A lot of people find it difficult to maintain a healthy body weight. Obesity is so prevalent today that it has reached epidemic levels. One of the most important aspects of preserving body health is maintaining an ideal body weight.
Being overweight increases the risk of developing a number of diseases, including chronic cardiovascular and metabolic disorders (high blood pressure, elevated fat levels, diabetes, and diseases of the heart and brain vessels, which can result in cardiovascular or brain damage). Some types of cancer are thought to be more likely to develop in people with increased body weight.
Often, obesity is a consequence of an irregular diet, that is, the
inclusion of a greater amount of calories than is needed by the body. As
a result, excess calories are stored as fatty tissue.
But, in order for the organism to function normally, that is, to
perform daily basic life functions, it requires a certain amount of
calories. Every day, we have to make a certain amount of calories in the
body.
They need the body for energy. Calories are found in food. Healthy
eating will help our body get enough calories, but still the amount of
calories burned remains below the level that could cause defecation.
The recommended daily intake of calories varies from person to
person, but there are some recommendations for how much calories are
needed for us.
On average, in order to maintain their normal body weight, women need
about 1,500 calories per day, and about 2,200 calories per day.
But these figures refer only to adults, who are little involved in
physical activity. Many physically active people can not live with 2,000
calories per day. It would mean starvation of the body.
Factors that affect individual calorie needs include: age, height and weight, average daily physical activity, and body build.
One general rule is that if you make 500 calories less than you need
daily, you will lose about half a kilogram of your weight per week. How
many calories do you need depends on the true lifestyle and other
factors.
WHAT ARE CALORIES ?
Calories represent a unit of energy. Most often we associate them
with food, but they refer to everything that contains energy. In order
for a person to survive – to breathe, to move, to think, to pump blood –
he is troubled by energy, which he usually receives from food.
The number of calories in food is a measure of how much of the potential energy is in possession of that food.
WHAT FOODS CONTAIN CALORIES?
Food is composed of these 3 components, so if you know how much
carbohydrates, proteins and fats contain certain foods, you will also be
able to calculate calories.
– 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
– 1 gram proteins = 4 calories
– 1 gram of fat = 9 calories
HOW TO CALCULATE HOW MANY CALORIES PER DAY YOU NEED?
There are various methods for determining daily calorie needs.
One of the methods for determining daily calorie needs is the
relatively precise Harris-Benedict mathematical equation, which includes
body height, weight, age, and gender.
MEN BMS= 66 + 13.7 x weight kg + 5 x height cm – 6.8 x years
WOMEN BMS= 655 + 9.6 x weight kg + 1.8 x height cm – 4.7 x years
THE NUMBER YOU RECEIVE SHOULD BE MULTIPLIED BY A LIFESTYLE FACTOR:
Minimum physical activity – BMS is multiplied by 1.2
Minor activity with exercise 1-2 times a week – BMS is multiplied by 1.37
Moderate activity with exercise 3-5 times a week – BMS is multiplied by 1.55
Active life with 6-7 times weekly exercise – BMS is multiplied by 1.72