Diet and Exercise

• Diets that combine healthy eating with exercise are one healthy weight loss diet option. Eating the diet recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture food pyramid and combining that with recommended activity levels is a healthy way to lose weight and keep it off. Health.gov dietary guidelines recommend losing weight slowly and steadily by decreasing calorie consumption and increasing physical activity. Recommendations for calorie intake include 20 percent to 35 percent from protein, 45 percent to 65 percent from carbohydrates and 10 percent to 35 percent from fat to lose weight healthily. Eat complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, potatoes, and whole wheat products and consume protein from sources such as lean meats, beans and nuts. Avoid saturated fats by limiting cheese and high-fat meats. In addition, read food labels to find fat content in foods. Avoid processed foods as much as possible to limit saturated fat. Physical activity guidelines are 30 to 60 minutes of moderate activity (walking 1.5 to 3 miles per day at 3 to 4 mph) at least three days per week.
  
  

Low-Fat Diet

• Low-fat diets require limiting fat, especially saturated fat, to 20 to 30 percent or less of overall calorie intake and eating the majority of your foods from carbohydrates. Because fat has 9 calories per gram and carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram, limiting fats and focusing on carbohydrates does tend to limit calorie consumption as well. According to www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/low_fat.htm, limiting fats to less than 20 percent to 30 percent is too restrictive for most people to be successful on the diet. The idea behind low-fat diets is that you fill up on carbohydrates, which burn faster than fat and protein, so your body will turn to fat stores for energy. Foods that can be eaten on low-fat diets include raw and cooked vegetables and fruits; whole grains; pasta; potatoes; nonfat milk; and oatmeal. Most of your fat calories should come from unsaturated fat sources such as sunflower seeds, nuts and safflower oil. Low-fat diets usually work best when combined with physical activity such as bicycling, running, jogging, dance, kickboxing and dance, to increase fat loss.
  
  

Calorie Reduction

• Keep calories within recommended daily limits of 2,000 to 2,500 and 3,000 to 3,500 for sedentary to active women and men up to age 30, respectively. After age 30, reduce calorie intake by 100 for each decade. If you are moderately active you will fall in the middle of these calorie recommendations. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends cutting 500 to 1,000 calories per day to burn a pound or more of fat per week (there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat). Reducing calories can be as easy as cutting out a few things that may contribute significantly to daily caloric intake, such as high-calorie drinks or sweets. Try eliminating one high-calorie food or drink per day to lose weight. By reducing calorie intake slowly, you are more likely to stick to the diet and maintain weight loss. Increase physical activity daily as well to increase weight loss. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes daily of moderate activity that includes both aerobics and strength training three or more times per week. Examples of physical activities that will contribute to calorie burn include swimming, fast walking, stationary biking, and weight lifting.