What It Takes to Lose a Pound

How to burn the calories to help you lose weight.

What It Takes to Lose a Pound
Burn 3,500 more calories than you take in, and you’ve lost a pound of fat. That’s the basic math behind weight loss, but to be practical and stay healthy, aim to use 500 calories more than you consume each day to lose a pound a week. To make it easier, you can burn 250 extra calories with exercise and eat 250 calories less.

 

Some ways to burn 250 calories*
Activity	(Duration minutes)
Walk the dog at 3 mph	60
Walk up stairs	27
Ice skate	30
Play singles tennis	27
*Values are approximate for a 155-lb person; heavier people will burn more and vice versa.

 

To eat 250 fewer calories, skip nutrient- poor choices such as:
Food/Drink	Quantity (approx.)
Häagen Dazs chocolate ice cream	1/2 cup
Dunkin’ Donuts glazed fritter	1 fritter
Small french fries with ketchup	1 order
Pringles potato chips	1.5 oz (21 chips)

[study]
Eat Big at Breakfast 
A new study presented at this year’s Endocrine Society annual meeting showed that starting your day with a large meal packed with protein and whole grains can help lessen cravings and hunger the rest of the day, and lead to weight loss.