That Nutrition Thing
Food nutrition is always changing & anything I write here will likely change. So I'm not going to bother. This article is dedicated simply to the numbers of calories. However proper nutrition is extremely important, do not assume a diet of soda & chips will help you remain healthy!
Strictly Calories
I never liked math in high school (nor college for that matter). However when trying to lose weight, math is your absolute best friend! When given accurate numbers it will give you precise instructions to lose weight. Follow them, and you will make your goal.
The formula below is a good example of determining what you need to burn daily, I also have included examples, considerations & a program to help you understand how you can make losing weight that much easier. Enjoy!
Losing Weight Formula
A = How many calories you consume daily.
Live Strong Calorie Calculator
Google Food Trackers
B = How many calories you burn simply by existing (basal metabolic rate; BMR) Generic is 2000
BMI Calculator
Google What's my Basal Metabolic Rate?
C = How many pounds you want to drop.
D = Calories you need to lose daily (includes ALL exercise you do, like walking)
Exercise Calculator
Google Exercise Calculator
E = Span of time you want to lose the weight by, in days.
(A*E - B*E + C*2000) / E = D
See Formula Example or Python Programming if confused how to do this.
Attacking the Equation.
This equation can be significantly altered in every variable. By eating less (A) you have to work out less, a bonus to any goal! See Reducing Caloric Intake for B. Lessen the amount of weight you desire to lose (C) & it becomes easier again! Increase the numbers of days (E) & it will be far easier than short amounts of time.
To see some examples of this, go to Attacking the Equation Example.
Formula example:
Everyday I consume about 3000 calories. Upon using the provided link for B, my BMR is 1921.95.
Now, I've got a pretty sexy suit I want to fit into for an upcoming dance in 2 months, so I need to drop 5 pounds by then.
So:
A = 3000
B = 1921.95
C = 5
D = ?
E = 60 (2 months = 60 days)
Ok, let's check out our formula again with the appropriate numbers placed in:
(3000*60 – 1921.95*60 + 5*2000) / 60 = D
I'm not going to bother with teaching basic algebra, but if you really don't know how to do this, check out the Python Programming.
We end up with D equaling 1245 calories. (1244.716667 rounded) I will need to burn 1245 calories daily for 60 days & I will lose 5 pounds.
Note: Should your number come back negative, it basically means you're going to lose that much weight without working out & at a earlier date then desired. Re-do the calculation with fewer days (This is a GOOD thing, means easier for you) See Reducing Caloric Intake before reducing A too much.
Attacking the Equation Example
1245 is a lot of calories to be burning daily for two months. You might not have the stamina to burn through 1245 calories everyday. Luckily, there is two things we can adjust. A, C, E.
Let's assume I'm dead set on 5 lbs. That still gives us A & E. Let's say I cut down on luxury foods like soda and candy from my diet. I also reduce my portion sizes. By knocking all that off, my 3000 daily diet went down to 2100 calories. Let's redo the equation:
A = 2100
B = 1921.95
C = 5
D = ?
E = 60
It ends up being 345 calories daily. Not too bad, that's a good half hour fast walk. I can do that daily.
How many days you give yourself decides how much you have to do daily. Using our updated healthy numbers, let's play two scenarios: 1 week, and 3 months.
A = 2100
B = 1921.95
C = 5
E = 7 / 90
Daily calorie exercise requirements
1 week:
1607
3 months:
289
I'll let the results speak for themselves.
Reducing Caloric Intake & why you're stupid for trying to exploit it.
Earlier I wrote you can make weight loss easier by reducing A (daily calories consumed.) However, people attempt to take advantage of that fact by not exercising & by eating very little because that way, it's “easier.” When people say it slows your metabolism way down, what they are talking about (in respect to this formula) is B.
Once you consume too FEW calories, your BMR is also reduced. Remember, your BMR is what keeps you alive & gives you your basic energy.
Let's say I have these variables*:
Note the difference needed to burn daily is minimal (100 cal. Difference). Here's some critical thinking questions though:
*These are assumed variables with the B variable being 10% less than the A variable to signify the body adapting to reduced caloric intake. Also, BMR adjustment is not immediate, but over time.
Python Programming
I wrote a very simple .exe file that does the formula. It is freely available for download:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/weightloss6541/
I wrote this myself in my off-hand hobby to learn Python. It's clean and runs on Windows 7 (haven't tested on other versions), but if you don't trust it, do the algebra on paper instead. Hard to get a computer virus on paper...
Food nutrition is always changing & anything I write here will likely change. So I'm not going to bother. This article is dedicated simply to the numbers of calories. However proper nutrition is extremely important, do not assume a diet of soda & chips will help you remain healthy!
Strictly Calories
I never liked math in high school (nor college for that matter). However when trying to lose weight, math is your absolute best friend! When given accurate numbers it will give you precise instructions to lose weight. Follow them, and you will make your goal.
The formula below is a good example of determining what you need to burn daily, I also have included examples, considerations & a program to help you understand how you can make losing weight that much easier. Enjoy!
Losing Weight Formula
A = How many calories you consume daily.
Live Strong Calorie Calculator
Google Food Trackers
B = How many calories you burn simply by existing (basal metabolic rate; BMR) Generic is 2000
BMI Calculator
Google What's my Basal Metabolic Rate?
C = How many pounds you want to drop.
D = Calories you need to lose daily (includes ALL exercise you do, like walking)
Exercise Calculator
Google Exercise Calculator
E = Span of time you want to lose the weight by, in days.
(A*E - B*E + C*2000) / E = D
See Formula Example or Python Programming if confused how to do this.
Attacking the Equation.
This equation can be significantly altered in every variable. By eating less (A) you have to work out less, a bonus to any goal! See Reducing Caloric Intake for B. Lessen the amount of weight you desire to lose (C) & it becomes easier again! Increase the numbers of days (E) & it will be far easier than short amounts of time.
To see some examples of this, go to Attacking the Equation Example.
Formula example:
Everyday I consume about 3000 calories. Upon using the provided link for B, my BMR is 1921.95.
Now, I've got a pretty sexy suit I want to fit into for an upcoming dance in 2 months, so I need to drop 5 pounds by then.
So:
A = 3000
B = 1921.95
C = 5
D = ?
E = 60 (2 months = 60 days)
Ok, let's check out our formula again with the appropriate numbers placed in:
(3000*60 – 1921.95*60 + 5*2000) / 60 = D
I'm not going to bother with teaching basic algebra, but if you really don't know how to do this, check out the Python Programming.
We end up with D equaling 1245 calories. (1244.716667 rounded) I will need to burn 1245 calories daily for 60 days & I will lose 5 pounds.
Note: Should your number come back negative, it basically means you're going to lose that much weight without working out & at a earlier date then desired. Re-do the calculation with fewer days (This is a GOOD thing, means easier for you) See Reducing Caloric Intake before reducing A too much.
Attacking the Equation Example
1245 is a lot of calories to be burning daily for two months. You might not have the stamina to burn through 1245 calories everyday. Luckily, there is two things we can adjust. A, C, E.
Let's assume I'm dead set on 5 lbs. That still gives us A & E. Let's say I cut down on luxury foods like soda and candy from my diet. I also reduce my portion sizes. By knocking all that off, my 3000 daily diet went down to 2100 calories. Let's redo the equation:
A = 2100
B = 1921.95
C = 5
D = ?
E = 60
It ends up being 345 calories daily. Not too bad, that's a good half hour fast walk. I can do that daily.
How many days you give yourself decides how much you have to do daily. Using our updated healthy numbers, let's play two scenarios: 1 week, and 3 months.
A = 2100
B = 1921.95
C = 5
E = 7 / 90
Daily calorie exercise requirements
1 week:
1607
3 months:
289
I'll let the results speak for themselves.
Reducing Caloric Intake & why you're stupid for trying to exploit it.
Earlier I wrote you can make weight loss easier by reducing A (daily calories consumed.) However, people attempt to take advantage of that fact by not exercising & by eating very little because that way, it's “easier.” When people say it slows your metabolism way down, what they are talking about (in respect to this formula) is B.
Once you consume too FEW calories, your BMR is also reduced. Remember, your BMR is what keeps you alive & gives you your basic energy.
Let's say I have these variables*:
| Person Bob | Person Sally | |
| Low calorie | Moderate calorie | |
| A = 1000 | A = 2000 | |
| B = 900 | B = 1800 | |
| C = 10 | C = 10 | |
| E = 30 | E = 30 | |
| = | = | |
| D = 766 | D = 866 |
Note the difference needed to burn daily is minimal (100 cal. Difference). Here's some critical thinking questions though:
- Do you think Bob has a lot of extra energy to work out with? What about Sally?
- Do you think Bob is more or less likely give up on his diet than Sally?
- Think about how much you could eat with your limit being 1000. How about 2000?
- If they both burn off those extra calories on schedule, will they lose the same amount of weight in the same amount of time?
*These are assumed variables with the B variable being 10% less than the A variable to signify the body adapting to reduced caloric intake. Also, BMR adjustment is not immediate, but over time.
Python Programming
I wrote a very simple .exe file that does the formula. It is freely available for download:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/weightloss6541/
I wrote this myself in my off-hand hobby to learn Python. It's clean and runs on Windows 7 (haven't tested on other versions), but if you don't trust it, do the algebra on paper instead. Hard to get a computer virus on paper...
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