For the maximum benefit to your overall health, fitness and waistline, the best approach to making lifestyle changes is the right balance of diet and exercise. It's possible to lose weight doing only one or the other, but the combination offers better health benefits--and better results. It's important to know how to balance your calories in with your calories burned through exercise to make sure that your body gets what it needs.
Step 1
Start with a healthy diet. If you're getting lots of exercise, this is no time to deprive your body of the calories and nutrients it needs to power it through your workouts. Stay away from fad diets in favor of a healthy eating plan. That means a balance of whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables.
Step 2
Get enough calories. To really lose weight, you have to use more calories than you consume--but don't go overboard and leave your body in a major caloric deficit. Your goal should be to lose one to two pounds per week--more than that, says the American Academy of Family Physicians, isn't safe. You can actually burn muscle, just drop water and increase your risk of putting those pounds back on. To lose a pound or two a week, you need a deficit of 3,500 to 7,000 calories per week. Make sure you're eating enough to give you the energy you need to exercise--if you're feeling weak or tired, try eating a healthy snack.
Step 3
Track calories consumed. Keep a tally of your caloric intake--record how many calories you had with each meal, beverage and snack. Then, you can figure out how many calories you need to burn to give yourself a healthy deficit and promote weight loss.
Step 4
Make your workouts count. To exercise to burn calories, you've got to work hard and sweat. That means getting at least 30 to 60 minutes of exercise as many days of the week as possible says the AAFP. Walking is fine, but make sure you're walking at a brisk pace, so that it's difficult to talk and you're breaking a sweat. Try taking a kickboxing class at your gym, running outside or on a track, swimming or using an elliptical or similar exercise machine. Slowly work your way up to challenging exercise if you're new to physical activity. Make sure you're exercising at least four to six days a week.
Step 5
Commit to a permanent healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and and eating right. The key to weight loss with diet and exercise is to stick with it and remain consistent. In time, you'll see the pounds melt away and your self-esteem skyrocket.
Step 6
Balance it out. We all have days where we eat more than we should--holidays, birthday cake and Friday-night pizza can quickly add up. Cut back on extra calories as much as you can, but if you do indulge, balance out those calories with exercise. If you treat yourself to a slice of birthday cake, know that you need to add some extra time at the gym to burn off those calories--and you won't derail your diet.
Tips and Warnings
- For the best results, it's a good idea to combine aerobic exercise (which increases your heart rate--think running or using workout machines) with some strength training exercises. Lift light weights or try yoga to improve muscle tone and balance, as more muscle means more calories burned.
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