How do you lose weight?

The most effective method to lose weight is to reduce the number of calories you consume while increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity. To lose 1 pound, you need an expenditure of approximately 3,500 calories. All this is possible, either by reducing food intake, increasing physical activity, or ideally do both.


For example, if you consume 500 extra calories a day for a week without changing your activity level, you will gain one pound of weight (seven days multiplied by 500 calories equals 3,500 calories, the calories resulting in weight gain 1 of a pound). Similarly, if you eat 500 calories less each day for a week or burn 500 calories per day through exercise for a week, you will lose one pound.

Examples of calorie content of some popular foods and beverages include:

•        a slice of original crust style pepperoni pizza - 230 calories
•        a glass of dry white wine - 160 calories
•        a can of cola - 150 calories
•        quarter pound burger with cheese - 500 calories
•        giant banana nut muffin - 580 calories

Activities during the day are added to your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) to determine the total number of calories you burn each day. For example, a 170-pound person who spends 45 minutes brisk walking burns about 300 calories. The time spent on housecleaning burns about 200 calories, and mowing the lawn for 45 minutes consumes around 275 calories. For more information, please read the calories burned during Gym Activities section.