Removing the Mystery: It's a balancing act! - November 30, 2007

I just found a great resource from Active.com - a simple little calculator for determining your daily caloric needs. It's not perfect, but it's a good quick way to understand your needs and limitations.

Here's an example:
I'm 5'5" tall and weight 126. So, I can consume 2158 calories a day and continue to be 126. However, when I input 130, the upper limit was 2195.

I tell you this to illustrate how amazing close those numbers are and the difference between gaining or losing 4 pounds.

Use The Calculator to Your Advantage http://www.active.com/fitness/calculators/calories/
1. Input and find the upper caloric limit for your current weight.
2. Input and find the upper caloric limit for your desired weight.

This helps you know the difference between where you are and where you want to go. Now, it takes 3500 calories to lose or gain a pound. We can use activity to help you accelerate or slow your loss based on the calories expended during your workouts.

I know that it sounds complicated. If it's overwhelming, just send me a note and we'll figure it out together.