How to Lose a Pound a Week

So, how is your fitness program coming along?

If you're not shedding the weight like you'd like to, don't get discouraged. Here is something that may help your get to your weight loss goal.

Don't try to lose all that weight in a few days. Shoot for dropping one pound per week. That may not seem like a lot, but if you did this consistently for six months, you would be down about 25 pounds! And once you achieve your goal weight, maintenance is a breeze. How great would it be to get that brand new body and keep it?

So, how do you go about the dropping that pound each week? I can tell you from experience that it doesn't have to be mysterious or frustrating. In fact, with a little calculation, you can consistently drop one pound a week until you reach your goal.

All it takes are small changes in your daily lifestyle. Nothing drastic. Let's take a look at the process.

There are about 3500 calories in one pound of body fat. So, to lose a pound a week, you simply need to burn 3500 calories more than you eat each week, which is about 500 calories per day.

It's just that simple. No miracle pills or powders will do it. No magic bullet exercise. Just burn 500 calories per day (3500 calories a week) more than you eat, and you will lose about a pound a week. To create this 3500 calorie deficit, you just need to move a little more and eat a little less.

To make sure you are on track, do the following three steps:

1. Record your normal daily activity and exercise - look at everything from walking to playing sports to exercising in the gym. This is your starting point. Part of that 3500 calories per week deficit will come from increasing your normal daily activity.

2. Record your normal daily food intake - this may be hard to do at first, but remember that you are only cheating yourself by not recording everything. Calculate the total number of calories that you eat in an average day.

To drop those pounds and inches you shouldn't exceed your normal daily caloric intake. In fact, you should work at slowly decreasing it.

Remember, you need a 3500 calorie deficit each week. This is best done by a combination of increasing your calorie expenditure (exercise) and decreasing your calorie intake (eat less).

3. Chart the difference - now that you know your starting point for both calorie expenditure and calorie intake, it is time to get the numbers working in your favor instead of against you. Total up the numbers for each day and make sure you get that 500 calorie deficit. Take every opportunity to burn more calories by increasing your physical activity, and to decrease your calorie intake by eating less and by making healthier choices.

Record your progress in a notebook and refer to it often. You will be amazed at what you learn about your eating habits, and how encouraging it is to see the positive changes that you are making in your life written down on paper.

Now start burning up those 500 calories a day, and you are on your way to dropping a pound in a week.

Here are a few easy ways to cut some calories each day:

Remember that I am available to help you reach your fitness goals. If you are looking for new and exciting ways to trim and tone and tighten your physique then don't hesitate to call me today. I look forward to helping you make a change in your life!

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