It's easy to understand that healthy eating and regular exercise can help you lose weight, but it's not always so simple to put those principles into practice with a well-defined plan. If you aren't sure where to start, following a sample diet and exercise program can help you muster up the motivation you need to design and tackle your own plan. Consult your doctor before beginning any new weight-loss regimen.
Diet
The foundation of a basic low-calorie diet for weight loss is a balance of the main food groups listed at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid website: lean proteins, nonfat dairy products, fruits, whole grains and vegetables. The idea is to retain a varied eating plan while cutting at least several hundred calories per day from what you normally eat. Nixing 500 per day will yield a pound of weight loss per week; double that and you'll lose 2 pounds per week.
Sample Meals
For breakfast, try oatmeal with skim milk and berries, fiber-rich cold cereal with a banana, an egg-white omelet with veggies or a yogurt parfait with fresh fruit and low-sugar granola. Have any of the following for lunch: a nutritious meal replacement bar or smoothie, a deli sandwich with lean meat on whole-grain bread with no mayo, salad with hard-boiled eggs and light dressing or brown rice, stir-fried vegetables and grilled chicken. Make chili with lean meat, marinated tofu with rice, roasted turkey breast with veggies or a low-fat casserole for dinner. Need a snack? Try fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat string cheese with crackers or nonfat yogurt.
Cardio
A cardiovascular workout is the portion of an exercise plan that you can do every day, since it won't make your muscles sore or tax them in the same way that strength training might. For weight loss, the American Council on Exercise recommends a minimum of 225 minutes of cardio per week, ideally spread over five or six days. Cardio can be any activity that gets your heart pumping, but for the purposes of establishing a plan, try using a treadmill, elliptical or bicycle machine for 45 minutes a day if you have access to a gym. If you don't, take a walk or jog outside, swim in a community pool or bike around your neighborhood.
Strength Training
Strength training is the remaining primary component of a complete workout plan. You can use your own body weight, resistance tubing or weight machines to train, but dumbbells are some of the easiest pieces of equipment to find and use. As the American College of Sports Medicine suggests, do two strength sessions a week, with at least a full day between them. In each session, complete one to two sets of biceps curls, lateral raises, upright rows, deadlifts, chest presses, lunges, squats and crunches.
Results
Following a sample plan like the one described will enable you to both burn calories and cut calories. Depending on your body size and how much you normally eat, the plan might help you lose anywhere from about half a pound to 3 pounds per week. Before starting, get your doctor's approval.
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