ExerciseCaloriesAndWeightLoss.com

Counting points. Combining foods. Cutting out favorite meals. Americans follow trend after trend, trying to lose weight and get in shape. Weight loss companies promise to help weight loss, but few of them ever explain why the weight should come off if we follow their system. In grade school nutrition class we were taught one simple concept about weight: the more you take in, the more you gain. The opposite is also true in that the fewer calories you take in and the more you burn off, the more you lose. After all the hype and secret formulas are taken away, it's a matter of simple math. Calories in versus calories burned. Use up more than you eat and you'll lose weight. The question is, how many calories to lose weight?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the average person needs to get rid of 3,500 calories in order to lose one pound. You can create this deficit by eating less, by exercising to burn off more or a combination of both. Most weight loss experts agree that the last option is the easiest and best way to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

That's the scientific answer, but what does this mean to you in real life? The best way to lose weight and keep it off is by losing no more than one to two pounds a week. Crash diets or extreme Biggest Loser style exercise programs can help you to lose ten pounds in a week or more, but it's not realistic to think you can keep it up for the rest of your life. As soon as you go back to your normal way of eating and exercising, the weight will come back on. The only way to lose weight permanently is by gradually changing the way you eat and live, taking small steps and creating new habits.

There are no secret keys to weight loss. There is no product or program that will allow you to eat fast food, candy and snacks all day and still lose weight. The amount of food and drink you take in has to equal less than what you burn off or you will stay the same size forever. The key is in how you choose to make these changes.

Write down everything you eat and drink for two weeks. Get a calorie count book and calculate how many calories you eat in an average day. Subtract 500 from this number to reach your target calorie count for each day. If you multiply 500 calories by 7 days in the week, you'll reach the goal number of 3,500, which is how many calories to lose weight in a week. You don't need to make drastic changes in your lifestyle; you'll do better if you take small steps and make less visible changes. You won't feel deprived and as if you're 'on a diet' if you're eating as close to normal as possible.

Take a look at everything you eat and drink and try to find a lower calorie substitute that satisfies you in the same way. Stop drinking soda and learn to drink water. Add lemon or lime juice to flavor it if you're not used to the flavor of plain water. Each soda has an average of 150 calories or more per serving, and many bottles have multiple servings inside. If you're a frequent soda drinker, you may lose your 500 daily calories right here. Eat more fruits and vegetables at every meal. They'll fill you up and keep you satisfied while keeping the calorie count on your plate low. Eat a baked apple instead of a slice of apple pie, or dip veggies in ranch instead of snacking on chips at night.

Eating fewer calories is half of the equation, and burning off calories is the other half. Don't think of exercise as something you have to do in a gym. If you're moving your body and you're breathing harder than normal, you're burning off calories. Aim to burn calories through exercise on five days every week, but get creative in finding different and fun ways in which to do it. Play Frisbee with your kids or take the dog for a walk. Fly a stunt kite or join a pick-up basketball game. Make a game of finding new and enjoyable ways to move your body without realizing you're working out.

Losing weight is a matter of having fewer calories in your system on a daily basis, but there are many different ways you can accomplish this. Try different plans to find the one that works for you. In the long run, the perfect diet and exercise plan is the one you'll stick with.