An overhaul of your eating habits can drastically affect your ability to lose weight. The American Obesity Association says that cutting calories should help you lose 1 to 2 lbs. per week, enabling you to drop 40 lbs. in a mere 20 to 40 weeks. Ten months may seem like a long time to wait to hit your goal, but losing weight at this rate is healthier for your body and you're less likely to put the weight right back on.
Step 1
Weigh yourself to get a starting weight.
Step 2
Keep a diet chart or food journal for one week. Write down how many calories are in everything you eat and drink. Include exact amounts. Do not just write down "coffee." Include "coffee with two packets of sugar and 2 tbsp. of non-dairy creamer," for example. Add up the calories of everything that has a nutrition label and use a calorie counter book or website (see Resources) to figure out how many calories are in foods that do not have labels.
Step 3
Weigh yourself after the week. If you have not gained or lost a pound, then you have discovered your daily maintenance calories. If you did gain or lose weight then use a calorie calculator (see Resources) to estimate your daily maintenance number of calories.
Step 4
Go grocery shopping so you have healthy foods on hand, advises Andrea Wenger Hess, a nutritionist at the University of Maryland Joslin Diabetes Center. Stock up on lean meats, nonfat dairy, fruits, vegetables, high-fiber frozen entrees and grains, but skip the processed foods and sweets.
Step 5
Consume 500 to 1,000 calories fewer per day than your previous daily total. The American Obesity Association says that 500 calories fewer over seven days will result in 1lb. of weight lost. You can lose 2 lbs. a week if you reduce calories by 1,000 calories a day. Try drinking water or unsweetened iced tea instead of sodas or drinks with calories to save an average of 200 calories per drink, according to a "Shape" magazine article entitled "Drop a Pound by Friday." Substitute high-calorie snacks, like chips, cookies, or ice cream, with a 100-calorie bag of popcorn to save 200 calories. The National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute suggests a cup of milk or a fig bar as low-calorie snack alternatives.
Step 6
Ask for help. Sign up with a support group, like Weight Watchers, or enlist trusted friends for support to get your through the 20 to 40 weeks with as little stress as possible. Dr. Pamela Peeke, author of the national best-seller "Fight Fat After Forty," says that a support group will remind you that you are not alone and may help brainstorm ideas for you to overcome obstacles.
Tips and Warnings
- You risk losing muscle mass along with fat when you diet without exercise. Offset this by following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that people wishing to lose weight do two or three days a week of muscle-strengthening activities. Effective activities include weight training, yoga, digging or shoveling, and bodyweight exercises like push ups and lunges. These activities burn calories and save your muscle mass, which if lost will cause your metabolism to slow down.
Things You'll Need
- Calorie calculator
- Scale
References
- "Shape;" Drop a Pound by Friday; Sharon Liao; Nov. 2009
- American Obesity Association: Weight Loss Strategies
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Common-Sense Strategies for Long-Term Weight Loss
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