BMR Follow-up

Okay - now that you've figured out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), now what? You need to decide how many calories you want to cut and how many calories you want to burn through exercise. A few rules of thumb to guide your decisions:

1) ABSOLUTELY NEVER drop below 1200 calories a day.
2) Try to not drop below your BMR each day in your calorie intake. Instead, burn the extra calories through exercise and weight training.
3) Create an exercise plan that works for your lifestyle. Include both cardio and strength training and make sure you exercise AT LEAST 30 minutes a day (though 60 minutes is preferable for maximum results).
4) Start a food journal to track what you eat. You can find some online journal-type sites that will track your calorie intake for you OR you can just buy a small notebook and record everything you eat and start to keep track that way.
5) Go back to our rule from one of the first Mommy 15 posts -- look at where you are now and slowly cut out 250 calories a day from what you are eating (up until you reach your BMR calorie needs, then focus on exercise) and 250 through exercise. Once again, ONCE YOU REACH YOUR BMR IN CALORIE INTAKE, FOCUS ON LOSING WEIGHT THROUGH EXERCISE. If you do more than a 30-minute workout, you may need to add in a few calories to give your body enough energy via calories to keep up with the demands you are placing on it.
6) ABOVE ALL - Listen to your body! Track what you are eating and note how you are feeling from week to week. If you are getting the calories you need but still feel sluggish, consider the foods you are choosing to make up your daily calorie intake. Go back to the Food Guide Pyramid and see where you are slacking in the basic foods you need to function at maximum efficiency.

Remember -- SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE!!!!