By having an effective weight loss plan, a person taking an interest in their health are able to monitor their calorie intake to lose weight. Knowledge of the number of calories consumed in a day is necessary if a weight management plan is to be successful.

Why does a person who is conscious of being over weight need to know this?

In simple terms, a calorie is the unit of energy in the food we eat- it's the total amount of energy that 's consumed when we eat a meal.

Everybody needs calories, or energy, in order for their body to function normally. Energy is necessary to carry out all the important daily tasks such as consuming food, regulating body heat, dispersing blood throughout the body, breathing, and the many other tasks the body fulfills. A person in bed all day would still need a large amount of energy to enable his body to function satisfactorily.

Basic Calorie Needs

The term used to describe this basic level of energy is the Basal Metabolic Rate - BMR - and is calculated for each person by taking into account age, weight, height, gender, and degree of physical activity. The BMR is taken into account when calculating a person's recommended level of daily calories needed to maintain a constant weight:

Calories taken in = calories used in daily activities

Or the same formula expressed differently:

Calories taken in = BMR plus 'calories used in daily activities'.

Therefore it can be seen what happens when the number of 'calories taken in' is larger than BMR + 'calories used in daily activities'. The unused calories are stored in the body as fat, and it's this that causes an increase in weight.

Conversely, a reduction in weight is caused by:

1) A reduction in 'calories taken in' (by eating less) OR

2) An increase in 'calories used in daily activities' (more daily exercise) OR

3) Both

A Weight Loss Plan should consider calories taken in and used

Permanent weight loss happens by reducing the mount of calories consumed, and/or increasing the number of calories used up in physical activity. In other words, having a effective weight reduction management plan.

So if an overweight person wants to implement a weight loss plan, then they need to know two critical numbers before they start:

1) The total number of calories needed each day to maintain a specific weight.

2) The number of pounds (or kilos ) to be reduced weekly to achieve a certain weight level. A pound per week would be adequate - so to reduce by 10 pounds would take 10 weeks.

A loss of a pound per week will need a reduction in calorie intake of 500 calories a day.

The best way to reach this figure is firstly reduce the total amount of calories consumed by 250 calories. Then use up the other 250 calories in extra physical activity.

This can be achieved by not eating a chocolate bar, a piece of cake, or a pastry, all containing 250 calories, AND getting rid of another 250 calories by taking a brisk walk of about 45 minutes duration.

Do this every day and a weight reduction of about one pound each week will be gained.

It's a simple step to set up and start a weight control plan. All it needs is a commitment to achieve a desired result and the vision to realize the difference this will make to a person's health.

Some people will have difficulty - help is available

To help those people having difficulties carrying out a plan, there is a product on the market that can give their plan a boost. It's a pill that controls the amount of fat absorbed into the body after each meal - it does this by ejecting from the body 28% of the fat consumed. This pill has been accepted as a proven fat binder product by the European Union, and meets the rigorous guide lines set by the US health authorities.