If you want to drop a few pounds safely, the best way is to take in fewer calories than your body uses, according to the National Institutes of Health. The American Academy of Family Physicians, known as AAFP, explains that you need to burn or consume 500 to 1,000 fewer calories each day to lose 1 to 2 lbs. a week. You can do this by creating a 500-calorie deficit in your diet and burning 500 calories through exercise.
Step 1
Write down everything you eat for five to seven days. Include portion size and calorie information. For packaged foods, calorie information is available on the nutrition label. For fresh food, including vegetables, fruit and meat, you can find calorie information at a website like the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database.
Step 2
Calculate an average of everything you eat for a week. You can do this by adding your daily calorie totals. Divide the total by the number of days you counted calories. The answer represents the number of calories you eat on average.
Step 3
Create a calorie deficit in your diet. Keep track of everything you eat, portion sizes and calorie information like you did in step one, but now, eat at least 500 fewer calories each day.
Step 4
Exercise at least three to five days a week. The American College of Sports Medicine reports that you should get moderate cardio exercise for 30 minutes a day five days a week or vigorous cardio exercise for 20 minutes a day, three days a week. Exercise that gets your heart pumping, like fast walking, jogging and sports are cardio exercises.
Tips and Warnings
- Eliminating high-calorie foods like colas and juice, candy and other high-sugar sweets will make a big dent in your calorie intake.
- Discuss any diet and exercise changes with your doctor. The AAFP warns that you should not lose more than 2 lbs. a week. You could be shedding muscle instead of fat.
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