While losing weight may be easy to a few, it is generally a difficult task for others. After all, who would like to give up on their favorite snacks? So, how can you lose weight? Well, conventional wisdom states that, in order to lose one pound, you will have to eat less than 3,500 calories; you can also reach that goal by exercising. However, it isn´t as cut and dry as that because when you eat less, your metabolism also starts working slowly. Kevin Hall best outlines the flaw of the 500-calorie per day/ 3,500 calories per week rule, ¨ The biggest flaw with the 500-calorie rule is that it assumes weight loss will continue in a linear fashion over time. That´s not the way the body responds. The body is a very dynamic system, and a change in one part of the system always produces changes in other parts.¨
Hence, in order to know that you are taking the right steps towards achieving your weight goal, you will require the help of a weight loss calculator. An exemplary weight loss calculator will take into consideration the complexion of the changing metabolism and provide you with precise details on how many calories you have to burn or eat less in order to achieve your weight goal. You will not meet the objectives of your weight loss plans if you don´t use a weight loss calculator.
- Body Weight Planner ( Weight Loss Calculator)
The Body Weight Planner, also identified as BWP in short, is a weight loss calculator endorsed by the National Institutes of Health. Created by the NIH mathematician, Kevin Hall, the BWP uses the information provided by the user and takes into consideration every factor that can affect weight loss. You are required to provide the BWP with information on your weight, age, goal weight, timeframe, level of physical activity you perform in a certain period etc. The BWP asks for specific information to provide you with better, precise results and suggestions.
So, what makes the BWP better? For instance, if you weigh around 135 pounds and don´t exercise frequently, you will only need to consume 2,270 calories per day to sustain your weight. Therefore, you wouldn´t need to burn 500 calories to lose five pounds in a period of 30 days like the 500 calorie rule suggests; you can achieve your target by burning only 400 calories per day.
Now, in order to cut down on calories, you will need a weight loss program or a weight loss food plan. There are various weight loss programs and weight loss food plans. Not only have the weight loss programs we have discussed below stood the test of time, their benefits and effectiveness have also been reviewed scientifically.
- The Ultra Low-Fat Diet
As its name suggests, the ultra-low-fat diet is a weight loss program that discourages the ingestion of food high in fats. For people to do this program successfully, their ingestion of fat must be less than 10% of the ingested calories. This weight loss diet plan largely constitutes of plants and vegetables. However, unlike the vegan diet program, the ultra-low-fat diet allows the consumption of some animal products; of course, the animal products must be consumed in moderation. This weight loss program has been scientifically proven to work best on obese people. And, according to scientific reports, this program also helps decrease the chances of detrimental conditions such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
- Low-Carb Weight Loss Program
The low-carb weight loss program is extremely popular among health enthusiasts looking to shed pounds. As the title of the program suggests, you will be on a low-carb diet while on this product; the consumption of carb should be less than 150 grams of net carbs per day. Following this program will encourage your body to utilize the fats in the body as energy.
- The Atkins Weight Loss Diet Plan
The Atkins Weight Loss Diet Plan is one of the most famous low-carb weight loss diet plans around. This plan allows the consumer to feast on fats and protein; however, their consumption of carbs will be monitored as this plan strictly requires the consumer to eat as less carbs as possible. So, what makes this weight loss diet plan so popular? For starters, it is simply popular because it is mighty effective as it causes the consumer to lose appetite, in turn, preventing the ingestion of calories. According to scientific studies, the Atkins Weight Loss Diet Plan works best at decreasing the fats stored in the belly.
- The Dukan Diet Weight Loss Program
The Dukan Diet involves feeding on a high protein diet—a diet that has low carb. The weight loss program generally boasts of four phases with two phases dedicated towards weight loss and the other two committed to maintaining weight. While on this weight loss program, it is compulsory for you to survive on oat bran and other foods that are high in protein.
Aside from the weight loss programs and weight loss food plans, a weight loss chart will also be crucial in helping you execute your plans.
Advantages of utilizing a weight loss chart
Failing to plan is planning to fail and if you don´t use a weight loss chart to keep track of your progress, you will not be able to meet your targets and execute your plans. Having a weight loss chart will motivate you to stick to your diet goals. All that is required for you to do to create a weight loss chart is to put information of your exercise routines, supplements consumed, diet plans, and measurements of your body including current weight, height, waist size etc., on a piece of paper. You can even write the information on a spreadsheet if it is more convenient for you. Then, as you gradually start progressing and meeting your targets, you can tweak your exercise routines and diet plans for better results.
While creating a weight loss chart, the writing must be legible and it must be easy for you to enter details, and make slight changes should you need to do so.