I was with a friend this past weekend, and she asked me the same question I hear all the time: How do I get these extra pounds off!? As you know, football is a religion here in Texas. And, like all good churchgoers, we want to look good in our team colors! So how do we get there? Here are the top five ways to get you into your favorite pair of jeans.
KNOW YOUR BMR
There are a lot of numbers that we focus on these days to lose weight. We look at macronutrients, calories, heart rate, etc. However, what is the most important? Knowing your BMR (or basal metabolic rate) is going to be key to reaching your weight loss goals. Your BMR tells you how many calories you need to maintain your weight. In my practice, I use the Miflin St. Jeor to calculate my patient’s BMR. However, this is just a calculation. It does not take into account your genetic profile, if you have lost a great amount of weight in the past and regained it, nor does it account for those with more lean muscle. All these things can affect your BMR. My patients will undergo BMR testing with the REEVUE. It measures your carbon dioxide levels at rest (it is an indirect way to measure your oxygen consumption, i.e. your metabolism). Undergoing REEVUE testing is the EASIEST test you can take. You simply sit there and breathe! The results from this testing will be much more accurate than the calculation from the Miflin St. Jeor. However, if testing isn’t handy, then check out this link to determine your BMR.
https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html
(There are several calculations available online. I prefer this one from calculator.net for my patients).
Once you know your BMR, you are off to the races! This will give you your baseline calorie range where you MAINTAIN your weight. If you go above this too far (more than 500 calories), you will GAIN weight. Going below your BMR gives you a calorie deficit and you will LOSE weight. By shooting for a calorie deficit of 500 a day, you can lose one pound a week. (There are 3500 cal in 1 lb.). One pound may not seem like much. However, if you are aiming for only a 5 to 10 lbs. weight loss, you can reach your goals in just several weeks.
LOG YOUR CALORIES
A calorie deficit can be reached several ways: reducing the food / calories that you eat, exercising to burn extra calories, or a combination of the two. This is why it is so important to know your BMR. IF you are eating 1500 cal/day and your BMR is 1500 cal, then you will only be MAINTAINING your weight. For me, I have a TERRIBLE BMR. It is 1087. This means that I maintain my weight at less than 1100 cal/day. Because I do not recommend dropping calories below 1000 / day, I have to rely more on exercise to lose weight. If I only kept my daily calorie
Dr. Hodges highly recommends patients attend monthly support group meetings. The meetings are led by Dr. Collins Hodges, both a licensed clinical psychologist and someone who has had bariatric surgery himself. The support groups are offered on the first Monday of every month from 6:30pm – 7:15pm CST via an online GoToMeeting. The meetings are open to the public, and there is no charge to attend.
