| By now there's a good chance that you know 3,500 calories is equal to about one pound of body weight. In other words, you will lose a pound for every 3,500 calories you get rid of, and you will gain one pound for every 3,500 calories you add on. If you are serious about losing weight, then a calories burned counter is a tool you should make regular use of.
You will notice that 3,500 calories works out nicely to an even 500 calories per day for a week. Furthermore, there are only two real ways that you can have direct control over those calories: what you eat and the exercise you do. Yes, your metabolism plays a role, but that isn't quite as easy to control directly. So, diet and exercise it is.
A calories burned counter will let you know how many calories you burn during any activities you participate in. This is critical information if you are trying to get rid of some extra pounds. Knowing how many calories you're expending will help you to stay on track, and can also serve as motivation. After all, you don't always see results in the mirror right away, but if you know you're burning calories then you can assure yourself that noticeable results are just around the corner.
To get the full picture, you will also want to get a regular calorie counter which tells you how many calories are in the foods you eat. This way you will be able to know not only how many calories you're burning, but how many you're taking in as well.
Health experts typically recommend that losing one to two pounds per week is safe, and has the added benefit of being a more sustainable form of weight loss--you take it off and keep it off. Now that you have your calorie counters you can aim for a loss of 500 to 1,000 calories per day. Don't worry, there's no need to starve yourself or wear yourself out by exercising. In fact, it's not a good idea at all.
The best way to lose weight is a combination of diet and exercise. Therefore, if you take in 250 calories less per day and burn off an extra 250 per day, you will lose one pound per week. If you want to lose two pounds per week, then eat 500 fewer calories and burn off an extra 500.
There is one catch that you should be aware of: a calories burned counter only works when you use it. If you never check it, then it won't do you any good at all. However, when you do use it, you will have another powerful tool to help you lose weight. So, what are you waiting for? You can do it! All it takes is knowing how many calories you're taking in and how many you're burning. |