Cutting calories and increasing exercise will help you lose weight. The American Obesity Association says that cutting 500 to 1,000 calories per day will result in 1 to 2 lbs. of weight lost per week. Experts from the Medical Center at the University of Maryland (UM) say that even 250 fewer calories per day will help you lose 1/2 lb. per week. Therefore, with dieting and exercise, you can lose between 5 and 20 lbs. in 10 weeks.
Healthy Eating
Step 1
Decide how many pounds you want to lose. The more you want to lose, the more calories you must cut.
Step 2
Keep a food diary for one week prior to your 10-week weight loss program without making any modifications to your eating. Add up your calories each day to get a general idea of what your daily caloric intake actually is.
Step 3
Plan out meals for the next 10 weeks based on how many pounds you are going to lose. Use an online menu planner (see Resource) or get help from a nutritionist. Choose a target calorie goal of 250 fewer calories per day if you wish to lose 5 lbs. total. Use a target goal of 500 fewer calories if you wish to lose 10 lbs.
Step 4
Buy the foods listed on your menu and only those foods. It is easier to eat healthy and stick to your plan if tempting "bad" foods are not around.
Step 5
Maintain your food diary or mark off meals as you eat them according to your meal plan. Eat four to six meals a day approximately every three hours to boost your metabolism and help you feel full. When you eat is almost as important as what you eat.
Exercise
Step 1
Begin with 10 minutes a day of exercise such as walking, as advised by the American Council on Exercise (ACE). You can also use a cardio machine, jump on a mini trampoline, or go jogging.
Step 2
Increase your exercise time each week by 10 to 20 percent of your previous week's exercise time, as recommended by ACE. For example, if you did 10 minutes the week before, do 11 to 12 minutes during the current week.
Step 3
Become aware of your exercise intensity, and bump it up to moderate as soon as you feel capable. Work until you feel like you could hold a conversation. This is considered moderate intensity.
Step 4
Work up to a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per day, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for general health, though they say more exercise is better for weight loss. Increasing your time by 20 percent each week for seven weeks will get you to this minimum if you begin with 10 minutes.
Step 5
Continue increasing your exercise every week by 20 percent if you feel you are able. This will get you to 60 minutes by week 10. The CDC recommends 60 to 90 minutes of daily activity and healthy eating to maintain weight loss, so continue exercising if you want to keep off the weight.
Tips and Warnings
- UM expert nutritionist Andrea Wenger Hess says that a minimum of 1,200 calories is needed per day for women and 1,400 calories is needed per day for men to get enough nutrients. Do not go below these numbers without the express permission of a healthcare professional.
Things You'll Need
- Food diary
Member Comments