I am trying to lose weight but I am very hungry. I’m lowering my calorie intake by 500 calories a day which will only lose me one pound a week by diet alone. I am also exercising which is increasing my hunger. Needless to say I look forward to my cheat day. All the different diets and theories differ but seem to agree that you are to splurge on your cheat day. However, mathematically speaking, the extra calories sabotage what I’ve worked towards all week.
Please help me to understand……
The reason you are hungry is because your body is used to the lifestyle and caloric intake you have past established, and you are restricting and depriving yourself so much all at once. Gradual change, such as changing your diet to clean and healthy foods (lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein, complex carbs, minimally processed), and getting some sort of exercise everyday is a good start. Once you are used to that, you can start counting calories and doing specific training.
When counting calories, first you need to calculate your BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) which is how many calories your body burns just from being alive and needs to function. The formula is this:
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) – ( 6.8 x age in year )
Once you figure this out, you can coordinate your caloric intake and exercise routine.
Say your BMR is 1,500. You could eat 2,000 a day and burn 500 in exercise.
A cheat day is good way to give yourself a break. You can still eat your favorite foods on this day, but the key is portion sizing so you don’t cancel everything out/ Don’t obsess over it; just read the label and keep in mind and don’t eat an entire box of cookies. Moderation is key.
If you have more questions, feel free to e-mail me 🙂
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