How Do You Calculate Daily Caloric Expenditure?
Fad diets and weight loss gimmicks aside, weight loss comes down to a simple matter of math: Use more calories than you eat. This does not mean starve yourself. The safest rate at which to lose weight is no more than two pounds a week. Most of us burn about 2,000 calories every day. To lose weight, you’ll need to add exercise to your day, and eat less food, or less calorie-rich foods. In order to lose weight effectively, you need to know how many calories you burn each day. Carry a small timer or set your watch, phone or iPod to set off an alarm every 30 minutes during your average day. When the alarm goes off, write down everything you did during the last 30 minutes and the approximate amount of time you spent doing each thing. For example, one entry might look like this: Walked to break room – 2 min. Drank coffee, standing – 5 min. Walked to desk – 2 min. Computer work/Phone – 21 min. Add up the time you spent doing the same or similar activities. For example, if you sit at a desk fo
