The Process of Weight Loss
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The Mechanics of Weight Loss
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The process of weight loss is really just simple physics. When a person puts fewer calories into his body and uses more energy, the body is forced use fat and lose weight.
Calories: The Underlying Mechanism
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Calories are a unit of energy and are the main focus of the process of weight loss. One pound is made up of 3500 calories, so to lose a pound, a person must use up 3500 more calories than his body needs. Everyone is different, but an average, moderately active woman needs about 2200 calories a day; the moderately active man needs about 2800 calories. Everyone's personal caloric needs are determined by his height and activity level.
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Conditions for Weight Loss
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The number of calories burned each day can be figured by knowing your total energy expenditure. Also called TEE, the total energy expenditure is comprised of three factors: basic needs, digestion and physical activity.
Basic needs are also called BMR, or basal metabolic rate, and are more than half (and up to three-fourths) of a person's daily caloric expenditure. BMR is anything bodies do to maintain function, including breathing, growth and repair.
Digestion accounts for about 10 percent of expended energy. Physical activity usually makes up the rest of the TEE and is adjustable. Adding more physical activity will increase the total number of calories burned each day and promote weight loss.
Counting calories "out," or burned, is key to understanding the individual weight loss process, according to acaloriecounter.com.
Effects of Activities
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An hour of fairly moderate aerobic or cardiovascular activity will burn an average of 400 to 500 calories. The heavier a person is and the more strenuous the activity, the more calories will be burned. A 130-pound woman will burn 300 calories an hour walking moderately and a 180-pound man will burn about 400, according to Anne Collins of Anncollins.com. By comparison, the same woman would burn almost 600 calories an hour swimming, and the man would use up more than 800 calories.
Additional Considerations
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Underlying health issues and other physical factors can affect the process of weight loss. Endocrine problems, such as a low thyroid level, can offset the normal weight loss process. Insulin resistance and pre-diabetes may also cause the inability to lose weight, according to heartratehealth.com
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo courtesy D Sharon Pruitt
