Part of planned weight loss is counting calories to ensure you don't eat more than your body burns. It's estimated that 3,500 calories is equal to 1 lb. of fat. Reducing caloric intake by 500 calories every day will lead to 1 lb. lost in a week. The reduction in calories doesn't mean you need to starve or go hungry. In fact, it's healthier to reduce your food intake by 200 to 300 calories and burn the rest using cardio and resistance training. More muscles will tone the areas while fat is burned, making a slimmer, healthier body.
Step 1
Calculate how many calories you burn without diet and exercise. The BMI calculator linked to in Resources indicates how many calories you burn per your height, weight, gender and activity level, and these calories are what you eat to maintain your current weight.
Step 2
Determine how many pounds you want to lose each week. For each pound you want to lose per week, you must reduce the weekly caloric intake by 3,500. A healthy amount of weight to lose without starvation or extreme dieting is 1 to 2 lb. per week. This means for 1 lb. of weight, your caloric reduction is 500 calories per day.
Step 3
Decide which meals are your highest in caloric intake. For instance, if you eat 500 calories for dinner, you can reduce your caloric intake by eating low-calorie vegetables and proteins to reduce your dinner calories to 200 to 300. This reduces at least 200 calories daily, helping you achieve your goals.
Step 4
Calculate how many calories you burn during exercise. Cardio workouts help you burn calories, so you can eat more. It also helps you tone muscles. If you burn 300 calories in a workout, you can add this to your calorie reduction in the diet. This means that if you reduce your caloric intake during dinner by 200 calories and burn 300 calories during a workout, you've achieved your 500-calorie reduction during the day. This will help you achieve 1 lb. of fat loss in a week.
Step 5
Keep a food journal to help you keep track of how many calories you've eaten during the day. This also helps you plan meals and keep your calorie count. If you eat more calories or don't go to the gym one day, you can make up the calorie reduction on the following day.
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