calories in calories out...how much

weight loss, the battle of the bulge, dieting, exercising, FOOD... how does it all work?? i am still in a huge weight lose rutt...that i created myself (part of me feels that i should have been better while i was laying in bed all day everyday for 5months straight...but i wasn't and now i'm paying for all the lost muscle and fat gained) bummer. so i'm still and will probably always be needing to get an extra 10lbs of my body. why?? because i don't feel good. i don't feel comfortable in my own skin. i miss feeling thin and fit, i miss feeling that i don't need to always be on a diet, i miss the control i use to have over eating...not crazy control just enough so i could fit in my jeans.

so i've been self-analyzing my eating habits, i've been trying to write everything down that i put in my mouth (but i know i sneak crackers here and there) so i'm getting better and more accountable about it. i'm trying to stick to my weightwatchers points...and some days i'm great and somedays i'm not so great. but i have been reading a lot about eating and i'm learning a lot. i knew this already but somehow i seem to need to be re-taught these principles every 2years. so here are the principles

1. calories in calories out. doesn't matter if you ate the cake at 7am or 10pm those calories will add up regardless of when you eat them.

2. there really is no fat-burning zone. again its all about calories in calories out, the more you exercise the more calories you will burn, which in turn will help lose fat. remember 1lb of fat is 3500calories.

3. 5mini meals is way better than 3 regular meals. i was absolutely flabbergasted to read that its actually not that much better for us. its great for those people who can portion control, and can monitor and record all that they eat. but for most of us, our 5mini meals end up being 5regular meals and again the calories add up and then bit us in the butt....literally.

so in review its all about the calories in vs. the calories out. to figure out exactly how many calories i should be eating everyday there is this amazing free website that will calculate your caloric needs specific for your ht, wt, age, gender and activity level. caloric intake

trim 10-15% off that total caloric number=weight loss. don't drop more than 500 calories a day or your body will go into starvation mode and hold onto everything. so i think once again i have figured out where i need to be. 2000calories a day to maintain...or since i'm still fighting the battle of the bulge i've got to stick to 1600 calories a day...i can do it, i can do it, i can do it!!

to read more exact info and learn more info about weight loss go here