If you want to lose weight, you must balance calorie intake and increase physical activity. Avoiding foods that are high in sugar and calories, reducing alcohol consumption and making healthier food choices assist in meeting your goals. Special resources can help you calculate required daily food servings and help you learn new exercises.
Counting Calories
Losing weight requires monitoring your calorie intake closely. A pound of fat contains 3,500 calories and 2 lbs. contains 7,000 calories, according to MedlinePlus. Start a calorie log, counting the amount of calories you eat daily. Then, decide if you want to lose 1 lb. or 2 lbs. weekly. For a 1 lb. weight loss, cut 500 daily calories. Increase weight loss to 2 lbs. by cutting 1,000 calories daily. Combine a reduced-calorie diet with exercise to accomplish your calorie-cutting goal. For example, exercise to burn 400 calories and reduce calorie consumption by 600 daily calories daily for 2-lb. weekly weight loss.
Healthy Eating
Select low-calorie healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables. These foods are high in fiber and low in calories, allowing you to feel fuller for longer. Other high-fiber foods, such as whole-wheat pasta, brown rice and oatmeal, also promote weight loss. When eating fats, select healthy sources, such as monounsaturated or polyunsaturated sources found in avocados and vegetables oils. Pre-measuring foods also helps control portion sizes. The Mayo Clinic offers a Healthy Eating tool, allowing you to calculate the number of servings for each major food group.
Planning Aerobic Activity
Losing weight requires regular physical activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that healthy adults get two hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity weekly. Moderate activity includes walking at a quick pace, low-impact aerobics or riding your bike on level ground without hills. Another option is vigorous activity. You need only one hour and 15 minutes of this type of activity weekly, instead of the moderate activity requirement. Vigorous activity includes running, jogging and high-impact aerobics. The Mayo Clinic offers a resource for determining the amount of calories burned for each type of activity. Select the highest calorie-burning activity you can tolerate.
Building Stronger Muscles
Healthy adults need strength training on two or more days per week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Aim to target the major muscle groups, such as the arms, shoulders, back, hips, legs and abdominal muscles. Complete eight to 12 repetitions of each activity, which is called one set. Complete two to three sets of each activity. Use your own body weight, resistance tubing or weight machines to work your muscles. If you need help getting started, the CDC offers a tool that provides exercise video clips.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Exercise for Everyone
- Mayo Clinic: Portion Control -- Downsize Portions for Better Weight Control
- MedlinePlus: Weight Loss Tips
- Mayo Clinic: Energy Density and Weight Loss: Feel Full on Fewer Calories
- Mayo Clinic: Dietary Fats: Know Which Types to Choose
- MedlinePlus: Weight Loss Tips
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