Lose Weight Now -- How to Lose a Pound a Week and Keep It Off

Feb 12, 2011
Robert McKelvie

Lose Weight Now - Ove Tøpfer

Lose weight now at the rate of one pound a week and keep it off permanently. Weight loss of one pound per week is both healthy and achievable.

As adults and children in developed countries have become more overweight and obese over time, there have been constant searches for quick fixes resulting in fad diets and sometimes dangerous pills. The desire to lose weight now is very strong but research shows that up to 95% of dieters eventually gain back the weight they lost and sometimes more. Thus, permanent weight loss at a healthy and sustainable rate should be the goal of those wanting to get slimmer. Losing weight at the healthy rate of one pound a week is a realistic goal and could lead to permanent weight loss if real changes are made in lifestyle habits.

What It Takes to Lose a Pound a Week

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who lose weight gradually, but steadily at the rate of one to two pounds a week are more successful in keeping the weight off. The CDC states that 3,500 calories equals one pound so a person needs to create a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day to lose one pound a week.

A daily deficit of 500 calories a day means that 500 more calories of energy are expended through normal metabolism (the rate at which the body burns calories to sustain basic life functions) plus physical activity, than are consumed in food and drink. So if a person needs to consume 2,000 calories a day to maintain current weight, he or she would need to expend 2,500 calories of energy per day to create that 500 calorie deficit.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPryamid.gov site provides a personalized Daily Food Plan which can determine a person’s caloric and nutritional needs for their current situation. Age, sex, weight, height and current level of physical activity are the inputs. People who are overweight but not morbidly obese (BMI of 40+) can choose a food plan for their current weight, or a food plan to gradually move to a healthier weight (usually a deficit of 200 to 600 calories per day).

Lose Weight Now – Restrict Calorie Intake

A most important part of a plan to lose weight is calorie restriction. Otherwise an overweight person may continue to over eat which could sabotage any weight loss goals even if physical activity were increased. A good target on the consumption side is to aim for a deficit of 200 to 300 calories per day below the number of calories consumed that would maintain one’s current weight.

Use the personalized daily food plan discussed above for initial guidance on calories and adjust as necessary to lose weight now at a safe and sustainable rate of one to two pounds per week.

Lose Weight Now – Increase Calorie Expenditure

The other side of the equation is energy expended, or calories burned, which can be increased by adding more regular physical activity. For weight loss to be sustained, 60 to 90 minutes of daily aerobic (cardio) exercise at a moderate intensity is required. An inactive person would need to build up to that duration of daily aerobic exercise very gradually, over a period of weeks and months.

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise modes include:

Brisk walking (3.0 MPH or greater)
Tennis doubles
Cycling under 10 MPH
General gardening
Water aerobics
Ballroom dancing

These moderate-intensity aerobic activities burn calories on the order of 300 calories or so per hour, a bit more or less depending upon one’s weight. Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise raises the heart rate and can result in “sighing respiration,” but should not result in gasping for air. A person exercising aerobically at a moderate intensity should still be able carry on a conversation, if haltingly.

Before beginning a new exercise program people should obtain medical clearance, especially if they are older (40+) or have any chronic medical conditions.

Lose Weight Now – And Learn to Keep It Off

The combination of modest calorie restriction through diet and increased calorie expenditure through aerobic exercise with a resulting daily deficit of 500 to 600 calories will produce a safe and sustainable weight loss of one pound a week. The key to keeping the weight off once it is lost is to make the changes made in one’s eating habits and exercise a permanent part of a new lifestyle: sound nutrition, avoidance of overeating, and an ingrained habit of daily exercise.