Calories Needed a Day
By WLR Dietitian
Q: My friend and I are the same height but I’m 2 stone heavier.
We’ve both joined Weight Loss Resources and chosen to lose 2lb a week.
Can you explain why I’m allowed more calories a day than my friend? Surely the
heavier you are, the fewer calories you need to lose weight
A: This confuses a lot of people but in fact, the heavier you are,
the more calories you can have each day while still losing weight.
Let me explain. That
extra 2 stone you’re carrying is actually equivalent in weight to 28
packets of butter. Now imagine carrying those packets of butter
around with you everywhere you go – up and down the stairs, to the
local shops, in and out of the car, into the kitchen to make a cup
of tea. Hopefully, you can see it takes a lot more energy simply to
move around when you’re carrying all that extra weight.
As a
consequence, because you are heavier than your friend, you need more
calories in a day to keep your weight steady. In turn, this means you will
lose weight on a slightly higher calorie allowance. However, as your
weight drops, you’re calorie allowance will also drop slightly as
you’ll have less weight to carry around. This is why you should
regularly update your Goals and Results.
You can find out how many calories you need a day to lose, gain or
maintain weight with the tools in Weight Loss Resources. You can keep
online food and exercise diaries, and look up how many calories in over
20,000 basic and branded foods. Try it
free for 24 hours.
Register now to access the database and
tools free for 24 hours.
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