How to Figure Calories to Lose Pounds
These days, it seems almost everyone knows that in order to lose weight you need to eat less and exercise more. In other words, you need to make sure that you're expending more calories through exercise and other daily activities than you're consuming in food. Of course, that's a rough description of a process that's actually fairly precise (although it varies somewhat from person to person, based on metabolism and other factors). In general, there's an approximate number of calories than you need to eliminate or burn off in order to lose each pound.
Instructions
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Figure out what you already eat. Many foods contain surprising numbers of calories. Read the labels on food containers or ask for calorie information at restaurants you visit frequently, or check the restaurant's website for calorie information to start to estimate how much you generally eat per day.
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Realize that according to the government's nutrition guidelines, you need to eliminate or burn off 3,500 extra calories for each pound you want to lose. Since one pound a week is generally considered a realistic weight loss goal, divide those calories up among seven days and you need to eliminate about 500 calories per day to reach this goal.
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3
Figure out how you will cut out these calories. This could involve adding a certain amount of exercise, for example walking about five miles per day. Alternatively, you could cut out something you frequently eat that has about 500 calories, or count up everything you eat and try to make sure the total is about 500 calories less than it previously was so that you will lose a pound per week.
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Weigh yourself occasionally, perhaps once a week. Weight can fluctuate as much as a pound or two for many reasons, so don't be discouraged if you don't see immediate results. However, you should start to see a downward trend after several weeks. If not, you will need to figure out what the problem is and develop an alternative plan.
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Tips & Warnings
If you're significantly overweight, it may be reasonable to shoot to lose two pounds of fat weekly rather than one. Of course, in this case you'll need to find a way to eliminate 1,000 calories daily rather than 500.
Learn about a healthy weight for your height before beginning a weight-loss diet. You may be surprised to learn that you are already at a great weight and could simply use some muscle-toning exercises.
