Step 2 - Know Your Burn

In order to lose fat, you must burn more calories than you consume. This is called a calorie deficit. Many nutritional experts suggest a standard deficit of 500 calories a day to lose one pound of fat per week or 750 calories a day to lose 1.5 pounds a week. The problem with this is depending on your body composition, your weight, your age, your height, and activity level, there is a set number of calories that you need each day for your body to function normally. If you don’t provide enough calories to fuel these functions, your body will respond by shutting down. In addition to making yourself more susceptible to illness, your metabolism will slow down drastically. That is why some people can continue to eat less but see no changes in their body. Your body goes into starvation mode and instead of ridding itself of fat, it holds onto it for dear life.

As long as your deficit is not too low, you can safely reduce calories to achieve weight loss. To protect your metabolic function, your deficit should be no more than 30% of the calories you need to maintain your weight. The number of calories you need to maintain your weight is determined by your daily burn - the calories you burn while resting + the calories you burn during activities. Multiply this number by 10% - 30% (depending on how much you want to lose) and this is the calorie deficit you should have each day.

CALCULATE YOUR BURN
So one of the most critical parts of creating a deficit is knowing exactly how much you burn on a daily basis. Once you have this number, you can reduce it by 10%, 20%, or 30% (your deficit) and this will be the number of calories you should eat each day to lose body fat. You can use our calculator to get this number or see the example below for a manual calculation. These calculations provide you with pretty close approximations. If you want more precise results, you’ll need to purchase one of the calorie management devices that you wear on your arm. They use sensors to track your physical activity and show you exactly how many calories you’ve burned each day. This gives you a more accurate way of calculating your deficit. The GoWear Fit and the Bodybugg are the most popular, with the GoWear fit being the least expensive. If you have the money to spare, these devices are well worth it.

Here is an example of how to calculate the number of calories you should eat each day:

Example:

You determine that your daily burn is 1950 calories. You have about 70 pounds of weight to lose so you multiply it by the higher percentage of 30% → 1950 × .30 = 585 calories
Deficit → 585
Each day you should eat → 1950 - 585 = 1365 calories
Eating fewer calories than 1365 will throw your body out of wack and reduce your metabolism.

An important number for you to remember is your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is the number of calories you burn while resting. Imagine yourself laying in bed all day or reclining in your favorite Lazy Boy chair. Your BMR is dependent on your size, your weight, your age, and your gender. As you get older, your BMR decreases. Your BMR also decreases when you diet constantly and eat too few calories (You should never create a deficit that is more than 30% of your calorie burn).

Formula for Calculating BMR

Women:
BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Men:
BMR = 66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

To determine the total number of calories you burn each day, you need to combine the calories you burn during the activities you perform with the calories you burn while resting. A commonly used formula for this is the Harris Benedict Formula.

Multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

If You Are …

1. Sedentary (little or no exercise) : Total Burn = BMR x 1.2

2. Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Total Burn = BMR x 1.375

3. Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Total Burn = BMR x 1.55

4. Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Total Burn = BMR x 1.725

5. Extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Total Burn = BMR x 1.9

Fat Blast Tips:

The calculations are only a close approximation of your burn. Wearing a body device like the GoWear Fit will give you more exact numbers.
These formulas do not take body composition into account. If you have an above average percentage of fat, your BMR will be slightly lower than the calculated number. If you have a below average percentage of body fat, your BMR will be slightly higher than the calculated number.
Eating fewer than 1200 cal a day for more than a day or two is not recommended without medical supervision. Generally, this is not recommended because it contributes to a lowering of your BMR.
Be patient. Although quick weight loss may sound desirable, slow, gradual weight loss (1-2 pounds a week) tends to be easier to do (you’re not as hungry) and longer-lasting.
If you want to be able to eat more, increase your activity and exercise level. This will increase your daily burn.

More Fat Blasting Steps:

Step 1 - Establish a Goal
Before starting any new programs you must create a target that you can track and measure. Establishing a goal gives you something specific to work towards.

Step 3 - Eat Clean, Eat Lean
If you are trying to lose weight, making a conscious effort to improve the way you eat is a MUST. Sure, you would probably lose weight if you exercised like crazy every day and still ate pizza and french fries …

Step 4 - Attack the Fat
The fastest and most effective way to lose body fat is through high intensity interval training (HIIT) combined with strength training (also known as resistance training). This combination will melt away …

Step 5 - Break Any Stalls
If after a few months of consistently working out and reducing your calorie intake you notice that the scale no longer moves and your measurements show no reduction in body size, you have probably stalled …