Losing weight is never easy, but you can, to some extent, control the rate at which you lose weight. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. The greater that difference, the faster you will lose weight. It can be unhealthy to lose more than two pounds per week. Therefore, you should allow yourself 10 weeks to lose 20 pounds of body weight. Since one pound of body weight is equal to approximately 3,500 calories, you should aim to burn 7,000 more calories--two pounds worth--more than you consume every week. Some simple math will help you plan to do just that.
Calculate Your Basal Metabolic Rate
Step 1
Multiply your weight in pounds by 13 if you're a man and by 10 if you're a woman. The result is an approximation of the number of daily calories you would need to consume to stay the same weight if you were essentially inactive.
Step 2
Subtract 1,000 from the result from Step 1 to determine what your daily calorie goal should be to lose two pounds per week.
Step 3
Plan a diet and exercise regimen that will allow you to achieve your calorie goal every day. For example, if your result from Step 2 is 1,200, you should combine diet and exercise so that you net 1,200 calories each day. One way you can do this is by simply eating no more than 1,200 calories every day. Another way you can do this is by eating 1,500 calories, but then burning off 300 calories with exercise. The possibilities are nearly endless. To help you plan, here are some common exercises and how many calories a 150-pound person burns performing them for an hour:
Biking 12 to 14 mph--576 calories
Bowling--216 calories
Hiking--432 calories
Rollerblading--504 calories
Jumping rope--720 calories
Running 10 minutes/mile--720 calories
Walking 15 minutes/mile--324 calories
If you're heavier, you will burn more calories doing these exercises; if you're lighter, you will burn fewer.
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