to two pounds per week. If your number is 0, you can expect to maintain your current weight without any additional efforts.
  
  
• 4). Increase your exercise plans to burn more calories per day if needed to reach your weight loss goal on a 1,700-calorie diet. For example, a 150-pound person walking the dog for 30 minutes can expect to burn 118 calories. The same person playing basketball for 30 minutes burns an extra 271 calories.