One of the most difficult things to do when you’re trying to be more fit or lose weight is to be consistent.

The structured hypertrophy or strength workouts followed by a strict meal plan does not guarantee the same results without the dedication to be consistent. Eating the same foods, going to the gym at the same time and scheduling when to take your pre- and post-workout is tedious and sometimes an aggravating regime to keep up.

In times of emotional distress and stress, there seems to be a predisposition to release that frustration through eating.

While it is not unhealthy to splurge and eat a cupcake or cookie every now and then, constantly eating unhealthy foods or overeating will not give you results.

The sad fact to this is that most people don’t even realize how many calories over their recommended caloric intake they are consuming because they assume since they have worked out they are able to indulge more.

According to A Workout Routine Fitness, “eating back the calories they burn from exercise” is a hindrance to fitness progress and can be easily avoided.

One of the easiest ways to help lose weight is by calculating the recommended caloric intake for your body. This is based off of mathematically determining your Basal Metabolic Rate by the Harris Benedict equation. It roughly can be calculated as follows.

If you are a male, the formula is 66.5 + (13.75 x kg) + (5.003 x cm) – (6.775 x age).

If you are female, the formula is 655.1 + (9.563 x kg) + (1.850 x cm) – (4.676 x age).

You then multiply your answer by a number that reflects how active you are, ranging from 1.2 to 1.9.

Once this caloric intake is calculated, you can either consume the recommend number to maintain your current weight, or you can eat under 500-1000 calories depending on how many pounds you wish to lose per week (one or two).

Calculating the appropriate amount of calories you should be consuming allows you to accurately track your weight loss progress.

Next time you work out, consider how many calories you have burned along with maintaining that caloric deficit before you want a cheat meal.