As more Americans become overweight, fast weight-loss diets, strange techniques and frantic exercise programs have become increasingly common. However, weight loss boils down to a simple formula, according to the Mayo Clinic: The speed at which the body loses weight is a result of the amount of calories you burn, versus the amount you consume. By decreasing your daily calorie intake and maintaining a vigorous lifestyle of constant physical activity, you can begin losing weight in as little as one to two weeks.
Burning Pounds
In order to lose 1 pound, you need to burn off 3,500 calories more than you consume. You can drop a pound each week by cutting 500 calories from your daily calorie intake, resulting in a caloric deficit large enough to initiate weight loss. Alternatively, you can increase the amount of physical activity you perform during the day to help burn off those 500 calories.
How Long Does It Take?
According to the LIVESTRONG Daily Plate tool, a 25-year-old woman weighing 150 pounds would have to decrease her daily caloric intake to 1,622 calories to lose 2 pounds each week, with a moderate to high activity level. If that same woman leads a sedentary life, with little physical activity, she would need to drop her daily caloric intake to 1,115 to lose 2 pounds each week, or 1,615, to lose 1 pound per week.
Creating a Calorie Deficit
The healthiest way to achieve a calorie deficit is to increase the amount of physical activity you perform during the day. While it's possible to accelerate weight loss by greatly decreasing the amount of calories you consume, it's better to replace high-calorie, sugar-rich foods with healthier alternatives, such as whole grains, dark leafy greens and lean meats. Avoid starvation diets that may deplete your natural fat-burning metabolic processes.
Safety Considerations
Talk to your doctor before embarking on radical changes to your diet or lifestyle. Avoid weight-loss products and chemicals that haven't been tested by the FDA, or a similar government regulatory agency. For best results, consult a nutritionist about establishing a diet that reaches you calorie goal while maintaining a healthy balance of vitamins, minerals, fats, fibers and proteins.
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