| The math is pretty simple. One pound of fat equals | | | | * Take a half-hour walk around the park. Aim for a |
| 3500 calories. Want to lose a pound a week? Then | | | | pace that's a little faster than a stroll, but not fast |
| you need to consume 3500 calories less per week | | | | enough to be breathless. Burn: 160 calories. |
| than you use. That's about 500 calories a day. By | | | | * Get out your bike and take a ride. Tackle a few |
| cutting out 500 calories a day from your normal daily | | | | moderate hills and aim for about five miles total. Burn: |
| diet, while keeping your activity level the same, you | | | | 250 calories |
| can lose approximately one pound a week. All right - | | | | * Go dancing - and really DANCE. The longer you're |
| that doesn't sound like much, especially if you're more | | | | out on the floor instead of at the table drinking up |
| than 25 pounds overweight. Study after study has | | | | high-calorie drinks, the more you'll get out of it. |
| shown, though, that those people who lose weight | | | | Dancing that makes you breathless and warms up |
| gradually - at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week -are far | | | | your body will net you a nice calorie savings. Burn: |
| more likely to keep the weight off and maintain a | | | | 400 calories for one hour |
| normal weight for a lifetime. | | | | * Swimming is great for you, and a lot of fun, too. |
| So how much exactly IS 500 calories? If you're going | | | | The water resistance means you burn more calories, |
| to reduce your daily intake by 500 calories, it helps to | | | | and you avoid the stress impact on joints from |
| know what you need to cut out, right? Here's how | | | | aerobics, dancing or walking. Do a few laps at a slow |
| easy it is to lose 500 calories a day: | | | | crawl - if you can get up to an hour you'll be doing |
| * Use milk instead of cream in your coffee. Savings? | | | | great! Burn: 510 calories |
| 50 calories per cup. | | | | * Get out into your garden. An hour of gardening |
| * Skip the butter on your baked potato. Savings? 100 | | | | tasks that includes bending and stretching can burn |
| calories | | | | up to as many calories as a brisk walk. Burn: 250 |
| * Drink fruit-flavored water instead of a 16 ounce | | | | calories. |
| soda. Savings? 200 calories | | | | * Play a game of tennis. Hook up with a friend for a |
| * Skip the Big Mac and have a salad instead. A Big | | | | weekly tennis game and you'll be amazed at the |
| Mac weighs in at a whopping 460 calories. A fresh | | | | difference. One hour of vigorous tennis is one of the |
| salad with a light dressing? Less than 100! Savings? | | | | best calorie burners around. Burn: 800 calories |
| 360 calories | | | | It's important to keep in mind that all exercise/calorie |
| * Pass by the bag of potato chips. An average snack | | | | numbers are based on a woman weighing 130 |
| size bag of chips has over 300 calories. Savings? 300 | | | | pounds. If you weigh more, you'll burn more. Want an |
| calories | | | | added bonus to burning calories through exercise? |
| * Eat your corn on the ear. A 1 cup serving of | | | | When you exercise, you build muscle by converting it |
| canned corn has 165 calories. An ear of corn has 85. | | | | from fat. Three guesses which kind of body tissue |
| Savings? 80 calories. | | | | burns more calories - even when you're not |
| * Switch to low-fat cream cheese on your bagel. | | | | exercising. You got it - your body uses more energy |
| Savings? 90 calories per ounce. | | | | to maintain and feed muscle than it does fat. |
| * Love those fries and can't give them up? Swap the | | | | For best results, mix and match food savings with |
| skinny fries out for thick steak-cut ones. Thin French | | | | exercises that burn calories. Do keep in mind that |
| fries absorb more oil than the thicker, meatier ones. | | | | eating less than 1000 calories a day for more than a |
| Savings? 50 calories per 4 ounce serving | | | | few days will convince your body that it's starving |
| If you'd rather look at losing weight from an exercise | | | | and slow your metabolism. Keep calorie ranges |
| perspective, you can also lose one pound a week by | | | | reasonable, and consult a doctor if you want a |
| upping your activity level by 500 calories a day. How | | | | quicker, more drastic weight loss. |
| easy is that to do? Take a look: | | | | |