A Simple Plan For Weight Loss

The math is pretty simple. A pound of fat equals 3500 calories. Want to lose a pound a week ? Then you need to consume 3500 calories less per week than you use. That's about 500 calories per day . By cutting 500 calories a day from your normal daily diet, while keeping your activity level the same , you can lose about a pound a week.

All right - that does not sound like much, especially if you are more than 25 pounds overweight. Many studies have shown, however, that people who lose weight gradually - at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week are more likely to keep the weight and maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime.

So how exactly is 500 calories ? If you reduce your daily intake by 500 calories , it is useful to know what you need to cut , right? Here's how easy it is to lose 500 calories per day:

* Use milk instead of cream in your coffee. Savings? 50 calories per cup.

* Skip the butter on your baked potato . Savings? 100 calories

* Drink fruit-flavored water instead of a 16 ounce soda . Savings? 200 calories

* Skip the Big Mac and a salad instead. A Big Mac weighs a whopping 460 calories. A fresh salad with a light dressing ? Less than 100 ! Savings? 360 calories

* Go through the bag of chips. A snack bag medium size chips has over 300 calories. Savings? 300 calories

* Eat your corn on the ear. A 1 cup serving of canned corn has 165 calories. An ear of corn has 85. Savings? 80 calories .

* Go cheese low fat cream on your bagel. Savings? 90 calories per ounce .

* Love those fries and can not give up? Exchange skinny fries on thick cut steak . Thin French fries absorb more oil than the thicker , more fleshy . Savings? 50 calories per 4 oz

If you prefer to look at weight loss in terms of exercise, you can lose a pound a week by upping your activity level by 500 calories per day . How easy is it to do? Take a look :

* Take a walk a half - hour around the park. Aim for a pace that is a little faster than a stroll , but not fast enough to be breathless . Burn : 160 calories .

* Take your bike and take a ride . Tackle some moderate hills and aim at about five miles total. Burn : 250 calories

* Go dancing - and really dance. The more you are on the floor instead of the table drinking beverages high in calories , the more you get out. Dancing that makes you breathless and warms up your body will net you a nice calorie savings . Burn : 400 calories for one hour

* Swimming is great for you , and a lot of fun , too. The water resistance means you burn more calories, and you avoid the impact of stress on joints from aerobics , dancing or walking. Swim in a slow crawl - if you can get up to an hour you will do great! Burn : 510 calories

* Go out into your garden. One hour of gardening tasks that includes bending and stretching can burn up more calories than brisk walking. Burn : 250 calories.

* Play a game of tennis. Hook Up with a friend to a game of tennis per week and you will be amazed at the difference . One hour of vigorous tennis is one of the best calorie burners around . Burn : 800 calories

It is important to keep in mind that all exercise / calorie numbers are based on a woman weighing 130 pounds. If you weigh more , you burn more . Want an added bonus to burning calories through exercise ? When you exercise, you build muscle by converting it from fat. Three guesses what type of body tissue burns more calories - even when you 're not exercising . You guessed it - your body uses more energy to maintain and feed it into fat muscle.

For best results , mix and match food savings with exercises that burn calories . Do keep in mind that eating less than 1000 calories per day for more than a few days will convince your body that it is starving and slow your metabolism . Keep calorie ranges reasonable , and consult a doctor if you want a faster weight loss drastically.

No comments:

Post a Comment