How Much Should I Exercise to Lose 100 Pounds?

An overweight man is riding a stationary recumbent bicycle.
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Whether your doctor has recommended that you lose weight or you've decided to get in shape for yourself, losing 100 lbs. may seem impossible. By taking your weight loss one pound at a time, you can reach your weight-loss goals safely within a year. Talk to your doctor before starting a new diet and fitness program, especially if you have injuries or health concerns.

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Count Your Calories

Instead of setting arbitrary weight-loss goals and hoping that you exercise enough to meet them, count how many calories you are burning and consuming. The more calories you burn, the more weight you will lose. If you do not burn all of the calories that you consume, you will not lose weight. To lose 2 lbs. per week, eliminate 500 calories from your diet and burn 500 additional calories every day. This will keep you on track to lose 100 lbs. within the year.

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Cardio

Do cardio exercises every day for at least 20 to 30 minutes per day, five times or more every week. The amount of calories you burn depends on how hard you exercise, how long you exercise and your weight. Every exercise or physical movement burns calories, but the exercises that burn the most calories are cardio exercises that raise your heart rate. Moderate-intensity exercises like running, rollerblading, biking and swimming burn more calories than low-intensity exercises like walking.

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Strength-training

To tone and tighten your muscles as you lose weight, do strength-training exercises three times a week. Strength-training exercises include weightlifting, pushups, situps and other weight-bearing exercises. Continue to do cardio exercises even on the days that you practice strength-training exercises.

Diet

Combine dietary changes with regular exercise for the best weight-loss results. For example, jogging for one hour burns approximately 675 calories per hour; subtract 325 calories from your diet to burn a total of 1,000 calories more than you consume. Because it takes approximately 3,500 calories to burn 1 lb. of fat, you will lose approximately 2 lbs. per week while following this diet and exercise plan.

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