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If you’re looking to lose weight and keep it off this summer you should know what it takes. Diet is far more important than exercise to lose weight.  Not that exercise isn't important, it is. However, to lose weight controlling your calorie intake is where you must start.  To simplify this think of 100 percent of what you eat comes in to your body in the form of energy (calories) but only a small portion of those go out in the form of physical activity.

How Energy is Used by the Body:

  1. The amount of energy it takes just to keep your body running (blood pumping, lungs breathing, brain functioning) is called your basal metabolic rate (BMR). For most people your BMR accounts to 60-80% of energy expenditure.
  2. Energy used to breakdown and digest your food accounts to about 10% of calories burned.
  3. Energy burned during physical activity accounts to roughly 10-30%.
  4. A Registered Dietitian can help to to accurately calculate your ideal calorie goal necessary for losing weight.

Examples of Diet Intake & Physical Activity:

A 30 minute session of fast-paced walking for an 185-pound person will burn around 200 calories. However, this can be easily balanced out with food by eating two small cookies, or a large glass of wine.  

Even a more strenuous cycling workout with a 700-calorie burn can be cancelled out by consuming a large piece of cheesecake or a serving of nachos.

In other words, it will take an extreme amount of physical activity to balance out many high-calorie foods or large portions of foods.  Many Americans spend too much time in the gym trying to reach a certain calorie burn without putting in the effort to control their diet in the first place. 

Key Points to Lose Weight:

Please note that exercise is very important for building strength and muscle mass, balance, and for flexibility. It can help to reduce risk and manage many diseases. It can also elevate mood and help fight depression.

Even though exercise can help with weight loss, eating a healthy diet is proven to make more of an impact regarding weight loss. Recording your food intake is the only way to know how many calories you are consuming each day. Make this a part of your daily routine to see the most accurate results.

As you continue to build a healthy lifestyle and reach your goal weight, make sure you find the right balance with calorie intake and burn through physical activity. It will make the process much more achievable for you.

For more information regarding weight loss programs in Lincoln, NE and Omaha, NE visit WeightLossNebraska.com.

 

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