How to Lose 5 to 20 Pounds

Burn More Calories than You Consume

Most weight loss programs promise the participant the ability to shed 20, 30, 40 or more pounds, Guaranteed! But what if you only need to lose 5 to 20 pounds?

Women over 40 may find their scale creeping up by 2 to 5 pounds every so often, and losing those 5 pounds is not as easy as one gets older. There is only one way to lose the extra love handles: What you put in your mouth must be less than what you burn each day.

Burn More Calories than You Consume

Here is how it works. If you eat 1,000 calories, you must burn 1,000 calories just to maintain your current weight. You will not and cannot lose weight unless you eat 500 calories less each day and every day. It will take you a week to lose 1 pound. This is slow, but a healthier solution than a crash diet. Anything that is too good to be true will not last.

Once you reach your goal weight, then the input and output can be the same. Below are two websites that can be used to calculate caloric intake and caloric burn. By writing down everything that you consume, along with a list of daily activities, you'll be able to see exactly how much you eat and how quickly the calories can add up.

• Calculate calories burned.
• Track calories consumed.

This plan will work. It does not require special cooking, avoidance of certain foods, or a vigorous exercise routine that will leave you exhausted; it only requires you to pay attention to what you are eating.

Two Things to Remember when Calculating Your Caloric Burn

1. You burn calories automatically every day just to live, (i.e. maintain bodily functions). To illustrate, if you weigh 120 pounds, then your body burns 1,200 calories just to breathe.
2. You burn calories just to digest your food. For example, if you eat 1,300 calories, your body burns 130 calories to digest it.

Balance your life with the right foods and the right activities, and you will accomplish the right weight for your body.