weight loss

In order to lose a pound in seven days, you need to cut out or burn 3,500 calories in a week. That's 500 fewer calories per day. If you just can't squeeze in a workout, then here's how you can cut those calories out of your diet — a little bit at a time.

Please note that this is not a full day's meal plan, but rather examples of where you can cut calories in your daily diet.

Breakfast

• Choose vanilla Greek yogurt (120 calories) instead of blueberry-flavored (140 calories) to eat with your granola: save 20 calories.
• Top yogurt with half a cup of fresh berries (42 calories) instead of adding a quarter cup of raisins (108 calories): save 57 calories.

Breakfast calories saved: 77

Continue reading to find out how to cut the rest of your calories from lunch, dinner, and dessert.

If your insanely huge sweet tooth takes over your willpower, it can be hard to say no to dessert. Now you don't have to. Keep these calorie-saving tips in mind when it comes to indulging in sweets, and you can have your cake without looking like you do.

1. Order your ice cream in a bowl instead of a cone: A sugar cone is 45 calories and a waffle cone is 160. Aside from those calories saved, eating your ice cream with a spoon allows you to savor each bite instead of having to quickly inhale a melting cone to prevent dripping.
2. Skip the traditional sundae toppings: Whipped cream (53), nuts (210), hot fudge (48), and caramel (52) really add up. Instead, top your ice cream with a half cup of frozen raspberries for only 35 calories.
3. Choose sorbet instead of ice cream: A half-cup serving of strawberry ice cream will run you 240 calories. Go for the just-as-fruity but fewer-calorie sorbet for only 130 calories. Or whip up your own vegan ice cream made with bananas for 150 calories. But remember that just because it's lower in calories doesn't give you the green light to eat twice as much. Keep the serving size the same to truly save on calories.
4. Find healthier alternatives to your faves: A slice of New York-style cheesecake with strawberry topping is about 630 calories. You can get the same creamy fruitiness with a bowl of these strawberry banana creams — just 145 calories. If you can't pass on your favorite recipes, switch out the butter or oil for avocado or applesauce, or use mashed sweet potato to cut down on sugar.

A healthy home-cooked meal is always best, but some mornings are just too hectic. Since skipping breakfast altogether isn't an option, you're forced to resort to fast food. For mornings when you want something other than oatmeal or yogurt, order right with one of these low-calorie fast-food breakfasts. These six options from popular chains have lower saturated fat and sodium than nearly every other option on their menus.

Starbucks Chicken Sausage Wrap
Calories: 300 calories
Total Fat: 10 grams
Saturated Fat: 3 grams
Total Carbs: 33 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Sugars: 7 grams
Sodium: 700 milligrams
Protein: 14 grams

Burger King French Toast Sticks (three pieces)
Calories: 320 calories
Total Fat: 11 grams
Saturated Fat: 2 grams
Total Carbs: 29 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Sugars: 8 grams
Sodium: 260 milligrams
Protein: 3 grams

Wendy's Baked Oatmeal Bar
Calories: 280 calories
Total Fat: 10 grams
Saturated Fat: 4.5 grams
Total Carbs: 46 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Sugars: 24 grams
Sodium: 220 milligrams
Protein: 4 grams

Keep reading for three more options for breakfast.

You've been exercising regularly for months but you've barely lost any weight and your clothes don't fit any better. Exercise is supposed to help you burn calories and lose inches, so what's the deal? Before frustration causes you to give up and drown your sorrows in a brownie sundae, here are four reasons your exercise plan isn't working.

• You still look cute after a workout: While going for a walk or taking a gentle yoga class are relaxing ways to exercise, they're not exactly major calorie-burners. Kick up the intensity level of your workouts so your heart is pounding, you're huffing and puffing, your muscles are burning, and you're sweating buckets. Choose workouts such as running, jumping rope, bike riding, or these other huge calorie-burners.
• You work out when you feel like it: Your sweat sessions depend on your energy levels, so one week you feel like exercising five days and the next you barely make it to Tuesday night Zumba. It's important to stick to a regular exercise schedule that includes working out for an hour five days a week. Not sure how to implement that? Here's a weekly exercise plan to help you drop a pound a week.
• You're all about running: No one will argue that it's a great form of exercise, but aside from doing cardio, it's important to include strength training in your regimen as well. Lean muscle raises your metabolism, helping you burn more calories and lose body fat.
• You underestimate calorie amounts in your post-workout snack: After a grueling workout, you reach for a Luna Bar and a smoothie to refuel. You might not realize it, but that little nibble is well over 300 calories. A post-workout snack shouldn't exceed 150 calories, so be sure to read labels and measure portions to keep your calories in check to avoid undoing all your hard work.

Skipping out on the first meal of the day to save calories and lose weight? Not exactly the best plan, since saying no to breakfast can slow down your metabolism and cause your body to hold on to fat. But it's not only important to eat in the morning — make sure you avoid these four breakfast mistakes as well.

• I'll eat when I get to work: You wake up at 6 a.m. and are in such a rush to get ready, pack your lunch, and get to your nine-to-five job that you figure you'll sip coffee on your commute and just eat when you get to your desk. It's important to eat within an hour of waking, because just like skipping breakfast, it messes with your metabolism. Avoid eating too late by making these meals the night before. If you don't have time to sit down and eat, pack a portable snack the night before that you can quickly grab and nibble on the way.
• I'll grab a drink with my breakfast: Liquid calories get you every time! Specialty coffee drinks, huge glasses of smoothies, and fresh juices can run you 300 calories or more. That on top of your breakfast can make calorie counts creep up fast. Go for coffee with a little bit of milk, drink a smaller-size smoothie with your breakfast, and eat your fruit instead of juicing it to consume fewer calories and more fiber.
• Oooh, a scone: When you grab coffee at the local café in the morning, who can resist the freshly baked muffins, quick breads, and scones staring at you from the counter? Avoid filling up on sugar in the morning: it doesn't sustain your blood sugar levels, so you will feel tired and fuzzy-headed. That, coupled with hunger pangs will have you reaching for more food within an hour, which means more calories consumed. Here are some low-sugar breakfast ideas to enjoy instead — all under 30 grams.

Keep reading for three more breakfast mistakes that can cause weight gain.