Healthy weight loss requires hard work and commitment, but losing 10 lbs. in a month is an attainable goal. To lose a pound of body fat, you must burn approximately 3,500 more calories than you consume, so to lose 10 lbs., you need a 35,000-calorie deficit over 30 days, or 1,166 calories per day.
Calories In
Step 1
Figure out how many calories you have to burn to reach a net daily deficit of 1,166 calories. First determine how many calories you take in. To keep track of calories consumed, record everything you eat and drink in a food journal. Your food journal should list what you ate, how much and at what time. The more detailed your journal is, the better.
Step 2
Use nutrition labels, online nutrition resources or a pocket calorie guide to tally the total number of calories in your meals and snacks. Remember to check the portion sizes on the nutrition labels, since people often eat more than one serving at a time.
Step 3
Calculate how many calories you need to burn to meet your daily deficit. Add your total calorie consumption for the day (calculated in Step 2) to 1,166 (the average deficit you need to lose 10 lbs. in 30 days). For example, if you ate 1,400 calories, then you need to burn 2,566 calories that day to stay on track for your weight loss goal (1,400 + 1,166 = 2,566).
Calories Out
Step 1
Find out your BMR by visiting an online BMR calculator like the one at Discovery Health (see Resources). People burn a tremendous amount of energy performing essential life functions like breathing, pumping blood and digestion. The number of calories you burn at rest is your basal metabolic rate (BMR).
Step 2
Subtract your BMR from your target calorie burn (calculated in Step 3 of the previous section) to find out how many calories you must burn daily through activity. If the person in the above example has a BMR of 1,800 calories, he only needs to burn an extra 766 calories that day to meet his goal.
Step 3
Burn the remaining calories through activity. Exercise that has you breathing hard, like running or aerobics class, burns calories more quickly than low-intensity activities like walking. For example, a 200-lb. person can burn 816 calories by running 5.2 miles in 60 minutes, or 789 calories by walking 7.5 miles in two and a half hours. To find out how many calories you burn through exercise, visit an online exercise calorie calculator (see Resources).
Tips and Warnings
- It doesn't matter what you eat, but choosing low-calorie foods like fruits and vegetables allows you to eat more food while racking up fewer calories. Daily exercise can be all in one session, or spread over several sessions throughout the day.
- Check with your doctor before beginning an exercise or weight loss program. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends eating a minimum of 1,200 calories per day to prevent your metabolism from slowing down and sabotaging your weight-loss efforts.
Things You'll Need
- Scale
- Food journal
- Pocket calorie guide (optional)
- Heart rate monitor (optional)
References
- ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer; American College of Sports Medicine; 2006
- National Weight Control Registry: Research Findings
- Mayo Clinic: Metabolism and weight loss: How you burn calories
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