Calorie Counting and Exercising

by Leah
(Easley, SC, USA)

The best way I have found to lose weight is to count calories and exercise. One pound of fat equals 3500 calories. To lose one pound you need to burn 3500 calories.

For a normal person my size and age, which is 125-130lbs at 27 years of age, in a typical day without exercise you would burn 1500 calories. That means to lose weight you have to intake less than 1500 calories to lose weight without exercise.

It is important to exercise so you can eat more than 1500 calories, but to lose weight you want to eat less than you burn. It is recommended not to eat less than 1200 calories. Below that your body goes into starvation mode and losing weight becomes difficult.

It can be hard to count calories. You have to look at packages and care about portion control. But, the results are fabulous. You really have to pay attention to portion control. I don’t deny myself food. I do eat ice cream and cookies.

But, I have limits. I eat a small bowl, not as desert, but as my afternoon snack. I don’t eat two or three helpings. I have two small cookies rather than four.

The thing is, if you deny yourself then you may binge. This allows you to have that little bit, stay in your calorie range that you’ve decided for yourself, and be satisfied. That is the most important thing. You will stay on track if you are satisfied.

For exercise I like to ride an exercise bike. It keeps track of calories burned, distance traveled, and time traveled. I like to break up my exercise so it doesn’t get boring or stale.

I do a little bit throughout the day. I don’t get burned out and if I don’t have time for a full exercise at once, I can get it done throughout the day.

I’ll go on vacation and gain some weight, but when I come back home, I go right back on this plan and I start to feel normal again.

This does work for me!

Everything I Eat Must Fit Into My Container

by Mandy
(Michigan)

One of the best diets I have ever done isn't really a diet at all. It is actually a lifestyle change, and while it does take a while to get used to, it has proven to be very effective for me.

I have a small Tupperware container that holds about two cups. When I eat lunch or dinner (breakfast is a bit different and I just go with the suggested serving size on my total cereal), everything I eat must be able to fit into that container.

I've gotten pretty good at measuring with my eyes, but when I first started I would actually put my food into the container to measure it. And it would be everything in there, too: my chicken, my rice, my salad, and so forth.

With this, I was able to easily control my portions. If I ate only that, then I wasn't overeating. Of course, it is important to eat healthy foods, but even healthy foods can be bad for you if you eat too much.

I recommend finding a similar way to measure your portions and make sure that you don't eat too much: either use a specific plate, have your own little Tupperware bowl, or anything else that might work.

The key to a good lifestyle change is to control not only what you eat, but how much you are eating as well.