Loosing Weight after Thyroidectomy: Calorie Deficit

This article is part of a series on loosing weight after a thyroidectomy

Calorie Deficit

If you normally require 1600 calories per day and you only consume 1400, then you have a 200 calorie deficit. Simple? Sorry, no. It can be difficult to figure out what you normally require (called your base metabolic rate, or, BMR). Many factors go into figure: height, weight, activity, metabolic rate, etc. Even though this may be difficult, figuring out your base caloric requirements is an essential first step in a good weight loss management program.

This is a very simple BMR calculator: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bmr_calculator.htm

When filling out the calculator, I recommend that instead of entering the weight you are, you should enter the weight that you should be according to this chart:

Simply find your height, follow it across to the green area, and then look up to see what your weight should be. I recommend using your desired weight because most Westerners (with rare exception) live sedentary lives, and the calculator lacks the means to adjust for that. 

The calculator is built for normal people, not people with thyroid conditions. If you are a little hyper or hypo, your metabolic rate may alter, and your base calories may rise or lower. Use the calculator as a starting point. Then adjust your base calories up or down as you better understand how your body is working. 

So there you have it. You have your base calories. If you eat more than that? You gain weight. If you eat less than that? You loose weight. Simple right? Well... read on...

How many calories is a pound?

A pound is equal to 3500 calories. That is a massive number of calories! If you cut 300 calories per day, it will take 12 days just to drop one pound. All you have to do is eat a couple of cookies one day to blow hard earned results. You should determine many calories per week you would like to deficit, and then come up with daily plans (eating and exercise) to achieve the goals.

Calorie counting

We all hate it, but it is absolutely necessary. Losing weight means counting calories. I recommend using a tool to count calories like Loose It or My Fitness Pal. With these tools, you enter what you eat and how much you have worked out and it will report back your calorie deficit. If the deficit for a day doesn't meet your goal? You can jump on a treadmill and burn off whatever is missing to hit the goals. If you don't keep track of calories, you'll be flying blind and won't be able to understand the results.