How do I lose Weight?

In theory, losing weight is easy but perhaps a little more challenging in practice. Our body requires energy measured in calories obtained from the food we eat or our body's fat stores to conduct daily activities.

We can determine the number of calories we require each day based on various parameters. We will maintain our current weight if we consume these calories and conduct everyday activities. If we consume more calories than required, the additional calories will be retained in the body's fat stores, and we will gain weight.

Now, if we consume fewer calories than required, then the body will obtain the additional calories to meet our needs from the body's stores. Also, suppose we consume the necessary calories but increase the amount of exercise we do. In that case, the body will obtain additional calories to meet our needs from the body's stores. We will lose weight as we are now utilising the body's stores to address the deficit in calories.

So, to lose weight, try to reduce the calories you consume or increase the amount of exercise you do daily.

The body is intelligent, and with any sudden significant reductions in calorie intake or increased exercise, the body will enhance its stores' content if we reduce our weight by approx. a ½ kilogram/week, the body may adapt more quickly to lowering calorie intake and provide a better chance of maintaining the new weight. To reduce your weight by ½ kilogram/week means reducing your calorie intake by approx. 600 calories/day.

Ideal Weight

To estimate your ideal weight range, please enter your height and gender and select the 'Calculate ' button.

Height	Gender
	From	To
Your Ideal weight range is	st lb	st lb
Your Ideal weight range is	kg	kg

Estimated Energy Requirements (EER)

To obtain the EER (calories/day) to maintain your weight, please enter your gender, age, height, and activity level, and select the 'Calculate' button.

Gender	Age years	Height metres
Weight kg's	Activity Level
	Your EER is calories/day

The official formulas for calculating your daily estimated energy requirements (EER) are provided by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. (Trumbo et al. 2002)^[1]

References

TRUMBO, P. et al. (2002) Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fibre, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Amino Acids. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 102 (11), p. 1621-1630

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (2011) How do I lose Weight? [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/weightloss.htm [Accessed