Our bodies are designed to utilize calories every day to keep our heart beating. Most of these calories are used to perform a basic bodily function such as breathing, metabolism, and heartbeat. These calories are mostly consistent every day, and the simplest way to calculate them is by using our age, weight, height, and gender. This is the main reason why almost all fitness apps require you to submit this info before you get any exercise plan.
The calory usage mentioned in the previous passage is meant to be passive, but everything you do actively also requires calories as fuel for your body. Standing up to full workout, everything requires energy. If you combine the passive calory usage with the active, you get a value known as the total daily energy expenditure. For ease of use, it is also referred to as your TDEE, which can be calculated simply by using an online TDEE calculator.I used multiple calculator but I highly recommend TDEE calculator on fitnessvolt.com, this calculate is highly accurate and can also recommend ideal weight and daily Macronutrients for your fitness goals e.g. Maintenance, Cutting, Bulking.
Losing weight:
So, what does any of this have to do with losing weight? You might be thinking to yourself. To explain how knowing the TDEE value can help in your weight loss quest, we must first understand how calories work. Calories are an energy source used by our bodies to perform every task. Everything from breathing to running a marathon requires a certain number of calories. You get calories by eating food. Now let’s say that you ate 2000 calories worth of food on a given day, but your body only used 1600 calories because it was a laidback day. What will happen to those extra 400 calories? They are going to be stored as fat by your body, increasing your weight and overall fat mass. This is an oversimplified explanation of how excess calories lead to weight increase.
But how is any of this linked to losing weight? Having more calories than you need an increased weight, the opposite is true as well. If your body is receiving fewer calories than it is using, then it will start using the stored fat for energy, ultimately reducing your weight. So, you have to eat less, right? Wrong. If your physical activity remains almost nonexistent and your calorie intake decrease, your body is just going to slow your metabolic rates and other inner body functions.
The correct course of action is to start working out. But most people just guess the number of calories they are consuming and then guesstimate the duration and intensity of workout they have to do. This rarely works, and then the person trying to get in better shape loses motivation. Taking a mathematical approach and calculating the exact calories and your total daily energy expenditure will yield the best results. Use the tools that are available to you and maybe contact a physical trainer for more specific advice.
Effects of different diets:
Does your type of diet matter? The answer to this question is both yes, and no at the same time. If you are looking at it from a weight loss perspective, then no, it does not matter. As long as you maintain a calorie deficit (using more calories than your intake), you will most likely lose weight. But what is the point of having less weight if your health is all messed up due to junk food and an unhealthy diet? Thus, it is always recommended to adopt a balanced diet plan and stick with it to the best of your abilities.
Calculating the calorie intake:
The TDEE calculator includes a calorie calculator. Just enter the required information, and you will get a reasonable estimate of the number of calories you will need for the entire day. Now that you have the estimate, consume fewer calories than estimated and start your journey towards weight loss. This simple method works for most of the population. But everyone is a bit different and has a unique biology. So, it is never a bad idea to consult a professional nutritionist or a physical instructor.
It all depends on your motivation and willingness to lose weight. If you are determined to achieve your weight goals, then you are going to get to them. These tools are here to assist you in your journey.
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