To reduce weight, it is necessary to know about the required amount of calories to lose weight. As all of us know that calories give us energy to carry on every work we do. But if the intake of calories for a person is more than its usage, the extra calories tend to deposit as fat and therefore result in extra weight for the person. Those who want to reduce weight must plan their diet in such a way that they consume fewer calories for weight loss.

Determining The Calorie Numbers: How To Count Calories?

Next question is how to determine the amount of calories for weight loss? This varies from person to person and the easiest way to count calories to lose weight is the BMR of a person. BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate. This gives you the amount of calories you requires to maintain the current weight without doing any activity. Then, by using the activity multiplier, you can find out the exact amount of calories required to maintain weight.

If you are thinking how to lose calories, you will have to reduce calorie intake. To lose a pound of body fat, you need to either expend 3500 calories or reduce intake of calories by 3500. A practical approach would be to make a proper calorie dieting plan and an exercise program side by side.

According to the diet plan, 500 calories should be reduced from daily diet and 500 extra calories should be expended through workout or physical activities like sports. This activity or exercise is in addition to a person's regular, daily activities at present. Therefore, by a deficit of a total of 1000 calories per day, amount of lost calories will be 7000 per week. By calculation, it should result in a reduction of two pounds of weight for a healthy person.

Why Some Diet Plans Fail?

The formula and calculations seem simple enough; one can calculate exact calories to lose weight easily. Still, many people who embark on a diet and exercise plan so enthusiastically find it very difficult to lose weight and finally give up after giving it a try. There may be several reasons behind this. The primary reason is that they make unrealistic plan where the body goes under starvation mode. Sometimes people are unable to follow a balanced diet plan because of their cravings and giving-in to high calorie food.

To reduce a certain number of calories to lose weight is a simple thing, if followed rigorously through a proper dieting plan. For this, one must know the calorie count of food regularly eaten by a person during the whole day. One must also remember that just dieting won't help in a longer term as the body will lose fat as well as muscle mass. This may result in fatigue, sunken skin, wrinkles, loss of interest and appetite, and many other physical as well as mental health problems.

The key to effective weight loss while counting calories to lose weight lies in a combination of a diet plan along with an exercise program. Exercise builds muscles, improves blood circulation, and improves stamina and overall health. A practical approach would be to reduce intake by certain number of calories and keep the diet balanced with vital nutrients. In addition, do regular exercises and sufficient physical activity to burn extra calories.