1. Drink Water
Water weight can make you feel like you aren’t making any progress in your weight loss journey. When your body doesn’t have enough water, it holds on to any moisture your body does have – making it seem like you weigh more than you actually do. When your pee is dark it means your body is holding onto water and therefore not releasing it when nature calls. Light urine means you are hydrated and therefore your body is willing to release moisture.
2. Cardio
Lifting weights or just cutting calories alone may work, but you won’t be building any muscle. Muscle burns more calories than fat does, so when you have more muscle, it’s easier to burn calories. Getting your heart pumping for about 30 minutes a day is recommended. According to the New York Times, people may even continue to burn calories after a workout, depending on the difficulty of the activity. (Get the full article here.)
3. Check Your BMR
Your BMR- basal metabolic rate- is the amount of calories your body burns if you were to just lay in bed all day doing nothing. Basic body functions from breathing and the pumping of your heart to digestion burn calories. Everyone has a different BMR because BMR is calculated based on age, gender, activity level, height, etc. (Free BMR calculator here.) Using your BMR you can calculate how many calories your body needs to simply function. For example, if you were to eat the same number of calories as your BMR, your net calorie intake would be 0. Keep in mind the minimum recommended calorie intake is 1200 for women.
The LiveStrong MyPlate App can calculate your BMR and help you set a goal for weight loss (ex: lose a pound a week) and then estimate the number of calories you should be eating in a day in order to achieve that goal. The app will not calculate a goal lower than 1200 calories per day.
Remember, I am by NO means a doctor so before attempting any weight loss plan please consult a physician.
For any questions or comments feel free to email at bgrief@tulane.edu or comment below.
— B.