To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than your body burns. Luckily, you burn plenty of calories just by going about your daily business; you even burn calories while you sleep. According to MayoClinic.com, a pound of body fat is equal to 3,500 calories; so to lose 80 lbs., you need to burn 280,000 calories more than you consume. While that may sound daunting, the heavier you are, the faster you can lose weight. A combination of limiting your diet and getting modest daily exercise will start you on the track toward your 80-lb. weight loss goal.
Step 1
Figure out the number of calories you need to consume just to keep your weight the same. A good way to do this is to multiply your weight by 10 if you are female and by 13 if you are male, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. For example, an inactive 260-lb. man can keep his weight stable by eating 3,380 calories a day.
Step 2
Cut your daily caloric intake to a number well below your weight-maintenance level. The less you eat, the faster you'll lose weight. However, you should eat at least 1,200 calories a day, especially if you're exercising. If a 260-lb. man limited his caloric intake to 2,000 calories a day, his daily net calorie intake would be negative 1,380--and that's without exercise. Each week, he would burn 9,660 extra calories, or 2.75 lbs.
Step 3
Supplement your reduced caloric intake with exercise. Ideally, you should get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day. Break your workouts into 10-minute sessions if time is an issue. If working out every day is impossible, exercise as much as you can. Electronic exercise machines often have displays that will keep track of how many calories you burn. Using one will help you more accurately plan your weight loss. For instance, if you used a treadmill to burn 500 calories a day, that's an extra 3,500 calories--or 1 lb.--a week.
Step 4
Repeat Step 1 at the beginning of every week. As your weight changes, so will your caloric requirements.
Tips and Warnings
- Use a chart that estimates the number of calories you burn while performing common exercises if you don't have access to electronic exercise machines. Even though your weight loss will slow a little as you become lighter, maintaining your weight will become easier because the muscle you built through exercise will increase your metabolism.
- Consult your physician before beginning your diet to ensure you're healthy enough to exercise.
Things You'll Need
- Exercise machines with workout statistics
- Calculator
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