No exercise will help you lose weight fast, but physical activity can help you lose weight more quickly than through dieting alone. Your weight depends on a balance of calories consumed and energy expended. Any calories you don't use in a day get stored as fat. You can lose weight by reducing calories, increasing exercise or, ideally, combining a moderately restricted diet with regular physical activity.
Diet
Reducing your daily caloric intake will help you lose weight. Approximately 3,500 calories equal 1 lb. of body fat. This means that you would need to take in 3,500 fewer calories each week to lose 1 lb. a week. To make things simpler, that translates into reducing your daily caloric intake by 500 calories. The easiest way to do this is to substitute a lower-calorie snack for a higher-calorie snack or simply omit the higher-calorie snack altogether. Or, consider eating smaller portions of your favorite foods. Some people may not be able to healthily shave 500 calories per day off of their existing diet and others may find it difficult to consistently find the willpower to stick with a reduced-calorie diet. In these instances, dietary adjustments alone will not be enough to help you lose weight.
Exercise
Adding exercise to your daily routine will also help you lose weight. All exercise burns calories that you have already consumed. You need to burn an additional 500 calories a day in order to lose weight. This is no simple feat for the average person. For example, 30 minutes of general-impact aerobics only burns approximately 201 calories. Many people do not have time on a daily basis for the amount of exercise required to burn an additional 500 calories a day. There are also many people who are physically unable to perform the types of exercise necessary to burn these calories. These factors make weight loss difficult when relying on exercise alone.
Combining Diet and Exercise
The best way to lose weight is a healthy combination of dietary changes and increased exercise. You could lose 1 lb. a week by doing 30 minutes of aerobics a day and reducing your food intake by about 300 calories. You may find this a more reasonable commitment. You could squeeze in 30 minutes of aerobics activity on your lunch hour or while watching your favorite sitcom. And you could eliminate 300 calories in your diet by simple changes in your lunch routine: mustard rather than mayonnaise on a sandwich, an apple rather than potato chips on the side and water rather than soda as a beverage.
Considerations
It takes time to gain weight and time to lose it in a healthy manner. Small changes in your eating habits make a big difference. Those 300 shaved calories per day add up to losing a pound every 10 or 11 days. Exercise burns additional calories, helps speed your metabolism so your body handles food intake more efficiently. Exercise also helps tone your muscles and improves your flexibility. You'll look better in your favorite clothes and, more important, you'll be able to enjoy a greater range of activities.
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