The National Institutes of Health reports that the best way to lose weight is by taking in fewer calories than you use. That does not mean you shouldn't watch what you eat. In fact, by not limiting your calorie intake to a number formulated to suit your age, height, activity level and gender, you could sabotage your chances of getting to an appropriate weight.
Basal Metabolic Rate
The Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR, which is sometimes interchangeable with your resting metabolic rate, is a calculation of the number of calories you burn when using the least amount of energy, such as when you're asleep. By determining how many calories your body uses when doing nothing, you can establish how many calories you need to take in each day to maintain -- not lose -- your current weight.
Calculating Your BMR
To calculate your BMR use this formula, which is specifically tailored for women:
655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years ) = BMR
Daily Calorie Needs
Your BMR is just the start of finding out how many calories you can eat daily and lose weight. Because it's likely that you do not do nothing all day, the Harris Benedict Equation will determine how many calories you need based on your BMR and your activity level. So, again, the number you get from this formula will indicate how many calories you need to take in just to maintain your current weight.
Multiply your BMR by X, with X representing your activity level. X equals:
1.2 if you get little or no exercise daily.
1.375 if you get light exercise, about one to three days a week.
1.55 if you are moderately active, exercising about three to five days a week.
1.725 if you exercise six or seven day a week.
1.9 if you have a very physical job and exercise hard.
Losing Weight
The American Academy of Family Physicians, AAFP, explains that to lose weight, you need to reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week. Once you've established your daily calorie needs using the Harris Benedict Equation, simply reduce your calorie intake by 500. You can also split your calorie deficit between taking in fewer calories and burning calories through exercise. The AAFP goes on to say that reducing or burning up to 1,000 calories a day should be your limit. Losing more than 2 pounds a week could mean that you're burning lean muscle mass or water weight instead of excess fat.
Warnings
The NIH reports that it's unhealthy to deprive yourself of food. You should not consume fewer than 1,200 calories unless you are on a special medically supervised diet. A very low calorie diet, which is the intake of between 500 to 800 calories a day, is only for people whose weight has put them at immediate risk for serious medical complications.
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