Losing weight is all about using more energy than you eat. There are approximately 3,500 calories in 1 lb. of fat. Meeting a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories will then lead to a weight loss of 1 lb. per week. Your caloric deficit should be met with physical activity and eating less. Exercise not only contributes to calorie loss, it also helps preserve your lean body mass.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise should make up the bulk of your physical activity. This is the exercise that burns calories and fat. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, burning at least 300 calories per exercise session will lead to weight loss. Ideally, aerobic exercise is done five to seven days per week for 45 to 60 minutes. Activities like running, walking, bicycling and swimming use the large muscles of your body. To increase your calorie burn, try interval training. This technique intersperses a few minutes of high-intensity exercise with moderate intensity activity. Kicking your work up a couple of notches for three to five minutes boosts your caloric burn and level of fitness.
Resistance Exercise
Every pound you lose without exercising is about 25 percent muscle, according to Natalie Digate Muth of the American Council on Exercise. When you are losing weight, you want as much fat as possible to be burned. Skeletal muscle is calorie burning because its metabolic processes contribute to your metabolic rate. The more lean muscle you have, the faster your metabolism. Resistance exercise can help you preserve lean body mass. Lifting weights three days per week by performing two to three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions will not bulk you up, but is enough to maintain and increase your strength. Exercises such as push-ups, squats, lunges, bicep curls, triceps extensions, military press, chest flies, upright rows and abdominal curls target each of your major muscle groups.
Circuit Training
Circuit training is a physical activity that combines aerobic and resistance exercise into one intense training session. To do this, you must set up a course of alternating resistance exercises and cardio exercises. You stay at each station for a specific amount of time performing the exercise, when your time is up you move on to the next station quickly and without rest. For example, for one minute you jog, then you perform a set of bicep curls, then jog for one minute, then perform a set of squats, then jog for one minute and so on. Your heart rate remains elevated for the entire duration, because there is no rest. This leads to a massive caloric burn and physiological adaptations by your body to both aerobic and weight training.
Nutrition
Eating less unhealthy food and more nutrient-dense foods contributes to weight loss. According to the book "Fitness and Health," the average American diet consists of at least 30 percent of daily calories from fat as well as large amounts of refined and processed carbohydrates. The book suggests that by switching carbohydrate intake to fruits, vegetables and whole grains, your nutrient needs can be met and you will eat less calories.
Fiber
Feeling deprived while you are trying to lose weight is no fun and can leave you feeling unsatisfied. Eating a large amount of high-fiber foods can reduce your hunger cravings. According to the Mayo Clinic, high-fiber foods are more slowly metabolized and hold water weight so you feel full for a longer period of time. Generally, high-fiber foods are also low in calories and high in nutrients, so they fit right into a healthy diet. High-fiber foods include cereals, fruits with the skin on, vegetables and whole grain breads or pastas. Try to get at least 25 g of fiber per day.
References
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2006
- "Exercise Physiology"; George A. Brooks, Thomas D. Fahey, Kenneth M. Baldwin; 2005
- American Council on Exercise: What are the Guidelines for Percentage of Body Fat
- "Exercise Testing and Prescription"; David C. Nieman; 2007
- "Fitness and Health"; Brian J. Sharkey and Steven E. Gaskill; 2007
- Mayo Clinic: Dietary Fiber
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