Two pounds per week is the maximum amount that most health care professionals recommend losing, since any more than that may require lifestyle changes that aren't sustainable in the long term. To steadily burn a couple of pounds each week with exercise alone, however, you'll need to work out for at least an hour every day.
Pacing
If you want to steadily lose weight at the pace of 2 lbs. per week over a month or longer, it's important to make permanent lifestyle adjustments that you'll be able to keep without much trouble. That may mean cooking meals in advance so that you have a free hour or two after work every day to exercise, or it may mean finding an exercise buddy who will hold you accountable for completing your workouts on a regular schedule.
Types
The type of exercise you choose will determine how quickly you burn fat. Mild to moderate exercises, such as brisk walking, low-impact aerobics or slow cycling aren't likely to help you lose 2 lbs. per week unless you put in very long sessions or combine them with low-calorie eating. On the other hand, vigorous and intense exercises such as high-impact aerobics, singles tennis and jogging may not require such extended sessions because they burn more calories per hour.
Calories
According to MayoClinic.com, a 200-lb. person who exercises for 60 minutes will burn about 350 calories with walking, 450 calories with low-impact aerobics and 365 calories with leisure cycling. At those rates, if you change nothing in your diet, you'd need to walk for 20 hours weekly, do aerobics for 15.5 hours or bike for 19 hours to lose 2 lbs. per week. However, a 200-lb. person can burn about 650 calories per hour with high-impact aerobics and 730 per hour with jogging or tennis. At those rates, you'd need to work out for only 10.5 hours per week with aerobics and 9.5 with jogging to consistently lose 2 lbs.
Considerations
It can be very difficult to lose 2 lbs. per week through exercise alone, so try a two-pronged approach of reducing calories and increasing physical activity. If you weigh 200 lbs. and cut calories by 500 per day, for example, you'd need to walk for just 10 hours per week or jog for just 5 hours per week to lose the same amount of weight. Regardless of how you choose to take the weight off, speak with your doctor before starting a plan to get personalized health advice and recommendations.
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