High energy in – low energy out = weight gain

High energy in – high energy out = hard work no result

Low energy in – high energy out = weight  loss

To take hold of this equation and make sure you own it you need to discover a few things.

First is your BMR, or basal metabolic rate. This is the number of kilojoules your body burns every day, simply to function.

Your BMR gets lower as you age, but the good news is you can keep it high by exercising and generally being more active.

To discover your BMR you need to;

Women:

BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men:

BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )

If you are a 33-year-old male the equation looks like this

66 + (13.7x82kg) + (5x183cm)-6.8kg= 1687 calories.

Multiplying this by 4.12 converts it to kilojoules=  6950kj

Now you have your BMR the rest is simple, record your kilo joule intake at the end of every day and follow the pedometer walking program and walk your way to weight loss.

Consider the following example;

The more you walk the faster your body will burn the energy it consumes, as you lose weight and become fitter your metabolism will catch up, as a result you will be burning more fat than when you started out.

To lose 1kg a week you need to burn 5286 more kilojoules than you consume, each day. If you do this consistently for a week, you will burn 37,000 more kilojoules than you consume, which means 1kg a week.

For a person weighing 100kgs, walking 9000 steps will, on average, burn 3352kjs.

By walking faster you will burn more.

As your weight increases so does the number of kilojoules you burn. This is because the heavier you are the harder your body works. That extra weight is like walking around with a few sacks of spuds strapped to your waste.

For someone weighing 90kg the energy burn for 9000 steps is 3018kjs, 100kg-3352kjs, 110kg-3685kjs, 120kg-4019kjs, 130kg-4356kjs and 130kg-4691kjs.