Calories :: How many do you need to SURVIVE?

How to SURVIVE: Of course we all know balancing Fruits, Veggies, Whole Grains, and Lean Proteins equals a great way to achieve optimal health. But what kind of benefits are we talking about? I have shared some benefits here, but the list is longer than this one:

• Increase your energy
• Increase your focus
• Increase your strength
• Decrease sickness
• Prevent diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes

Eating a variety of foods is great, but we can either eat too much or too little and this can cause problems. Here are the basics so you can control your calories properly:

3500 Calories equals one pound. The RDA recommends 2000 calories/person/day.

But if a person does not use more than 1500 calories/day on the 2000 calorie recommendation, they would gain 500cals/day (or 3500cals/7 days or 1 pound/week; ie 4 lbs/month which would equal 48lbs/year).

Towards the other extreme, if you only eat 1000cals/day and your resting metabolic rate (RMR, see + below) is 1500cals/day, your body will constantly s l o w your metabolism until you only need 1000cal/day to survive. This is why so many people yo-yo diet: starving and slowing the metabolism to no longer see results. And then falling off 'the wagon' just to begin another diet without the proper knowledge. That is why it's important to understand calories, your body, and how they work together!

I suggest getting an idea of how many calories you need to function (RMR, resting metabolic rate) and understanding how active you are throughout the day.

For example, a highly active person will burn more calories (ie, construction workers can burn an additional 800-1500 calories above their RMR). People with desk jobs burn less calories (ie, most desk jobs and sedentary lifestyles burn only an additional 400-600 calories during a work day).

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Special Bonus: Resting Metabolic Rate is the amount of calories we burn at rest. A simple way to figure this out is to multiply your weight by 10 to 14. Multiply your weight by ten if you are a woman, 11 if you are a man and multiply your weight by up to 14 if you are an active teenage boy or an adult construction worker.

For example, a 29-year-old female weighs 150lbs and works in an office, she is active for an hour 4 times/week. She should multiply by 11 (if she does not exercise at all, by 10). Her resting metabolic rate is approximately 1650 calories/day. Please understand that these are just estimates and should not be used for exact measurements.

Ryan Regensburg is a fitness professional in Santa Monica, CA. He currently has a couple of time spots available for motivated people looking to change their body and lifestyle. Please contact him at ryanregensburg@gmail.com.