Weight loss occurs when your body burns more calories than it takes in, and exercise is an important part of weight loss. To burn one pound of fat, you must have a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories. Several factors must be taken into consideration for weight loss to occur -- your basal metabolic rate, diet, and the type and intensity level of exercise. The combination of those things determines how much exercise should be performed to lose weight.
Basal Metabolic Rate
Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR, is the amount of calories needed to sustain basic life functions when you are at rest. This accounts for roughly 60 to 75 percent of all the calories you burn in a given day, according to the American Council on Exercise. The remaining 25 to 40 percent of calories burned in a day comes from the energy it takes to digest food and to perform activity. The energy it takes to digest food is minimal -- less than 10 percent -- making exercise a key component in your weight loss success. Find your BMR by using an online calculator, such as the one at bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator.
Diet
Diet plays the largest role in weight loss. To lose fat weight and not muscle weight, you must consume enough calories to support BMR and keep energy levels high enough to exercise, but not too much to cause the body not to burn fat for energy or to store fat. This can be done by reducing portion sizes and eating smaller meals throughout the day. Additionally, consuming foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean protein sources, low-fat dairy, nuts and seeds will help you lose weight.
Types of Exercise
Aerobic exercise and strength training are the two forms of exercise necessary for weight loss. Aerobic exercise should be performed a minimum of 30 minutes five days a week at a moderate-intensity, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. However, depending on your body type and how much weight you have to lose, it might be necessary to perform up to 90 minutes of exercise six to seven days a week, such as brisk walking, jogging or cycling. Strength training helps to build muscle tissue, which is beneficial for improving your BMR. It should be performed a minimum of two nonconsecutive days a week, targeting every major muscle group.
Increasing Intensity
Increasing the intensity of both your aerobic and strength-training workouts is a great way to burn a lot of calories in a shorter amount of time. You can increase the intensity of your aerobic workouts by performing sprint intervals or by increasing the resistance or incline on exercise machines. The intensity can be increased in a strength-training workout by reducing rest intervals between sets to less than 30 seconds or by increasing the load. In some instances, by increasing the intensity of your workouts, you can decrease your workout time by half and get the same results.
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