It's isn't impossible to lose anywhere between 5 to 10 ponds in a month. Actually, you can healthily lose right around five pounds in the span of 30 days with diet alone. But by incorporating exercise into your daily routine, you can double that number to 10 pounds of weight loss. It'll just take some commitment and diligence on your part to reach the goal.
Step 1
Define your dietary need, the first part to any weight loss program. Your body has a certain amount of calories it needs to maintain your current weight. Once you've determined that number (see "Tips"), you can make changes to your diet and exercise.
Step 2
Eliminate 600 calories from your diet each day. To lose a pound of weight, according to the National Institutes of Health, you must "burn" a total of 3,500 calories. By eating 600 calories less than your body needs each day, you can lose a total of five pounds. Just do the math, 600 calories times 30 days is equal to 18,000 calories. Divide this number by 3,500, and you've lost over five pounds of fat.
Step 3
Burn another 600 calories through exercise each day. This may sound like a lot, but you can hit this number by taking part in more vigorous modes of exercise. As an example, biking for 45 minutes at 12 miles per hour can burn upwards of 450 calories in a 150 pound person. Another 45 minutes of tennis, hiking or aerobics for this same person can burn between 300 and 350 calories. That's only an hour and a half of exercise to meet and exceed that goal.
Step 4
Consider lifting weights to increase daily calories burned. Muscle burns a great deal more calories than other body tissue, according to the Mayo Clinic, so lift weights a couple of days each week to boost your caloric burn. Plus, weight lifting actually burns calories at the time of exercise as well.
Tips and Warnings
- Both men and women can use their weight in pounds, height in inches and current age to determine dietary needs. To clarify the very base caloric need, that means without any exercise, a woman would use the following equation: 655 + (weight x 4.35) + (height x 4.7) - (age x 4.7) and then multiply this number by 1.2. For men, you'd use a slightly different equation: 66 + (weight x 6.23) + (height x 12.7) - (age x 6.8) and then multiply this number by 1.2.
- Discuss your weight loss plans with a medical professional before changing your diet and exercise. According to the National Institutes of Health, it's important not to reduce your calories below a certain level. For women, anything under 1,200 calories a day isn't recommended. For men, it's nothing under 1,500 calories.
Member Comments