How to Lose 25 Pounds

Losing 25 pounds requires combining nutritional and training strategies to decrease caloric intake and increase the number of calories you burn daily. Going strictly by the numbers, you must use 87,500 calories to lose 25 pounds--3,500 calories burned per pound of weight loss. It sounds daunting, but a few simple changes to your lifestyle, regarding diet and exercise, will help you lose that 25 pounds and provide the knowledge and tools to keep the extra weight off for life. Remember, you are in this for the long haul, so don't expect to lose all that weight too fast. Experts agree that one or two pounds a week is a healthy amount to lose. Before starting any weight-loss or exercise program, talk with your doctor.

Step 1

Try a one to three day fast to jump-start your weight-loss efforts. Self-proclaimed "Life Extension Specialist" Paul C. Bragg recommends fasts to help overweight people cleanse their bodies and manage weight. He also recommends using 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey or a packet of stevia, and 8 ounces of distilled water as a healthy drink to curb appetite and cleanse the body. Drink this concoction three to five times a day during a fast or in conjunction with any diet plan.

Step 2

Cut your daily caloric intake by 500 to 750 below your weight maintenance level, the number of calories needed to keep your body as it is. Since your goal is weight loss, you must eat less than weight maintenance levels to see results. An online resource is available at Bodybuilding.com for calculating maintenance calories.

Step 3

Eat five to seven small meals throughout the day. Eating frequently keeps your metabolism functioning at a high rate and avoids the body's natural starvation-mode survival tactic when you diet, according to "The Fat Burning Bible." For example, a meal schedule might be breakfast, lunch and dinner, with two or three snacks in between.

Step 4

Start a resistance training program that includes at least three full-body workouts a week. Your resistance training program should include free weights and/or weight machines, with two or three sets per exercise, for a duration of 30 to 60 minutes. Resistance training can elevate your metabolic rate for 48 hours or more. If you work out every other day, then you will always be burning extra fat, according to "The Abs Diet." In addition, you will be building muscle, which is metabolically active (fat-burning) even at rest. The more muscle you have, the more food you can eat without gaining weight.

Step 5

Do 30 to 60 minutes of "super cardio" exercise following your resistance training. Jeff Anderson, author of "Combat the Fat," recommends low-intensity cardiovascular exercise after a weight workout, because it allows your body to burn body fat almost exclusively. By contrast, more intense cardiovascular exercise burns muscle tissue (not good), glycogen (carbohydrates) and body fat. An example of low-intensity cardio is walking on an inclined treadmill at a pace that is challenging but which does not cause heavy breathing.

Step 6

Indulge in a "cheat meal" one day a week. Go out to your favorite restaurant and eat whatever you want for this one meal. You'll enjoy a mental break from your diet. And eating whatever you want for one meal could help burn more fat, according to fitness author Jeff Anderson, who says your body will be less likely to lower its metabolic rate in response to decreased overall caloric intake. To avoid a binge, simply do not buy junk food. If candy, cookies, ice cream and other tempting foods are in your house, you are more likely to over-indulge.