Media is full of experts claiming to share their weight loss "secrets"--for a fee. But there's no real secret. As the American Council on Exercise points out in an online fact sheet, "Trimming Off the Fat," even if these "secret" diets show promising initial results, they rarely deliver long-term weight loss. You can greatly increase your chances of success if you focus on weight loss as a simple matter of burning more calories than you take in, and making sustainable life changes to encourage that process.
Realistic Expectations
Fad diets are especially tempting, because if you're overweight, you might be desperate to have the weight gone right now. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), losing weight at a steady pace of 1 to 2 lbs. per week increases your odds of keeping the weight off over time. This is also the type of goal you're much more likely to be able to keep meeting over the long term; not only will you have a good chance of keeping the weight off, you may continue losing for longer, too. Think of setting a modest, attainable goal as setting yourself up for success instead of failure.
Reasons to Celebrate
Even if you have an ambitious long-term weight loss goal--losing 100 lbs. in two years, for example--a modest weight loss is reason to celebrate. According to the CDC, losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight is likely to produce measurable health benefits, including better blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Caloric Deficit
In order to lose 1 lb. of body fat, you must burn off 3,500 more calories than you consume. Think of this caloric deficit as an odometer of sorts. Every time it rolls over to the next increment of 3,500, you've lost a pound of weight. If you maintain a steady 500 calorie deficit every day, you should expect to lose about a pound a week.
Diet Strategies
There are two basic strategies for creating a caloric deficit. The first is to control your diet. But don't starve yourself--your body needs a certain number of calories to function every day, and if you don't meet that basic need, known as your basal metabolic rate, your health may suffer. As you become more physically active, your body will also need the proper balance of minerals to sustain your increased activity levels.
The American Council on Exercise recommends simple dietary guidelines for creating a caloric deficit: Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and two or three servings of nonfat or low-fat dairy products every day. These foods are rich in nutrients but relatively low in calories. Limit your salt, fat and alcohol intake. Spacing smaller meals throughout the day may also help you feel full, reducing the urge to overeat.
Exercise Strategies
The second way of creating a caloric deficit is with exercise. The CDC recommends 60 to 90 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most days of the week. If you've never exercised before, you may need to start off at a very low intensity and duration; but push yourself to work up to the 60 to 90 minute goal as quickly as possible.
The harder you work out for those 60 to 90 minutes, the more calories you'll burn and the faster you'll lose the weight. For example, if you weigh 185 lbs. and pedal a stationary bike at a moderate pace for 60 minutes you'll burn 622 calories. But if you pedal at a vigorous pace, you'll burn 932 calories in the same amount of time.
Exercises
If the idea of pedaling a bike at racing speeds turns you off, try other types of exercise. Some may not seem like exercise at first glance. Dance and martial arts, for example, are good ways of burning calories but may seem more like play or learning a practical skill than exercise. Other good ways to start exercising include walking around the block, swimming and walking up and down stairs at work during your lunch break.
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