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One of the main reasons why so many people have become overweight in
the West is due to their eating too many calories. The consumption of
more calories than are burned each day means that the body stores the
extra calories as fat. The modern diet certainly allows a person to eat
well beyond the calories they need to maintain their weight.
It is very informative to compare our consumption of calories with that
of 100 years ago. In those days, the average person consumed 3,500
calories a day, which is approximately the same as we eat now. However,
whereas in the early 1900’s, most of the calories consumed were
carbohydrates, and there was considerably less fat, modern fast food
meals consist of almost 50% fat, and fat is a big part of the modern
diet. In addition, the 1900’s folk did a lot of exercise. They were
more active in their work, and their hobbies also made them exercise
more. In contrast, modern work environments encourage sedentary habits,
and their hobbies tend to revolve around computers and television. As a
consequence, while the 1900’s people’s calories were burned as fuel
that day, most of our calorie consumption ends up being stored as fat.
Even exercise can only go so far if calorie consumption remains at
previous levels, without the general level of activity.
As our working habits have changed, so have our calorie requirements.
The average person now needs around 2000-2500 calories a day to keep
them at their present weight. The best way to work out exactly how much
you should be eating to maintain your present waistline is by using a
bmr, which is the basal metabolic rate – the amount of calories you
burn every day, even if you sleep for 24 hours. People who weigh more
actually have a larger BMR than those who look slimmer, and a reduction
in their calorie intake, even if the calories still total more than
that eaten by a thinner person, will help them lose weight. This is the
method used in most dietician’s and doctors clinics.
The important factor to remember when considering how many calories you
need to eat each day is that is does not matter so much what you eat,
quite so much as how much you eat. Of course, anyone who eats a diet
solely of fat will not get slim, no matter what some diet books tell
you. However, neither is one cupcake going to sink your entire
weight-loss plan. Sensible dieting – that is, a diet in which all of
the food groups are eaten in appropriate quantities – lasts much longer
than starvation diets and fad diets. Going on to a very low-calorie
diet for long periods of time will cause your metabolism to slow down –
the opposite of what you want. If you find that you reach a weight, and
cannot loose any more, then you will need to amend your diet.
On a diet, you will find that your BMR will fall, so that a calorie
intake that once helped you to lose weight is now keeping you from
losing any more. Rather than just do more exercise (which has a limit
on how much more you can do), you need to alter again the amount of
calories you are consuming. A diet with limited calories will work for
a short period, but the body will adjust to the new diet, and stop
losing weight. A sensible diet, worked out using BMR index, and a
gradual reduction in food intake, is the best way of managing weight
loss. |