Eat enough to Lose fat!

I see it all the time. . .
People (usually women) who think they should only eat 1200 calories in order to lose weight. After we have a session and I explain their Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and calories needed to increase lean muscle (which will help them burn more fat), and they agree (after much convincing on my part) to increase their daily calories and they finally start losing weight!!!!!
Now let me explain: An occasional low calorie phase or cleanse or even a fast can be beneficial. But in the real world, it seems that when we try to stay below our BMR, we might be able to do it for a day or two, but then our body says, “Enough!” and we overindulge (sweets, chips, alcohol- pick your poison!). We feel bad about our inability to control ourselves and we swear to get back onto our 1200 calorie (or whatever ridiculously low number) diet. Most of the women I’ve seen this with also admit to having low energy and trying to keep up with their workouts, but let’s be honest- it’s hard to make it through the day, much less a workout, when you are not getting enough fuel!

Another thing: We really want to lose FAT, not “weight”. When you eat too low of calories on a regular basis, then overeat, your body uses muscle for fuel and preserves FAT. Talk about counterproductive!

So, how do you determine your daily caloric level? Start with your BMR. To determine your BMR, a simple estimation is to take your goal weight (be realistic, people) and multiply by 10 (just add a zero).
So, if your goals weight is 135, your BMR estimate is 1350 calories per day.
THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD ONLY EAT 1350 CALORIES PER DAY!
It means it’s your BASAL metabolic rate= the calories your body needs for a day AT REST.
You should add in calories for activity, exercise, etc. to reach the proper daily caloric goal for you.
Just this week, after her private session with me, B agreed to eat 1600 calories per day instead of 1200, and in just 3 days, she’s already lost 2 lbs.
You can’t fool Mother Nature.