Shedding 1 to 2 lbs. a week is the best way to lose weight and keep it off, according to the Mayo Clinic. Ultimately, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn to melt the pounds off--no matter what type of diet or exercise you use. Taking in about 3,500 calories less than you use will burn 1 lb. of fat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Time Frame
If you seek to lose 1 to 2 lbs. weekly, you must cut your caloric intake by 500 to 1,000 calories daily, according to the CDC. A calorie is a unit of energy that comes from food. If you are in caloric balance the calories you take in from foods are balanced by the calories you use for exercise, for normal body functions and during your daily activities.
Types of Diets
To lose that pound of fat, you need to take in fewer calories than you burn---period. It does not matter which nutrients are emphasized, meaning low-carb diets that emphasize protein or Mediterranean diets work no better than other types, according to Dr. Frank M. Sacks, lead author of a February 2009 study in the "New England Journal of Medicine." No matter where a calorie comes from, it is either stored as fat in your body or converted to energy that your body uses. Fats have nine calories per gram, while carbs and proteins have about four calories per gram. Alcohol has about seven calories per gram, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Benefits
Since what type of diet you eat is less important than how many calories you consume when you seek to shed 1 lb. or more of fat, the best diet is one that you will stick with, according to the experts at Harvard Medical School. A diet that includes foods you like and one that fits into your family meal plans instead of one that requires special foods is easier to follow, according to Harvard. Gaining support from your efforts, such as from a support group of friends and family, also is an important factor.
Function
To create a 500-calorie deficit you can either adjust your daily food intake so you take in 500 fewer calories a day or cut some calories while exercising to burn additional calories, according to the CDC. For example, if you take 250 daily calories out of your diet and work out enough to burn an additional 250 calories you create a 500-calorie deficit. To burn 250 calories, walk two miles more than usual or use a pedometer to ensure you take 5,000 more steps. Walking more may be as simple as taking stairs instead of an elevator or forgoing your car for nearby errands, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Expert Insight
Reducing your daily calories doesn't need to be difficult. It's actually as easy as swapping a high-calorie food for a low-calorie food, according to the Mayo Clinic. For example, trade one 3-oz snack bag of flavored tortilla chips for 3.5 cups of air popped popcorn to save 326 calories, or switch an 8-oz glass of whole milk for a same size glass of skim milk to save 63 calories, or swap one packet of fast-food fries for 1.5 cups of strawberries to save 440 calories, according to the Mayo Clinic. Or, cutting your daily calories can be as simple as forgoing one or two high-calorie indulgences in a day. To cut 250 calories, for example, switch a 20-oz bottle of non-diet soda for water or skip that jelly donut, according to the CDC.
Considerations
Reducing portion sizes is another way to help you save enough calories to pare a pound of fat, according to the Mayo Clinic. Eating a 4-inch buttermilk pancake gives you 86 calories, compared to eating a 6-inch buttermilk pancake, which has 175 calories, for example. Reducing your portion of whole grain cooked pasta from 1.5 cups to half a cup takes you from 210 calories to 70.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Balancing Calories
- Mayo Clinic: Counting Calories
- Mayo Clinic: Counting Calories-Choosing Lower Calorie Foods
- New England Journal of Medicine: Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates; Frank M. Sacks et al.; February 2009
- Harvard Medical School: The Best Diet is the One You'll Follow
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