Tools You Can Use: Losing That Extra Weight

We all struggle with weight management at different points in our life.  I have learned through practice that our calories are the ultimate controlling factor in weight, as long as there are no other medical problems and hormonal imbalances.

So, how can we track our weight and what really is overweight?

First, I encourage everyone to learn to calculate your BMI:

BMI= weight (lbs) x 703/ ht (inches) squared

BMI Categories                                                                           Conversion Index

Ideal- 19-24.9                                                                             12.5

Overweight- 25-29                                                                  11.5

Obesity, Grade 1-30-35                                                        10.5

Obesity, Grade 2-35-39.9                                                    9.5

Grade 3 Obesity- Greater than 40                                   9.0

The second tool is the activity index.  Please see chart below.

No exercise- 1.0

Exercise 3x per week-1.05

Exercise 4x-6x per week-1.1

Exercise 4x-6x per week greater than 1 hour- 1.2

Finally to figure out maintenance calories, multiply your weight (lbs) x activity index x your conversion factor (based on BMI)’.

This is the number of calories needed for you to maintain your current weight.  For each pound you intend to lose per week, you would have to take in 500 calories less per day.

Let’s take my example.

My weight is 116, height is 62.5 inches

My BMI using our calculator is 116x 703/62.5x62.5=20.8

My activity index is 1.1

My maintenance calories are 1595 (weight x conversion factor x activity index)

If I wanted to lose 1 lb per week, I would have to eat 1000 Kcal per day.  Now, I will not do this, because I do not want anyone eating fewer than 1200 Kcal per day.

Complicated but helpful!!