The math is pretty simple. One 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 a day. By cutting out 500 calories a day from your normal daily diet, while keeping your activity level the same, you can lose approximately one pound a week.
All right - that doesn't sound like much, especially if you're more than 25 pounds overweight. Study after study has shown, though, that those people who lose weight gradually - at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week -are far more likely to keep the weight off and maintain a normal weight for a lifetime.
So how much exactly IS 500 calories? If you're going to reduce your daily intake by 500 calories, it helps to know what you need to cut out, right? Here's how easy it is to lose 500 calories a 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 have a salad instead. A Big Mac weighs in at a whopping 460 calories. A fresh salad with a light dressing? Less than 100! Savings? 360 calories
* Pass by the bag of potato chips. An average snack size bag of 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.
* Switch to low-fat cream cheese on your bagel. Savings? 90 calories per ounce.
* Love those fries and can't give them up? Swap the skinny fries out for thick steak-cut ones. Thin French fries absorb more oil than the thicker, meatier ones. Savings? 50 calories per 4 ounce serving
If you'd rather look at losing weight from an exercise perspective, you can also lose one pound a week by upping your activity level by 500 calories a day. How easy is that to do? Take a look:
* Take a half-hour walk around the park. Aim for a pace that's a little faster than a stroll, but not fast enough to be breathless. Burn: 160 calories.
* Get out your bike and take a ride. Tackle a few moderate hills and aim for about five miles total. Burn: 250 calories
* Go dancing - and really DANCE. The longer you're out on the floor instead of at the table drinking up high-calorie drinks, the more you'll get out of it. 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 stress impact on joints from aerobics, dancing or walking. Do a few laps at a slow crawl - if you can get up to an hour you'll be doing great! Burn: 510 calories
* Get out into your garden. An hour of gardening tasks that includes bending and stretching can burn up to as many calories as a brisk walk. Burn: 250 calories.
* Play a game of tennis. Hook up with a friend for a weekly tennis game and you'll be amazed at the difference. One hour of vigorous tennis is one of the best calorie burners around. Burn: 800 calories
It's important to keep in mind that all exercise/calorie numbers are based on a woman weighing 130 pounds. If you weigh more, you'll burn more. Want an added bonus to burning calories through exercise? When you exercise, you build muscle by converting it from fat. Three guesses which kind of body tissue burns more calories - even when you're not exercising. You got it - your body uses more energy to maintain and feed muscle than it does fat.
For best results, mix and match food savings with exercises that burn calories. Do keep in mind that eating less than 1000 calories a day for more than a few days will convince your body that it's starving and slow your metabolism. Keep calorie ranges reasonable, and consult a doctor if you want a quicker, more drastic weight loss.
Visit my web site for more information
Michael Contaro
simple weight loss
Here are some everyday, helpful hints to get you started,... Read More
Most men and women put on weight differently. But on... Read More
What is a calorie? The definition of a calorie is... Read More
Throughout my childhood and teenage years I watched as my... Read More
An increasing trend over the last few years has been... Read More
Fat Loss Tip #2) Drink More WaterI know, I know,... Read More
We all eat. But how mindful are we of every... Read More
Dumping syndrome is an effective result of the gastric bypass... Read More
How did a thin person like me become overweight? My... Read More
In a gastric bypass the connection between he stomach pouch... Read More
Spring is here and swimsuit weather is just around the... Read More
As many of us know, it's the first few days... Read More
Many of enjoy sitting down at Starbucks and enjoying a... Read More
Cleansing: How to Kickstart your Alkaline LifestyleDue to the highly... Read More
With this key, I GUARANTEE YOU WILL LOSE ALL THE... Read More
Tip 1) DRINK A GLASS OF WATER AFTER EACH SNACKThis... Read More
Obesity is quickly becoming the number one health issue confronting... Read More
It's easy to lose sight of our goals, "Do I... Read More
Do you tend to find your weight increases when you... Read More
Have you seen the ditty below that's roaming the Internet... Read More
I have been seriously working on losing weight for about... Read More
Most Americans do not get enough calcium in their diets;... Read More
We have plans for everything these days. That is how... Read More
Fasting, when done properly, can be a basic part of... Read More
For people that are obese, losing weight quickly can seem... Read More
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..What is ephedra? Ephedra, which is also known as Ma... Read More
Do you want to lose weight fast? While there is... Read More
We know that children are becoming obese at an alarming... Read More
America loves fast food. Last year, consumers spent billions of... Read More
It's definitely no fun to lose weight -- put it... Read More
Why We Start Diets on MondayThe biggest problem with any... Read More
First of all we need to find out a reason... Read More
Millions of people spend billions of dollars, hoping to achieve... Read More
I wonder how much it is generally known that the... Read More
Weight Loss Axiom Number ThreeInsulin and GlucagonThese are the two... Read More
Did you know that less than 2% of dieters lose... Read More
It's easy to lose sight of our goals, "Do I... Read More
Calorie burn can be really enhanced if you follow a... Read More
Speculating on the scientifically proven memory unreliability, the memory specialist... Read More
I remember back in my senior year of high school... Read More
Drink plenty of water. Our body needs a lot of... Read More
Everyone who has ever been on a diet has hit... Read More
As a weight loss mentor it never ceases to amaze... Read More
I am approaching 70 years of age very quickly and... Read More
Most people are unsure about how to begin a fat... Read More
Very few Americans are satisfied with their current weights. There... Read More
WHAT DOES BEING FIT REALLY MEAN?The "INSIDE-OUT" approach to fitness... Read More
To upgrade the current software in your brain you can... Read More
Since the reintroduction of Ephedra based products on about April... Read More
It is estimated that about 32 million Americans are following... Read More
Weight Loss |