THE CALORIE: food or heat, or both?
Most people tend to think of a calorie as an amount of food. Actually it is a measurement of heat energy. A single calorie is a very small amount ... however 3500 calories is significent: that's the amount of energy potential within a single pound of fat.
If we consume 3500 extra calories - beyond of our bodys' needs - it will be stored as a pound of fat. Conversely, if we consume 3500 calories less than our bodys need - you will lose one pound of fat.
Finally, the word calorie has a double meaning: it represents the amount of food consumed, and/or the heat it produces when consumed. Such a useful word ... no wonder it pops up so often in weight loss discussions!
This section has been designed as your weight management "command center" where an arsenal of calculators, charts, information and links to additional resources - assist you in planning and implementing your program.
Assessment Tools
New (women's) Hormone Wellness Profiler
This quick quiz was designed to provide insight into hormone health, and why you may be experiencing certain symptoms.
New Men's Hormone Wellness Profiler
You guys have hormones too - and their "ups and downs" can affect the way you feel. Here's a short quiz to shed some light on your symptoms.
What Is Your Body Mass Index
BMI (Body Mass Index) is the most widely adopted measuring stick for degrees of "overweight" and "obesity". If you know your height and weight, Our BMI Calculator will serve up your BMI in a heartbeat.
How Strong Is Your Conviction?
Now that you've established your BMI, the question remains: just how ready are you, for a new way of living? Our "Readiness" Quiz is somewhat like a special mirror that gives you a glimpse of youself the way others see you. The truths revealed can be powerful "medicine".
Diet & Nutrition Tools
BMR and TDEE
One of the first things to consider in developing your weight loss program is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). How many calories do you burn per day. How many should you burn each day?
Naturally, TDEE varies widely in individuals depending on job/activity - athletes and some laborors burn up to 6,000 calories per day. Age, weight, sex, fitness, and metabolic rate can also vary. One of the best ways to calculate your TDEE is to first calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Our calculator takes into account body height and weight, sex and age to arrive at an estimation that can only be improved on by a formula that also considers your Lean Body Mass. (this requires special body composition testing)
Use our BMR/TDEE Calculator to find your BMR. To find your TDEE simply multiply your BMR by one of the following Activity Multipliers below.
SEDENTARY (1.2) Little or no exercise
LIGHT ACTIVITY (1.375) Light exercise or sports 1-3 days per week
MODERATE ACTIVITY (1.55) Moderate exercise OR sports 3-5 days per week
HIGH ACTIVITY (1.725) Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days per week
EXTREME ACTIVITY (1.9) Hard daily exercise OR sports & physical job OR training for marathon, contest, etc.
Don't worry, the Calculator will do the math - simply enter your basic information and then press "Calculate my BMR" ... then select an activity level and your TDEE is determined in the final step.
From here you can easily calculate the number of calories by which you'll need to reduce your intake in order to reach your desired weight goal. (or perhaps increase your activity level) Use as many days as you need to reach your goal comfortably and safely.
Exercise & Fitness Tools
Target Heart Rate
An important consideration in nearly every type of exercise - especially aerobic exercise - is heart rate. The most useful concept is Target Heart Rate, which is the optimim safe rate during exercise, and a way for us to control our exercise effort. Naturally, the easiest way to determine your own Target Heart Rate is to use our handy Target Heart Rate Calculator.
