Are You 35 Yet?...

Don't take the question literally - this has no reference to your age! The 35 that I'm referring to is 3,500 calories. Are you there yet? Is your body burning 3,500 calories per week more than the food you put into it? If not, then there's your problem right there.

Simply put, it takes 3,500 calories burned to drop 1 pound. This can come in the form of reducing your food intake (and I'm not talking about a diet - I hate that word in the wrong context) and exercise. Or you can do a combination of both which is what I prefer. The bottom line is, you have to do whatever you can remain consistent with.

Here's a fact that we may need to staple to our forehead and forethought - most people expend 65-75 percent of their total daily calories with only their resting metabolism. This means they do nothing, just the normal day in and day out of work, feed the dog, take out the trash, drive to work, grocery shop, watch tv, and occasionally sit on the toilet. 20-25 percent is burned via exercise. This number is higher for active individuals and lower for sedentary people. The remaining 10 percent is what's called thermic (also know as the thermic affect of feeding). In layman's terms - it is the energy we used to consume, digest, and metabolize the foods we eat.

Activity is key. Take a person at 155lbs and another at 190lbs and they both complete the same activities for the same duration of time. The larger person will burn more calories because there's more mass to move thus requiring more effort. So let me breakdown a list of activities both individuals can do and how it relates to caloric output.

Each activity is for an HOUR of duration - remember, we are focused on being 35. The first number is the calories burned for the 155lb person and the second is for the 190lb person.

Desk work: 127 - 155
Watching tv: 70 - 86
Walking (moderate): 246 - 302
Running (moderate): 703 - 862
Weight lifting (moderate): 211 - 259

I merely listed the things most people engage in either on a daily, consistent basis or sparingly. Moderate activity was chose because I believe most people, if shown correctly, will at least partake in moderate exercise. Unfortunately, the problem with this is those same people hardly ever push themselves to do more. Many people are stuck at a light or moderate exertion when it comes to their workouts. This is a huge reason why there are no results.

Increasing the running to something more vigorous means you can cut the time but still have sufficient calories burned. For example, the same two people (150lb and 190lb) can work out at a vigorous rate and burn 422 and 517 calories respectively - double the output. And if you're pressed for time, you can do this in a shorter time frame and get in an hour's worth of caloric expenditure.

Back to my point. Seeing this information it is my hope that you gather something very important - your weight loss may not be happening because you haven't hit 35 yet. 8 hours at work for the 190 pound person is only 1240 calories burned. Factor in a little cardio and weight training and now we're at 2,102 (running) or 1,459 (weight training) total calories burned for the day, but the day is over now. Any additional calories will come from leisure activity.

This would be great if that person is burning 2,102 calories and is only consuming 1,500 calories. But more than likely, a 190lb person will need 2,300 calories to maintain. But if you cut that by 500 (hence 5 x 7 = 3,500) the intake is 1,800 to drop weight. While this seems like a win initially, the 300 calorie difference only equates to 2,100 calories for the week - resulting in .6lb being lost (nothing that you would notice).

Not to sound discouraging but the question that I ask is - Are you active enough to hit 35? Does your exercise/health regimen stop on Friday? Depending upon your answer will determine your fate when it comes to losing the weight....