Weight loss can be achieved using several different methods. Exercise, diet and supplements are among the many. There are numerous types of diets marketed to individuals trying to lose weight, but the key component to a diet is minimizing calories consumed. There are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, so for every pound you want to lose you in a week you will need to reduce your calories by 3,500.
Step 1
Monitor your daily food and drink intake. For a few days record everything you eat and drink and calculate the calories. If you do not have the nutritional information for an item, record the portion size and use a program online to determine the number of calories you consumed. There are dozens of these free programs on the Internet.
Step 2
Decide how many pounds you would like to lose and how quickly. Be realistic—healthy weight loss is one to two pounds per week.
Step 3
Convert those pounds into calories. If you want to lose one pound per week, you need to cut out 3,500 calories per week, or 500 per day. Two pounds of weight loss per week will require a deficit of 1,000 calories per day.
Step 4
Determine how many calories you need to consume per day based on your pre-diet journal. If you were previously consuming 2,500 calories on average per day, you will need to go down to 2,000 calories for one pound of weight loss per week. Eat only 1,500 calories per day if you want to lose two pounds per week.
Step 5
Identify empty calories that can easily be cut out of your menu. Alcoholic beverages, sodas and juices should be eliminated and replaced with water. Calories from such beverages really add up.
Step 6
Create a daily menu that has five to six meals. Divide your daily caloric goal by the number of meals you have and allow your breakfast, lunch and dinner to be slightly higher in calories than your two or three snacks in between.
Step 7
Continue to record your daily food intake to monitor your calories. Weigh yourself at the end of each week, and if you are not happy with the results refer back to your food journal to see where you might have gone wrong and what you can do to cut out more calories the next week.
Tips and Warnings
- Opt for foods high in fiber and protein to feel fuller even though you will be eating less.
- Do not consume less than 1,100 calories per day or you may deprive yourself of important nutrients and burn muscle away instead of fat.
Things You'll Need
- Food journal
- Scale
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