Countdown to Success - Local Weight-Loss Program Shares #1 Strategy

With “weight loss” at the top of many peoples minds as Spring Fever sets in, what is the best way to lose weight in 2010?  According to Melissa Wild, Health Educator for the Ministry Weight Management an HMR Program at Ministry Rehabilitation Services, the bottom line to losing weight through any kind of weight-loss effort is that only calories count.  She explains, “Its all math.  One pound of body fat equals 3,500 calories.  To lose a pound, you need to remove 3,500 calories from your body’s energy equation over time.”  She adds, “To lose a pound a week, you need to remove an average of 500 calories a day (500 X 7 = 3,500).  You can do this by reducing your food calories, increasing your physical activity calories, or preferably, using a combination of the two.”

To figure out how many calories you need to lose a pound a week, apply this formula used by dieters in the HMR Program:

1. Multiply your current weight by 11 if you are female, 12 if you are male, to determine how many calories you are now taking in at your current weight.  (On average, women need 11 calories per pound per day, men need 12.)  For example, a 165-pound woman needs to eat an average of 1,815 calories a day to maintain that weight.  (165 X 11)
2. Subtract 500 calories from the “calorie budget” each day.  In the example above, to lose a pound a week, the woman now needs to eat an average of 1,315 calories a day (1,815-500=1,315).

“We teach patients in our program three easy ways to cut calories: use low-calorie, portion-controlled meal replacements in place of “regular” meals several times a day, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and burn at least 2,000 calories through physical activity each week – which is often done simply by walking at different times throughout the day.  Doing these three things can make a real difference in your weight over the long term.”

Ministry Weight Management offers HMR’s “in-clinic” and “at-home” weight-loss programs.  For more information, call 715-361-2316.