Lose 3 Pounds a Week

A single lb. (0.4kg) is lost when there is a deficit of 3,500 calories. You can lose lbs. by cutting calories from your diet, working out and increasing overall activity. Learn how to lose 3 lbs. (1.4kg) a week by making lifestyle choices that burn or reduce 10,500 calories per week.

Steps

Calculating Your Calorie Balance

1. Find your recommended daily calorie intake. Although many sources use 2,000 as a general amount, your estimated energy (calorie) requirements depend upon sex, age and activity.
   • Go to http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/usda_food_patterns/EstimatedCalorieNeedsPerDayTable.pdf to see a chart of calorie allowances.
   • For example, a 30-year-old man who is sedentary should eat 2,400 calories, while a moderately active man would eat 2,800 and an active man would eat 3,000.
   • For a 30-year-old woman, the calorie recommendations would be 1,800 (sedentary), 2,000 (moderately active) and 2,200 (active).
2. Calculate the number of calories you usually eat each day.
   • Keep a food journal for a few days. Fill it out throughout the day, instead of relying on your memory at the end of the day.
   • Use a calorie counter to total up your usual caloric intake.
3. Decide if you are close to your recommended intake, or far away.
   • If you are close to the number on the USDA chart, you can cut up to 25 percent of your calories for healthy weight loss.
   • If you are far above the number on the USDA chart, you will need to gradually reduce until you reach the recommended number, and reduce 25 percent of the recommended daily intake in the weeks following.
   • People who cut their food intake drastically can feel dizzy, nauseous and have health complications. You may lose 3 lbs. a week simply by reducing the amount you eat and increasing your activity.

Cutting Your Calories

1. Aim to cut 25 percent of your calories from your diet.
   • This means that for a 30-year-old moderately active man, you will go from eating 2,400 calories to eating 1,800 calories during the week.
   • For a 30-year-old moderately active woman, you will go from eating 2,000 calories to eating 1,500 calories per day.
   • Subtract the 2 numbers to calculate the number of calories you are cutting. For example, 600 for a 30-year-old man and 500 for a 30-year-old woman.
   • Multiply that number by 7 to see how many calories can be totaled just with your diet. For example, 4,200 for the man and 3,500 for a woman.
2. Find some easy substitutions to cut calories.
   • Substitute mushrooms in place of meat. You can cut between 200 and 300 calories per serving of meaty lasagna.
   • Replace full fat dairy with low-fat or no-fat dairy. This substitution usually cuts 100 calories per serving. Replace oil with unsweetened applesauce in your baking recipes. You will cut almost 900 calories from the entire recipe, which can average between 75 and 120 calories per serving.
   • Replace sour cream with yogurt to cut 330 calories per recipe.
   • Make open-faced sandwiches, to save 80 to 100 calories on your lunch. Add more vegetables to fill you up.
   • Substitute spaghetti squash or Shirataki noodles for spaghetti. Save between 75 and 200 calories per serving.
   • Substitute water or tea for alcoholic beverages, milk-based coffee beverages or sodas. You will save 150 to 300 calories each time you do.
   • Replace processed foods with fruits and vegetables. You should get your fiber from these natural sources. If you eat bread or pasta, eat whole grain products.
3. Eat smaller meals and regular snacks.
   • Reduce your meal by 100 to 200 calories, so that you can eat a snack mid-morning and a snack mid-afternoon.
   • Snacks can help you avoid feeling empty and giving into cravings.
   • Nuts, Greek yogurt, smoothies, apples with peanut butter are great snacks. Focus on snack foods that give you both protein and fiber.

Adding Up Your Exercise

1. Add in 1 hour of medium/high intensity cardiovascular exercise. You will burn approximately 600 calories per day that you do this.
   • Choose classes that embrace high intensity intervals. This means you workout at a moderate intensity for a while, then have a burst of high intensity exercise. Boot camps, barre method, core burn, zumba, oula and aerobics are great choices.
   • Run or do circuit training that includes running, jump rope, weightlifting and bodyweight exercises.
   • Burning 600 extra calories per day will increase your calorie deficit by 4,200.
2. Walk for 30 minutes after dinner or at lunch.
   • A brisk walk can burn 150 or more extra calories.
   • Make this part of your daily routine, and you can burn 1,050 extra calories per week.
3. Do chores for extra calorie burning.
   • Garden for 30 minutes to burn 135 to 200 calories. This includes mowing the lawn.
   • Shovel snow to burn between 180 and 250 calories per half an hour.
   • Engage in heavy cleaning for 30 minutes will burn between 135 and 200 calories.
   • Choose just 1 activity each day to burn approximately 1,050 extra calories per week.

Totals, Tips and Tricks

1. Add up all the exercise and calorie restriction you achieved during the week.
   • A 30-year-old male who cut 25 percent of his calories, did 1 hour of intense cardio, 1 30-minute walk and 30 minutes of chores each day would total a calorie deficit of 10,500 or 3 lbs.
   • A 30-year-old female who cut 25 percent of her calories, did 1 hour of intense cardio, a 30 minute walk and 30 minutes of chores would total a calorie deficit of 9,800. An additional 30 minutes of chores or walking would increase the total to 10,850 or over 3 lbs.
2. Reduce water retention. If you are feeling bloated or constipated, you may be able to lose 1/2 lb. to 2 lbs. (0.2 to 0.9kg) of weight by decreasing water retention. Try these tips.
   • Drink 64 oz. (1.9l) or more of water each day. This can flush out extra water.
   • Reduce your sodium intake. Salt causes you to retain water.
   • Increase the fiber in your diet, if constipation is a problem. Irregularity can increase your weight.
   • Take a multivitamin, in case your water retention is caused by a vitamin deficiency. See a doctor if you are worried that this could be the cause.

Things You'll Need

• Food journal
• High-protein/fiber snacks
• Water
• Multivitamin

Sources and Citations

• http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/10-substitutes-that-will-cut-the-calories1.htm
• http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Calories-burned-in-30-minutes-of-leisure-and-routine-activities.htm

See also

• Lose Weight With a Mediterranean Diet
• Burn Fat (for Men)
• Stay in Ketosis
• Lose Weight in Wrestling
• Lose Belly Fat
• Get a Flat Stomach in a Week
• Lose Weight in One Month
• Lose Weight Fast
• Lose Thigh Fat
• Lose Weight and Gain Muscle

Read more ...