If you want to lose weight, you'll need to burn more calories each day than you consume. The Mayo Clinic calculates you'll need to burn an excess of 500 calories per day just to lose one pound per week. While your body burns some calories naturally, it may be too difficult to lose significant amounts of weight without exercise--unless you resort to unhealthy crash dieting. Learning how to eat as part of a weight-loss plan that includes exercise is your best bet to shed weight and keep it from coming back.
Step 1
Eat more frequently during the day. If you spread your calories out during the day, among five to six meals and snacks, you will keep your metabolism up throughout the day and be less likely to overeat. A South African research study found that men who split their morning calories into two portions instead of one large breakfast ate almost one-third fewer calories at lunch. Waiting long periods between meal, such as skipping breakfast, can lead to fat storage and weight gain, according to the Mayo Clinic. Don't eat more calories, just eat your calories differently.
Step 2
Exercise regularly at a vigorously intense pace for 60 to 90 minutes, five times per week. While the American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes per workout for heart health, it suggests longer sessions to lose and maintain weight. If you can't exercise that long, that often, shorter workouts still help you burn calories.
Step 3
Eat before going out. If you will be attending a party or dining at a restaurant, you often can't control what you'll be served or when. Eating a snack before you leave the house will decrease your cravings and reduce your tendency to overeat or eat unhealthy foods.
Step 4
Build muscle with resistance exercises. A pound of muscle burns more calories throughout the day than a pound of fat, according to the Mayo Clinic. Use dumbbells, resistance bands or calisthenics such as push-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups or chair dips to build muscle. Include upper-body resistance exercises in your aerobic workouts or add five minutes of strength training at the end of your session. You can use dumbbells or resistance bands while you watch TV.
Step 5
Transfer prepared foods from larger boxes into smaller, pre-portioned packets. You may be less likely to overindulge on cookies, crackers and other snacks if you have to open a second sandwich bag of treats. Scooping goodies from a large box provides no "warning bell" that you're overeating.
Step 6
Eat meals more slowly. It takes your brain about 10 minutes to realize your stomach is full, according to researchers at the University of Florida. Finishing your meal 10 minutes later will help you stop when your stomach--and brain--are full.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Metabolism and Weight loss--How you Burn Calories
- Asian Food Information Center; "Grazing for Weight Loss"; FFA Issue 17; March 2003
- MayoClinic.com: Why Does Eating Breakfast Help Control Weight?
- American College of Sports Medicine: Basic Recommendations from ACSM and American Heart Association
- Medical News Today: Study Offers New Clues To Brain-Stomach Interaction In Overeating
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