There's a simple formula for losing weight -- create a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you consume. Unfortunately, most people either don't know or severely underestimate how much food they actually eat. It requires a 3,500 calorie deficit to lose one pound of body weight. Cut 500 calories from your daily food plan to lose about a pound per week. Lose weight gradually for long-term success. Avoid fad diets that promise you'll lose 10 pounds in a week -- much of that is water weight, not fat loss -- and you'll gain it right back as soon as you return to your normal eating habits.
Step 1
Calculate how many calories you should consume daily. If you are a sedentary woman, take your current body weight in pounds and multiply that number by 10 to estimate how many calories you should consume to stay at your current weight. A sedentary 180-lb. woman needs 1,800 calories a day to maintain her weight. A sedentary man should multiply his current weight by 13 calories. To lose weight, subtract 500 calories -- or burn 500 calories exercising -- or some combination of the two. Don't try to lose weight by dieting alone, physical activity is a critical component of healthy weight loss.
Step 2
Take your total number of calories and multiply by .3 -- because 30 percent of your calories should come from fat. If you are eating 1,500 calories daily, no more than 500 calories should come from fat. Each gram of fat has 9 calories, so you can determine how many grams of fat you should consume by dividing your fat calories by nine. 500 fat calories = about 55 grams of fat. No more than 10 percent of your fat intake should come from saturated fats, the type of fat found mainly in animal protein.
Step 3
Become an avid label reader. Every package of food will list calories per serving, servings per container, calories from fat and fat grams broken down by unsaturated, saturated and trans fat. First, be realistic about how many servings you will actually eat. If a serving is one slice of bread, but you make a sandwich using two slices, you must double all the nutritional information for that slice of bread.
Step 4
Keep a food journal or use an online calorie tracker and record your calorie and fat consumption. You can carry a small notebook with you, find an online program, such as LIVESTRONG.com's MyPlate or use a smart phone app to track your diet. You are more likely to record your calories accurately if you do so every time you eat, rather than waiting until the end of the day and trying to reconstruct all of your meals and snacks.
Step 5
Calculate how many calories you burn by exercising and subtract calories burned from calories consumed to calculate your total caloric intake for the day. If you ate 2,000 calories but had two brisk 30 minute walks that burned a total of 300 calories, your daily total would be 1,700 calories.
Tips and Warnings
- If you have high cholesterol or a heart condition, your doctor may recommend that at least 20, but less than 30 percent of calories come from fat.
- Always consult your doctor before beginning any weight loss program.
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