To lose 11 pounds, you'll need to burn 38,500 more calories than you eat during whatever time period you set for your weight-loss goal. If that sounds intimidating, consider that this number translates to a 500-calorie deficit per day, if you wish to lose 1 lb. per week, according to MayoClinic.com. You can do this through a caloric decrease, increased physical activity or, ideally, a combination of both.
Step 1
Calculate the number of calories you need each day to maintain your current weight. The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests 1,600 calories per day for children older than 5 and inactive women; 2,000 per day for active women, some inactive men and teen girls; and 2,800 calories for active teen boys and men.
Step 2
Calculate the number of calories you can burn with an exercise routine. Consider the type of exercise you are likely to do, as well as intensity levels and durations of workouts.
Step 3
Purchase a calendar with boxes large enough to write down several figures in each day's box. Write down the number of calories you wish to burn each day through exercise, and what contribution to your daily calorie deficit reduction diet you will contribute. For example, on days when you work out, you may burn 300 calories with exercise and cut calorie consumption by 200. On days when you don't work out, you will reduce food and drink intake by 500 calories.
Step 4
Write out meal and snack plans for each day. Use guides such as the Mayo Clinic's Healthy Weight Pyramid to ensure you balance dieting with getting proper nutrition. Read nutrition labels on foods, using the calorie information to help you limit your caloric intake to your daily goal. Use Internet research tools to help you determine the calories in whole foods, such as apples or carrots.
Step 5
Eat five to six times per day, eating smaller portions at each meal or with each snack. Taking long periods between meals leads to physiological responses that can lead to weight gain, according to the Mayo Clinic's Katherine Zeratsky.
Step 6
Perform aerobic exercise for 30 to 90 minutes, depending on your condition. If you are new to exercise, start at a moderate intensity, similar to a brisk walk, as you build your stamina. Exercise at a pace that lets you work longer, rather than exercising so hard that you have to quit after 5 or 10 minutes. Exercise at an aerobic level, if you are able. You should be breathing hard, but able to talk during your entire workout--if you can't talk, you may have gone into the anaerobic zone, which may fatigue you too quickly.
Step 7
Weigh yourself weekly to track results. While weighing yourself every day can be demoralizing or frustrating, especially because you may not see any weight loss for days at a time, research published in the Nutrition Journal found that women in a study who weighed themselves daily or weekly lost more weight than women who weighed themselves less frequently.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Metabolism and Weight Loss--How you Burn Calories
- Nutrition Journal: Weight, Physical Activity and Dietary Behavior Change in Young Mothers
- MayoClinic.com: Why Does Eating Breakfast Help Control Weight?
- American College of Sports Medicine: Basic Recommendations from ACSM and American Heart Association
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion: How Much are you Eating?
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