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How to Lose One Pound in a Week

1 Week Down, 1 Pound Gone

Slow and steady is the name of the game when you're trying to lose weight, and there's no time like now to get that ball rolling. It's simple math when it comes to slimming down — you have to burn or cut out 3,500 calories from your diet each week in order to lose one pound. That breaks down to 500 calories per day, and the easiest way to make that happen without feeling food deprivation or overworking it in the gym is to do this combo move: each day, cut out 250 calories from your diet and burn 250 through exercise.

The handy chart below shows a weekly example of how to lose one pound in a week. Each day, follow through on one from the diet column and one from the exercise column, and after seven days, you should see the scale budge.

All calculations for calories burned are based on a 130-pound woman.

Diet Exercise
Swap out your morning bagel with butter (493 calories) for a bowl of Chobani Nonfat Vanilla Greek Yogurt (120 calories) with an extrasmall banana (73 calories). Take a brisk walk for an hour and five minutes.
Forget the blueberry muffin with butter (588 calories) and go for a bowl of Kashi Go Lean Cereal with skim milk (231 calories). Hop on your bike for a moderate ride for 28 minutes.
Instead of buying a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts (460 calories), make a cheese omelet with two large eggs (144 calories) and half an ounce of cheddar cheese (56 calories). Lace up your sneaks and run at a moderate pace of 10 minutes/mile for 28 minutes.
For lunch, instead of scarfing down two slices of cheese pizza (544 calories), just enjoy one slice (272 calories). Hit up your gym and swim laps for 26 minutes.
Snack on 13 baby carrots (52 calories) and two tablespoons of hummus (70 calories) instead of a whole wheat English muffin (130 calories) with peanut butter (168 calories) and jelly (60 calories). If you prefer running inside, work out on the elliptical for 35 minutes.
Instead of a baked potato with butter and sour cream (418 calories) as a side dish for dinner, have a cup of steamed broccoli (55 calories) instead. Vigorously jump rope for 23 minutes.
To satisfy your sweet tooth, skip the bowl of Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream (360 calories) and instead savor a cup of strawberries (46 calories and two Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kisses (40 calories). Take a Zumba or other cardio class at your gym for at least 47 minutes.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Grace Hitchcock
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