As always, I like to keep things simple. This week, I'd like to show you how easy it is to lose 50 pounds in a year.
Concentrate on losing one pound a week and you will lose fifty pounds in one year. One pound is equal to 3,500 calories. To lose a pound per week you must increase your calories burned by 500 calories each day or reduce your intake by 500 calories.
I recommend a combination of the two. Remember your body is the ultimate accountant. If you do very well for six days and pig out on the seventh, there will be consequences. With that being said, you do need to let yourself eat some foods that you like, just to stay sane.
Remember, if you have a lot to lose, it most likely took a long time to put that extra weight on. Try to take it off slowly, too. That will help ensure that you keep it off.
If 50 pounds is too high a goal or you don't have that much to lose, something more realistic may be to shoot for 25 pounds this year. A mere 250 calories per day can make that happen.
If that sounds too difficult, I'll give you some ideas to get you started:
P Cutting one 20 ounce soda a day will save you 250 calories.
P Trade one hour of television for a casual walk. You will burn 250-350 calories.
P Play a game with your kids (basketball, kickball, touch football) and burn 300-500 calories in an hour.
P Trade an hour of television for cleaning a room, your house, or the garage and burn 200-300 calories.
P Try drinking a glass of water and eating an apple 20 minutes before supper. You will eat less for supper and cut lots of calories.
P Shovel for an hour or go sledding for an hour with your kids and burn 300-500 calories.
P Go for a hike.
P Stop eating late night snacks or trade in the chips for fresh vegetables and you will cut countless calories.
P Eat less pasta, potatoes, or rice and eat more vegetables. Depending on how much of those you currently eat, you can probably easily make up the 250-500 calories in a day.
Those are just a few ideas. I'm sure you can come up with many more on your own. Remember, a combination of as little as 125 more calories burned and 125 less calories eaten each day can reward you with 25 lost pounds in a year.
n Rich Hess is Executive Director and Fitness Trainer at the Middlecreek Area Community Center. You can reach Rich at richmacc@live.com or the MACC at maccrec.org
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Rich Hess' column on fitness: Lose 50 pounds in a year?
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