Introduction

• Weight Loss Philosophy
• Eating Disorders
• The Need to Count Calories

How Many More Diets Do You Want to Go On?

• Selecting a Diet Plan
• The Low Calorie Diet
• The Low Fat Diet
• The Low Carb Diet

Understanding Calories

• Calories and Kilojoules
• What It Takes to Lose a Pound
• What It Takes to Lose It All

Making Calculations

• Calculating BMI
• Calculating Ideal Weight
• Calculating Body Composition
• Calculating Daily Calorie Needs
• Calculating BMR and RMR
• Calculating Calories Burned

Where Calories Come From

• The Three Macronutrients
• Calories in Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates
• Macronutrient Ratios
• The Thermic Effect of Food

Healthy Food and Weight Loss

• Why Healthy Food Makes You Slim
• How Fiber Helps You Lose Weight
• How Blood Sugar Levels Affect Weight Loss
• How Salt Affects Your Weight

Understanding Fat

• Good Fats and Bad Fats
• How Much Fat Is There in 2% Milk?
• "All You Can Eat" Fat-Free Food

Understanding Your Body

• Why Exercise Is Important for Weight Loss
• Raise Your Metabolism and Burn More Calories
• "I Can't Help It, It's My Genes"
• Men and Women are Different
• Spot Reducing for Your Waist, Hips and Thighs
• Cellulite

Diet and Weight Loss Aids

• Using Hypnosis to Keep On Track
• Diet Pills
• Surgery as a Last Resort

Water, Vitamins and Smoking

• Why Drinking Water Is Important for Weight Loss
• Daily Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
• Smoking and Weight Loss

Calculating Daily Calorie Needs

Diet and Weight Loss Tutorial

There are two methods of calculating how many calories you burn in a day, or how many calories you need to eat to sustain your current weight:

1. The quickest and roughest method is based on a general level of activity and can be calculated in one easy step with the BMR & RMR Calculator.
2. For a more accurate estimate of how many calories you burn in a day, you can calculate the actual activities that you would perform over a 24 hour period with the Activity Calculator.

Note that calories burned calculations reflect the total number of calories burned during the period of time calculated. Therefore when using the Activity Calculator to calculate how many calories you burn in a day, do not add your BMR or RMR to the results. Use one method or the other.

Calculate a full 24 hours' worth of activities using your current weight. If you weigh 180 pounds, your results might look like this:

Totals: 3,130 calories in 24 hr

Sleeping

588 calories in 8 hr

Office Work - general

980 calories in 8 hr

Driving - light vehicle (e.g., car, pick-up)

163 calories in 1 hr

Food - preparing, at home

204 calories in 1 hr

Eating - sitting

122 calories in 1 hr

Taking a Shower

82 calories in 30 min

Cleaning - house or cabin, general

122 calories in 30 min

Shopping - groceries, with cart

94 calories in 30 min

Walking - with dog

122 calories in 30 min

Running - 6 mph

408 calories in 30 min

Dressing and Undressing

82 calories in 30 min

Watching - TV or movie

163 calories in 2 hr

Keep in mind that calories burned calculations are based on your weight. As you lose weight and activity becomes easier, you will burn fewer calories performing the same activities. Therefore as you lose weight, you will need to periodically re-calculate the number of calories you burn in a day.

In Theory

1. If you use your current weight to calculate your activities and consume the number of calories indicated, your weight will stay the same. If you consume fewer calories than indicated, you will lose weight.
2. If you use your goal weight to calculate your activities and consume the number of calories indicated, in time your weight will match your goal. But be careful. As explained in What It Takes to Lose It All, it is very important not to try to lose weight too fast. It will backfire.
3. Because your body burns additional calories digesting food, you should be able to eat a little more than indicated by the calories burned calculations. You will learn more about this in The Thermic Effect of Food.

Remember that the above statements are only theoretical and that the figures are only estimates. Through trial and error you will find what works best for you.