The
cornerstone of many a diet: calories. When it comes to losing weight with
running calories do still count and you do need to keep an eye on them. Here's
why - failure to lose weight with running comes down to two things:
1) Overestimating
calories required
2) Overestimating
calories burned
Both
of these mistakes can ultimately lead to failure as the runner eats too much,
struggles to lose weight or loses some weight then reaches a plateau and then
gives up.
Let's
take the first one – overestimating calories required. It's widely published
that the average daily calories requirements are 2500 for men and 2000 for
women. But these are just averages. The do not take account of age, health
history or activity level. So let's say you're a women and you use 2000
calories as your base requirement. If you've struggled to lose weight you've
probably been eating too many calories to start with.
Of
the two calorie mistakes the second is probably more common. You may see a
workout online or in a magazine that states you'll burn 300 calories by doing
it but that takes no account of the individual's age, metabolism or how hard
they do the workout!!
As we have said already the
way to lose weight is to consistently create a calorie deficit. You can achieve
this by simply taking the average requirement for men (2500) and women (2000)
and work from there.
You can avoid another
weight loss mistake by trimming your calories by 300 per day. This should allow
you to exercise effectively and lose weight and still feel full of energy. If
you find the scales haven’t moved and you still have lots of energy you can
shave a little more off your calorie intake.
The exception to this may be
if you’re overeating by a considerable amount. For example if you’re an
inactive female aged 37 and you’re consuming 3000 calories a day, deducting 300
calories from what you should be
consuming (e.g. 1700) will make a big difference.
The trouble with using the
averages for men and women is they are just that: averages. They don’t apply to
YOU. What we can do though is get a better idea of what may be right for you
buy calculating your calorie needs.
Your actual daily calorie
requirement is known as your basal
metabolic rate (BMR). The BMR is the minimum
number of calories your body needs to keep going if you sat and did nothing
all day. It takes account of height, weight and age and gender so it’s a better
if not absolute guide.
Your BMR is then modified
according to the level of activity you do each week to get an idea of what your
daily calorie requirement is. Again, this is not an absolute figure but it is a
useful starting point.
So now you have an estimate
of your calorie requirement to maintain
your current weight. Now deduct 300 from that figure and you’re ready to get
started J
Summary:
Our aim is to get you to lose weight
in a sustainable way. The best way to do this is to do it gradually by aiming for 1 to 2 pounds
per week.
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Calories Burned
The
other big calorie mistake as mentioned above is overestimating the
calories burned during exercise. Without going to see a doctor or similar
professional who has the means to test you individually it's difficult to get
an accurate figure. However, so that you can record your progress you can use
this online calculator to determine the calories burned while running: