Excess body weight is a risk factor for many chronic health conditions including diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Losing excess weight and maintaining an ideal body weight will improve your quality of life and decrease the likelihood of disease. The most important factor in successfully losing weight is expending more calories than you consume. One way to do that is following a weight loss diet that decreases your caloric intake.
Healthy weight loss
Step 1
Assess your current dietary intake by keeping a food diary for three consecutive days. Write down everything that you have to eat or drink these three days, including type of food, how much and number of calories consumed.
Step 2
Calculate the total number of calories you consumed each day by using nutrition label information from the food products you ate. If a nutrition label is unavailable, utilize specific websites that are made to calculate calories, in order to get an average number of calories for a particular food. Total your daily calories and calculate the average of the three days.
Step 3
Take the average total number of calories you consume over those three days and then subtract 500. This will give you a daily calorie goal, specific to you, that may lead to a healthy rate of weight loss. This step is intended to create a negative calorie deficit and may vary depending on your initial calorie assessment from Step 1.
Step 4
Plan your daily diet to meet your specific calorie goal from Step 2. One strategy is to decrease portion sizes or use pre-portioned entrees. According to a 2004 study published in "Obesity Research", using pre-portioned entrees leads to greater weight loss compared to self-selected meals.
Step 5
Check your weight once a week only. Your body weight will fluctuate on a daily basis and true weight loss takes about a week to notice. Weigh yourself at the same day and time each week, on the same scale with a similar amount of clothing on.
Step 6
Monitor your weight loss and keep track of your progress. The best rate of weight loss for long-term success is one to two pounds per week. Keep this rate in mind when planning how long it will take you to reach your ideal body weight.
Tips and Warnings
- If you do not lose one to two pounds per week, you most likely have not created a negative calorie deficit. This can be because the days you assessed your diet you were overeating or under-assessed your calorie intake. The next step in this case would be to subtract another 500 calories to give yourself a new daily calorie goal. Be sure to plan at least three balanced meals per day, including breakfast. According to a 2002 study in "Obesity Research", eating breakfast is a characteristic common to successful weight loss maintainers and may be a factor in their success. Do not go longer than four hours without eating. Plan small snacks between meals. This is vital to keeping your metabolism high. Keep your diet well-balanced and include foods from all the food groups. Aim for whole grains, fruits and vegetables, low-fat or fat-free milk products, lean meat, beans and vegetable oils. Drink water throughout the day. Avoid sugary drinks. Set a goal that is specific and measurable. For example, lose five percent of your body weight in two months. Make sure to keep your goal realistic and plan on losing one or two pounds per week.
- This is a general guide to creating a negative calorie deficit that will lead to a healthy rate of weight loss. It is not intended to treat or cure any diseases and those with any chronic health conditions should consult their physician before embarking on a weight loss plan. Neither very low-calorie diets nor low-carbohydrate diets are advised.
Things You'll Need
- Pen
- Paper
- Measuring cups
- Food scale
- Body scale
- Internet access
References
- "Obesity Research"; Use of portion-controlled entrees enhances weight loss in women; Hannum S.M.; January 2004.
- "Obesity Research"; Long-term weight loss and breakfast in subjects in the National Weight Control Registry; Wyatt H.R.; February 2002.
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