Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories every day than you take in. For this reason, no matter how much you exercise, you can still gain weight if you eat more than enough to account for your increased calorie expenditure due to exercise. Nevertheless, as long as you pay attention to your diet, you can maximize your calorie expenditure through exercise. Exercise promotes weight loss in two ways--exercise burns calories, and certain types of exercise increase your body's resting metabolism.
Step 1
Join a gym that offers weight training facilities as well as aerobic exercise facilities such as treadmills and aerobics classes. Although it is possible to work out on your own, a public facility may help you keep your morale up when you feel like quitting.
Step 2
Determine your Body Mass Index, or BMI, using an online BMI calculator. There is a link to one in the Resources section. A healthy BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is an approximate indicator of your level of body fat.
Step 3
Pick an ideal BMI from within the healthy range. Multiply your ideal BMI by the square of your height in inches and divide the product by 703. This is your target weight in pounds. Subtract your target weight from your current weight, and you will know how many pounds you need to lose.
Step 4
Determine your weight loss schedule. The Mayo Clinic advises limiting your weight loss goals to two pounds per week, and no more than a total of 10 percent of your current body weight. Since you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound, if you want to lose two pounds per week you will need to burn 7,000 additional calories per week through exercise in order to meet your goal without reducing your calorie intake.
Step 5
Institute a regular program of vigorous aerobic exercise. When considering duration and intensity, take into account your current level of physical fitness as well as the number of calories burned per hour. Running at five miles an hour, for example, burns about 590 calories per hour for a 154-pound person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and somewhat more for a person who weighs more.
Step 6
Lift weights. Choose weights that you can lift eight to 12 times consecutively before exhaustion, advises the Cleveland Clinic. Perform different exercises for each major muscle group of the body, paying equal attention to your upper and lower body. Keep adding weight as soon as you are able to lift 13 repetitions without stopping. Don't schedule weightlifting workouts two days in a row.
Tips and Warnings
- Lifting weights will increase your body's resting metabolism by building muscle mass. This means that your body will burn more calories 24 hours a day, because muscle takes more energy to maintain than fat.
- Don't combine a vigorous exercise plan with a starvation diet, because you will deprive your body of the nutrients that fuel your exercise, resulting in insufficient energy and loss of muscle mass.
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