You don't have to invest in expensive weight-loss plans or lock yourself into a gym membership just to lose a few pounds. The American Academy of Family Physicians indicates that to lose 2 pounds a week, you just need to slash 500 calories from your daily diet and burn 500 calories a day. Sticking to a routine that incorporates these two key concepts, you could drop 8 pounds in the first month.
Walk More
The Journal of the American Medical Association says wearing a pedometer could significantly increase your activity level and lead to decreasing your body-mass index. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine reviewed 26 studies, including more than 2,700 participants. Although 85 percent of the subjects were female, on average they were 49 years of age. For about 18 weeks, the study participants were split into groups: those who wore pedometers and those who did not. The people who wore the devices walked almost 2,500 more steps each day per person, compared with the group that did not wear pedometers. The pedometer group also decreased their body-mass index by an average of 0.38 percent.
Drink Healthier Beverages
The Framington Heart Study, started in 1948 by researchers at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in conjunction with Boston University, has yielded interesting information about weight loss. In 2007, a report indicated that soft drinks, including the diet variety, were linked to excessive weight gain. More than 6,000 middle-age people have been assessed since 1948. Participants who consumed more than one soft drink a day had an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome. On average, women saw their waists grow to at least 35 inches, and men's waists grew to 40-inches or more. Patients were analyzed, on average, for four years.
Count Calories
The American Heart Association indicates that 3,500 calories amounts to 1 pound. So, cutting 3,500 calories from your diet each week could result in losing 1 pound per week. That amounts to cutting only 500 calories each day. By calculating the average number of calories you consume every day and then cutting 500 calories from your daily intake, you could lose a pound a week. Keep a food journal indicating the number of calories you consume. You can find calorie information on thousands of different foods at the USDA Nutrient Database. One trick is to research the number of calories in a food before you begin cooking. Foods high in calories--anything fried, for instance--can be replaced by lower-calorie alternatives. Rather than preparing fried chicken (568 calories for two drumsticks, or five ounces), saute chicken breasts (193 calories per serving, or about four ounces) instead.
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