How To Lose Weight By A Certain Date

How to Lose Weight by a Certain Date

Jun 14, 2011 | By Ronny Marie Tucker

Assigning a time line to your weight-loss goal makes it more achievable. Unless you attach a schedule to your goals, they become nothing but dreams or fantasies floating around in your head, according to Dr. Phil McGraw, author of "The Ultimate Weight Solution." The length of your time line depends on how much weight you want to lose; more weight takes a longer time.

Step 1

Give yourself enough time to lose weight by a specific date. A healthy weight loss is usually no more than 2 lbs. per week, according to MayoClinic.com. If you want to lose 10 lbs., give yourself more than two weeks to achieve this goal.

Step 2

Figure out how many calories you need to burn per week to reach your goal. A 3,500-calorie deficit will cause a 1-lb. weight loss per week. For example, cut 500 calories from your diet and burn 500 calories with physical activity every day to lose 2 lbs. per week. A larger deficit will cause more weight loss, but you may lose water weight or muscle mass, instead of fat, if you lose weight too quickly, according to MayoClinic.com.

Step 3

Be physically active for 20 to 60 minutes, three to five days per week. Choose activities you enjoy to make it easier to burn calories. For example, an hour of full-court basketball can burn just as many calories as running on a treadmill for an hour, according to Health Status Internet Assessments. You may need 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity per day to achieve your goal, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

Step 4

Do anything to keep from being sedentary. The more active you are the more calories you will burn. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator, jog in place during television commercials, park farther away from the mall or ride your bike to work. Scrubbing floors instead of using a mop can burn more than 400 calories per hour, depending on your weight, according to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.