Losing weight can be done in a number of ways, but your greatest success may come by combining methods, such as exercise and diet, rather than one or the other. When tracking the numbers, remember that 1 pound equals 3,500 calories, which can be used as a guideline when deciding which activities to participate in and how much food to eat.
Reduce Calories
The easiest method to cut back on calories is through portion control. First, allow yourself only one helping of your food choices. You might be surprised that one serving of food is plenty to satisfy you. Second, make the portions smaller when choosing your food. After you are aware of your portion sizes, you may find cutting back isn't difficult and will make a big difference in your overall calorie intake. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a portion of spaghetti is only a half cup of pasta and a half cup of sauce. One cup of cooked spaghetti is equal to 219 calories. If you eat a normal portion size, you can cut those calories in half, helping you lose weight.
Walking
Walking is an excellent form of exercise that can be done with minimal initial cost. It is also a safe way to exercise if you have joint problems, and it easily accommodates any fitness level. According to MayoClinic.com, walking can help you lose weight, raise your good cholesterol and lower your bad cholesterol as well as improve your mood. If you walk for 30 minutes at a rate of 3 miles per hour, assuming you weigh about 150 pounds, you can burn as much as 112 calories. Over the course of one month, walking five days per week, that 30-minute walk will help you lose nearly 1 pound, or twice that much if you walk for an hour.
Jumping Rope
Jumping rope for exercise provides both an upper and lower body workout as well as cardiovascular benefits. The number of calories burned during a moderate bout of jumping rope is significantly higher than walking, and the initial cost of equipment is minimal. For a 150-pound person, 30 minutes of moderate-intensity jumping rope will burn approximately 340 calories. Over the course of one month, jumping five days per week, you could lose more than 2 pounds.
Exercise Videos
Exercise videos are a viable alternative for exercise. The initial cost for equipment can be less than $20 for one new video. Video game systems, such as Wii and Xbox, offer fitness programs that you can customize and keep track of your calories burned. If you play the Wii Fit Tennis for 30 minutes, you can burn approximately 170 calories for a 130-pound person. If you do this five times per week, you would see a loss of 1 pound over the course of a month.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans: How Much Are You Eating?
- CalorieLab.com: Spaghetti, cooked, enriched, without added salt
- CaloriesPerHour.com: Walking
- MayoClinic.com: Trim Your Waistline, Improve Your Health
- CaloriesPerHour.com: Jumping Rope-Moderate
- New Fitness: Jump For Your Health
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