How to Lose Your Weight

Weight loss can be a complicated subject if you are unsure where to start. The television airways are flooded with weight-loss gadgets, garments and pills that claim to trim inches off of your body, but these methods only provide temporary results if any at all. To lose weight, you need to burn off more calories than you take in each day. Adopt healthy habits and get physically active to create a calorie deficit and shed pounds.

Step 1

Eat fewer calories to promote weight loss. Write down everything you eat in a food journal or online tool like MyPlate on LIVESTRONG.COM. Watch your calories and eating trends for one week. Add your daily calorie totals. Divide this number by seven to calculate your average calorie consumption. Subtract 500 to 1,000 from your average to calculate your daily calorie goal to lose 1 to 2 lbs. per week.

Step 2

Consume five to six small meals per day to increase your metabolism. Digesting your meals burn calories, so grazing throughout the day keeps your body burning more calories even when at rest. Eating every three to four hours prevents dips in your blood sugar levels, which can trigger cravings and encourage overeating. Have a serving of protein and carbohydrates at each meal, like 6 oz. of grilled chicken with 1 cup of spinach and 1/2 cup of whole grain pasta.

Step 3

Keep healthy foods in your kitchen. Purchase foods in their natural form like low-fat dairy, lean meats, fish, eggs, poultry, vegetables, healthy fats like nuts and olive oil, fruits, and whole grains. Avoid processed foods like frozen dinners, pre-seasoned foods, boxed meals and deli-meats that are high in sodium, fat and chemical preservatives.

Step 4

Engage in strength training three days per week to build muscle and increase your metabolism. Train your upper body on Monday, lower body on Wednesday and abs on Friday. Include compound exercises that recruit multiple muscle groups at the same time to burn more calories. Incorporate exercises like lunges, push-ups, pull-ups, bent-over rows, overhead shoulder press, triceps dips and squats. Perform each exercise for three sets of 15 repetitions.

Step 5

Perform 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise four to five days per week to burn stored body fat. Walk outdoors, pedal on the elliptical machine, ride the stationary bike or jog on the treadmill. Join a group fitness class like boxing or step aerobics to keep your cardio sessions fresh.