To lose 50 lbs. in seven months, you will need to lose almost 2 lbs. of weight each week. Two pounds is the highest weight loss per week recommended by the American Obesity Association. The association suggests cutting 1,000 calories per week for 2 lbs. of weight loss, but engaging in cardiovascular exercise will also cause you to lose weight. Dr. Brent Ridge, vice president for healthy living with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, advises those wishing to lose weight to combine burning calories through exercise with dieting. Either way will take the weight off so you can shed 50 pounds in seven months.
Exercise and Diet
Step 1
Aim to burn 500 calories per day, or 3,500 calories each week. One pound of weight loss equals 3,500 calories.
Step 2
Exercise at a moderate intensity if you have not been active prior to beginning this weight loss program. Activities that should get you into a moderate intensity zone include playing doubles tennis, walking at around 3 mph, water aerobics, gardening and ballroom dancing. As long as you are getting your heart rate up so that you are breathing too quickly to sing along to your favorite workout jam but not so fast that you cannot have a conversation, you are at the right intensity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Step 3
Exercise at a vigorous intensity if you have a solid foundation of cardiovascular fitness. Vigorous exercise burns calories approximately twice as fast, according to the CDC. Vigorous intensity activities include Latin and hip-hop dancing, running, jumping rope, jumping on a trampoline, hiking uphill and playing singles tennis. Exercise hard so that you cannot hold a conversation but are not gasping for breath.
Step 4
Use an activity or exercise calculator (see Resources section below) to figure out how many calories you burn in each workout. Adjust your duration or intensity so that you hit the 3,500-calorie mark per week.
Step 5
Shave 500 calories off your daily diet. Eliminate beverages that contain a lot of calories, such as blended coffee drinks or sodas. When you eat out, cut your meal in two and bring half home for the next day. Cut out cookies, candy, deep-fried and processed foods, as recommended in "How to Lose Your Spare Tire," published in the July/August 2007 issue of AARP Magazine. Cutting 500 calories a day will equal 3,500 calories per week, and when added to the 3,500 calories burned through exercise, you will create a caloric deficit of 7,000 calories -- or 2 lbs. of weight loss.
Dieting Alone
Step 1
Double the number of calories you cut to 1,000 calories daily. This will create a caloric deficit of 7,000 calories per week, just enough to lose 2 lbs. and help you reach your 50-pound goal in seven months or less.
Step 2
Use a menu planner to plan your daily meals so you do not go over your daily target goal of 1,000 fewer than what you were eating (see the Resources section below). For example, if you were eating 2,500 calories per day instead eat only 1,500 calories.
Step 3
Eat at least 25g of fiber per day, as recommended by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Fiber will make you feel full, so you won't eat more than your calorie goal.
Tips and Warnings
- Keep exercising and eating healthy after the seven months so the weight does not return, as advised by the CDC.
References
- Dr. Brent Responds to Questions from Feb. 22nd - 24th
- "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training: Course Manual;" National Academy of Sports Medicine; 2008
- AARP Magazine: How to Lose Your Spare Tire
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