How to Lose 1 lb of Fat in a Week

How to Lose Weight

There are many ways to lose weight, however, many people have a hard time keeping it off.  If you weigh yourself every night before going to bed and then weigh yourself when you wake up, you’ll notice that you indeed did lose weight.  This is however just spent energy leaving the body in terms of heat, moisture, and metabolic processes, not fat.  As you eat your 3 meals for the day, you’ll gain the weight back.  If you want to lose the weight and keep it off, it’s easiest to understand the link between food intake and calories.

How many Calories are in 1 lb?

There are a whopping 3,500 calories* in a pound of fat!  Since the average human diet is based off of a 2,000 calorie intake, this makes it incredibly hard to lose weight consistently.  There are of course 2 ways to lose calories.  You can either burn it off through exercise, or you can simply not eat it.  If you break it down, if you can cut out or lose 500 extra calories everyday of the week, by the end of the week, your work would have summed up to 3,500 calories and you would have lost a pound.

If you are planning on eliminating calories from the diet, remember not to go overboard.  Eating under 1,200 calories per day is considered fasting and is not healthy, especially on a prolonged basis.  Eating too few calories can lead to binge eating similar to people who are bulemic, causing large fluctuations in weight and is also not good for the body.

Calories Burnt Through Exercise

Here are a list of activities you can do for an hour and the amount of calories burnt according to the Mayo Clinic based off of an article by Ainsworth BE et al.  Remember that the body doesn’t usually begin burning fat until after at least 30 minutes of working out.

Activity (1-hour duration)	Weight of person and calories burned
	160 pounds (73 kilograms)	200 pounds (91 kilograms)	240 pounds (109 kilograms)
Aerobics, high impact	511	637	763
Aerobics, low impact	365	455	545
Aerobics, water	292	364	436
Backpacking	511	637	763
Basketball game	584	728	872
Bicycling, < 10 mph, leisure	292	364	436
Bowling	219	273	327
Canoeing	256	319	382
Dancing, ballroom	219	273	327
Football, touch, flag, general	584	728	872
Golfing, carrying clubs	329	410	491
Hiking	438	546	654
Ice skating	511	637	763
Jogging, 5 mph	584	728	872
Racquetball, casual, general	511	637	763
Rollerblading	913	1,138	1,363
Rope jumping	730	910	1,090
Rowing, stationary	511	637	763
Running, 8 mph	986	1,229	1,472
Skiing, cross-country	511	637	763
Skiing, downhill	365	455	545
Skiing, water	438	546	654
Softball or baseball	365	455	545
Stair treadmill	657	819	981
Swimming, laps	511	637	763
Tae kwon do	730	910	1,090
Tai chi	292	364	436
Tennis, singles	584	728	872
Volleyball	292	364	436
Walking, 2 mph	183	228	273
Walking, 3.5 mph	277	346	414
Weightlifting, free weight, Nautilus or universal type	219	273	327

Calories Eliminated through Diet

If exercise is not your cup of tea, there are many foods that many people can cut out of their diet in an effort to take out at least 500 calories per day. 

• Starbucks Grande Caffe Mocha – 260 calories
• 21 oz Coke (Medium Extra Value Meal size) – 210 calories
• Medium McDonalds French Fries – 380 calories
• Glazed Dunkin Donuts Donut – 220 calories
• Creme Cheese on a Bagel – about 80 calories
• Bagel w/ Creme Cheese – 436 calories (keep in mind a bagel is the equivalent of 4 slices of bread!)

Notice you or someone you know may consume some of these very often, maybe even daily.  Most of these are probably not considered necessary and are the results of a hectic, busy life.  Cutting them out shouldn’t be too hard though if you can take the extra 15 minutes per day to make your own breakfast or snacks bought from the grocery store.  You never know, your wallet may also benefit from this act, not only your waist!

For more ideas on how to limit the amount of food you eat and lose weight, check out the 9 Inch Diet book!

*The type of “calories” referenced in this article are actually kcal or Calories

Product Review: Medi Herb’s Gymnema – How to Defeat a Sweet Tooth

What is Gymnema?

While not usually considered a stimulant, sugar is THE most addicting substance known to man.  Millions of Americans thus can’t keep their hands off of sweets, which is a major player in the obesity endemic this country is experiencing.  For those that have want to kick the habit however, there is hope!  Medi Herb has a product named Gymnema, created from the crushed leaves of the gymnema plant which works against your sense of taste to temporarily make you despise the taste of sugar!

The gymnema plant has been used for a very long time in traditional Ayurvedic medicine from the country of India.  The herb’s name comes from the Hindu word “gumar” which is translated into “sugar destroyer.”  It has been commonly used to help patients with diabetes since they should limit their amount of sugar intake.  I am not sure how it works exactly, but I have been told that it anesthetizes the taste buds in your mouth that are can sense sweetness.

Does it Really Numb Your Taste Buds?

Before taking this supplement, I was very interested to see what would happen if my sweet taste buds went “numb”.  I personally don’t have a sweet tooth problem, but I know many that do (my issue is more salt cravings).  Medi Herb offers two different versions of this product, one in pill form and one in liquid form.  To take the liquid form, all you need to do is swish it around in your mouth to get the desired results.  If taking pill form, sucking on the pill for a minute and maybe chewing it will do the trick.

Experience:  Let me be the first to say that gymnema is a nasty tasting herb!  When it was in my mouth, I had no problem understanding how sugar would taste bad.  In fact, I thought EVERYTHING would taste bad!  It was very difficult to suck on for a minute, but I managed.  Other of my classmates had very similar experiences with their pills.

Results:  I tested my sweet taste buds by eating an Andes chocolate mint.  A little to my surprise, it tasted like chalk; it was as if there was no flavor to what I was eating!  It was hard enough to wash the taste of the gymnema, which might have had an effect.  To test this, I ate arare snacks, a Japanese rice cracker covered in soy sauce (it’s very salty).  While it didn’t taste as good as normal due to the remnants of the gymnema, it still tasted good and salty.  I tried eating the Andes mint again, and it still tasted like chalk.

30 minutes later, I tried to eat another Andes mint to see what would happen (imagine if I lost the sense of sweetness for my entire life!).  Thankfully, I could taste some of the sweetness, but there was still a bad after taste.  Needless to say, I believe that taking gymnema would be a great supplement to take for one who wants to break the sugar habit.  If you are interested in trying your own gymnema for yourself, you can contact your local chiropractor or nutritionist or find your Medi Herb representative.

Book Review: The Nine Inch “Diet” by Alex Bogusky

Alex Bogusky writes what he says is NOT a diet book called “The Nine Inch ‘Diet’: Exposing the Big Conspiracy of America.”  It’s an easy to read, but very hilarious and interesting explanation as to America’s waist problem.  The message is simple: EAT SMALLER PORTIONS (specifically, make sure it fits on a 9 inch plate). 

For almost 40 years, America’s portions have increasingly gotten bigger and bigger (while the rest of the world does not), yet we think this is “normal.”  In the 60′s, the average plate size was 9 inches, yet now it’s 12.  With bigger plates we end up eating more due to our “clean the plate” mantra that our parents passed down to us, meaning we consume a good 33% more calories.  Looking at the data, obese Americans are up about 33% from the 60s.  Coincidence???

>You could easily just stop here and get the whole gist of the book, but Alex’s writing is so compelling it makes you want to learn why we want bigger sizes and why we can’t stop.  But I don’t want to keep rambling and give it all away.  Pick it up and try it, it won’t take too long to read.  Heck, you could top this book off in an hour if you have the time to hang out at Borders.  It won’t be an hour wasted, I guarantee it.

Book Review: You: on a Diet by Drs Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen

Drs Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen have written several “You” books, all of which are easy reading, hilarious, and widely popular. Expect nothing different from their You: On a Diet book as they go on to explain the physiology of the gut and how it relates to dieting and gaining/losing weight.

If you’re new to the You books, don’t let the physiology scare you. The authors have made everything very understandable and throw in many pop culture references that will have you laughing in your seat. You probably will remember what you read weeks later too, unlike if you sat down to read a college physiology text book.

Topics covered in the book include how to balance out your eating habits to support losing weight (if that’s what you’re trying to do) as well as the dangers of having too much weight or fat in your body. Hormones are explained, certain foods are suggested or warned against, and specific, but easy to implement strategies are supplied that anyone can take advantage of!

Whether you’re looking for a good read, want to learn something, or am looking to drop a few inches, this is definitely a good book to read.

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