Weight loss requires you to create a calorie deficit--to consume fewer calories than you burn. Although you might seek a magic formula for weight loss, well-respected nutrition organizations--including the Harvard School of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health--support tried-and-true strategies, such as altering food intake and regular exercise to drop pounds. Approach these strategies in a way that fits your lifestyle and encourages long-term adherence.
Choose a Diet that Works for You
Instead of trying to follow the plan that worked for your sister or some famous actress, use one that reduces calories and fits into your lifestyle. "The New England Journal of Medicine" published a study in February 2009 in which Harvard researchers reported that a low-calorie diet, regardless of its macronutrient makeup, results in weight loss. Easy ways to reduce calories include limiting sweets, refusing a second serving at dinner, evaluating your portion sizes and replacing calorie-dense foods, such as nuts, with voluminous foods low in calories, such as air-popped popcorn.
Move More
Look for reasons to move during the day. A 2005 article in "The New York Times" elucidated how small movements such as gesturing, laughing and pacing can increase your daily calorie burn by 40 percent. Every little bit of movement counts, and if you can make them total 250 calories per day, you will burn off half a pound of weight a week. Get off the bus a stop earlier, take the stairs at work or at the mall, wash your own windows, and stand when you take phone calls.
Interval Training
Next time you jump on the treadmill or elliptical machine, try interval training. Instead of working at a steady state for half an hour, alternate minutes of high-intensity work with minutes of more moderate activity. On a treadmill, you might run at a 6-mph pace for a minute and then walk at 3.5 mph for a minute--do this 10 to 15 times for one calorie-scorching workout. In 2008, the journal "Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism" reported on a study showing that just six weeks of this type of training performed for an hour, three times per week, resulted in greater fat and carbohydrate burn.
Discretionary Calories
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines discretionary calories as the extras, or "luxuries," that taste good but are unnecessary for sustenance or satiation. Soda, alcohol, baked goods and candy fall into this category. Discretionary calories offer little nutrition and usually contain significant calories. Cut back on your budget, and save calories every day to promote weight loss. For example, forgo the equivalent of one soda, one doughnut and a beer daily to save almost 500 calories--that equals a pound of weight loss a week.
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