Most health experts recommend that people trying to lose weight and keep it off aim to lose just 1 to 2 lb. per week. Losing more weight than that increases the chances you will gain it back and according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, cutting calories too much puts you at risk of nutrient deficiencies. Andrea Wenger Hess, a nutritionist at the University of Maryland's Joslin Diabetes Center, says trying to lose more than 2 lb. a week can create a cycle of "deprivation and bingeing" that is unhealthy.
Counting calories
In order to lose 1 to 2 lb. a week, you have to reduce your caloric intake by 500 to 1,000 calories a day. To understand how much that is, you have to keep track of how many calories you typically consume each week and then make adjustments. Wenger Hess recommends that women not dip below 1,200 calories a day and that men eat at least 1,400 calories a day. To lose 1 lb. a week, your goal should be to burn up 3,500 calories over the seven days, University of Massachusetts experts say.
Eating Intervals
Pamela Peeke, an assistant clinical professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, recommends that you consume those calories by eating smaller meals throughout the day rather than three big meals. Snack every three hours or so and focus on such healthy foods as low-fat yogurt, fruit and high quality proteins and carbohydrates.
What to Eat
Reducing your caloric intake can be as simple as switching to nonfat milk from 2 percent milk and eating more chicken and less hamburger, experts at Penn State say. Try to keep the amount of fat you consume to less than 30 percent of your total calories and try to eat more fruit, vegetables and whole-grain items, such as rice.
Adding in Exercise
Exercise will help you reach that goal of losing 1 to 2 lb. a week. Many experts, in fact, recommend that in addition to reducing calories you increase the number of calories you burn. If your goal is to reduce your caloric surplus by 1,000 calories a day, for instance, you can eat 500 fewer calories while also burning an additional 500 calories through exercise. A 165-lb. man cycling at a moderate intensity of 14 miles per hour will burn about 600 calories in an hour.
What Type of Exercise
Any kind of exercise, including walking, jogging, cycling or swimming, that elevates your heart rate while working large muscle groups over an extended period of time, will help you burn calories. The University of Maryland experts recommend you exercise at least 20 to 30 minutes a day three to five times a week. Experts at Penn State say your workout -- not including your warm-up and post-exercise stretch -- needs to be at least 12 minutes because that's how long it takes for body to start producing fat-burning enzymes. The longer you exercise, the better.
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