There's no big secret to how people lose weight--you burn more calories than you eat. Methods for taking weight off quickly, and keeping it off, seem to elude most people. To lose 10 pounds in a safe, effective manner, you'll need to control your calories and raise your metabolism through exercise. The most efficient way to burn the most calories for non-athletes is through aerobic exercise. Follow a variety of dieting tips to help you avoid overeating and find a form of exercise that's enjoyable, and you will likely meet your weight-loss goals.
Step 1
Calculate the total number of calories you will burn through exercise during your workouts. Use an online calorie chart to learn the calories you burn doing specific activities, or use an online calculator. MayoClinic.com offers a chart with the number of calories burned per hour, based on your weight, for more than 30 exercises.
Step 2
Read the U.S. Department of Agriculture's daily calorie recommendations or use an online calorie calculator to determine how many calories per day someone of your gender and age needs to maintain her weight.
Step 3
Write daily meal plans for each day that create a 1,000-calorie deficit between the number of calories you need for weight maintenance, and the number of calories you will eat and burn through exercise. A 1,000-calorie per day deficit will cause you to lose 2 pounds per week, according to the MayoClinic.com. This means, you will burn 1,000 calories more than you take in each day.
For example, if you need 2,500 calories to maintain your weight, and you plan to burn 500 calories per day through exercise, you can eat 2,000 calories per day to create a 1,000 calorie deficit--500 through exercise and 500 through reduced caloric intake. Adjust your deficit depending on the number of weeks in the month you plan to lose 10 pounds.
Step 4
Eat five to six meals and snacks each day. Eating more often and reducing times between meals reduces overeating, fat storage and weight gain, according to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky. Research the calories in your meal plans reading nutrition labels and using online tools like LiveStrong.com's My Plate.
Step 5
Cook meals in advance and pre-portion servings to avoid tasting and overeating. Move snacks from large bags and boxes to smaller bags to avoid eating second helpings. Eat before you leave the house if you will be attending a function where food is served to help you control what you eat and when you eat it. Reduce the amount of saturated fats, cholesterol and trans fats in your meals and snacks.
Step 6
Exercise for 60 to 90 minutes using a cardio workout to promote weight loss, recommends the American Heart Association. Choose one or more types of exercise you will enjoy doing, to increase the likelihood you will exercise regularly. This can include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or using an exercise machine. Anaerobic exercise, such as basketball, singles tennis or racquetball, burns more calories than aerobic exercise if you are fit enough to continue playing at a high intensity for the same number of minutes. Use a heart rate monitor to make sure you exercise at an intensity that burns the number of calories you desire.
Things You'll Need
- Online calorie calculator
- Heart rate monitor (optional)
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion: How Much are you Eating?
- MayoClinic.com: Metabolism and Weight Loss: How You Burn Calories
- MayoClinic.com: Why Does Eating Breakfast Help Control Weight?
- American College of Sports Medicine: Basic Recommendations From ACSM and American Heart Association
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour
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