January 26th, 2009 
RJS KOCHHAR Weight loss, if it is understood properly, is purely a matter of following the balance between calories-in is proportionately less than the energy used by the body. If you follow this formula you will lose weight – there is no doubt about it. That is the scientific view following the laws of physics. People, however, are not just bundles of energy, despite the fact that scientists are adamant that we all come from stardust. Food is basically fuel and the activities we undertake every day burns that fuel.
If we are burning more fuel than we are eating, then the body will burn up its stores of fat. This does not happen overnight. It takes time to lose weight and this is the problem. People who are overweight want a quick fix and become disappointed and despondent if this doesn’t happen.
Patience and self-discipline are both important factors for successful weight loss. We can control how much we eat and, technically, we are in control. Similarly, we are mostly in control of how much energy we burn. Not all the energy we burn is dependent on our activity levels: every person uses a certain number of calories in just staying alive – calories used when breathing, heart beating, cells and tissues renewing and growth of hair and fingernails all use calories. Calories used like this by the body are known as our basal metabolic rate [BMR] and it is calculated per hour.
People’s resting metabolic rate differs from other people. Resting metabolic rate is the calories being used by the body when we are asleep, just to stay alive. Resting BMR is dependent on all sorts of things, including heredity. We inherit genes from our parents and grandparents, one of which is the number of calories burned per hour by your resting BMR. Unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing at all you can do to alter this: it is down to inheritance. Your weight also has an effect on your resting BMR. If you are heavier you require more calories just to maintain that weight.
People doing heavy manual work are able to burn more calories than somebody with a more sedentary job, just sitting at a desk all day: getting involved with a regular programme of exercise would raise the levels of calories being burned each day. To maintain their weight, most adult women, leading sedentary lives generally require around 1,800 calories a day, with men requiring 2,200 calories a day. These figures cover the 31 to 50 age range. Younger people tend to be more active and, as a result, generally require more calories just to maintain their weight.
If activity levels are increased with moderate exercise, an extra 200 calories a day can be added. Similarly, if you reduce your calorie intake and increase the amount of exercise you do, you will lose weight. The most sensible way to lose weight is to take it slowly and 1lb a week is sufficient to start bringing your weight down without being to strict with yourself that your willpower takes a nose-dive. However, in order to lose 1lb of weight on a regular basis you need to take in 3,500 fewer calories. You can achieve this 1lb a week weight loss by either eating less or by exercising more, or by incorporating a bit of both under a regular health and fitness regime.
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