Day 23 - Fat to Live?

LOL – I need a pound of fat a day in order to maintain my current weight. No seriously, I do! Based on my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) multiplied by 1.4 for sedentary daily activities (1.6 for light activity and 1.8 for physical activity) my metabolism burns 3,400 calories a day. That is equivalent to almost one pound of fat.

Reducing a calorie intake by 1,000 calories a day is the same as reducing 2 pounds of fat a week. I never really looked at calorie intake before now as I never really understood. All I knew is that if I ate it, I had to burn the fat (too bad I did not listen to myself). Simple concept; you would think.

Now that I finally know that 3,500 calories is the same as one pound of fat I can watch my calorie intake and calorie expense. Just getting me on a controlled 2,000 calorie diet would help and I could lose a pound to two pounds a week – for the first month or so.

Our metabolic rate is determined by our age, height and our declining weight. I found that the Harris and Benedict Equation is the standard used in obtaining a good estimate of our BMR.

• For men, BMR = 66.4730 + (6.2377 * w) + (12.7084 * h) - (6.7550 * a)
• Women, BMR = 655.0955 + (4.3379 * w) + (4.6980 * h) - (4.6756 * a)

w = weight in pounds / h = height in inches / a = age in years

Understanding what is happening in our body can help us understand how to manage our body. For those that are math challenged, I personally found a quick calculator at Discovery Health.

Today's Weight: 255