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Home: Diet & Health: The Plan

The Plan

Now that you have a goal, a starting point, and a time frame, it's time to look at how you're going to accomplish all of that. You need a diet and exercise plan that will work for you.

First, a disclaimer: The plan outlined here is based on experience and recommendations compiled from a number of sources, both medical professionals and laymen. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from a licensed health care professional. Please consult a doctor regarding any medical issues.

This plan is also not necessarily going to work for everyone. There are lots of other options to choose from, and while they did not work for me, they might work for you. Do your own research and make decisions based on what's right for you. Now, on to the plan.

First, you need to learn your basal metabolic rate (BMR); that is, the number of calories you use up each day through basic activites like breathing, digestion, and sleeping. A good place to start is FitDay.com, a free online service you can also use to track your food and exercise. Your BMR varies depending on your weight and activity level, so be honest about how active you are each day (and note that this base rate does not include any exercise; that comes in later).

Next, you'll do a little math. Now that you've decided how much weight you want to lose in what period of time, we need to calculate how that works out in terms of calories. For this exercise, it's important to remember that 3500 calories equals 1 pound. Say that you've decided you want to lose 20 pounds in the next 10 weeks, which means 2 pounds lost per week, or 7000 calories (3500 calories/pound x 2 pounds = 7000 calories). That's the calorie deficit you need to reach every week, and you can get there through a combination of diet (cutting calories, or taking in less) and exercise (burning calories, or using up more). If you want to look at this on a daily basis, your 2 pounds per week goal equals 1000 calories per day (7000 calories/7 days=1000 calories/day). Here's an example:

Your BMR is 2500 calories/day, and your goal is to lose 2 pounds per week
2500-1000 calories/day=1500 calories per day you can eat
OR
If you burn 200 calories per day with exercise, your calorie intake could be more:
1000-200=800 calories; 2500-800=1700 calories per day to eat

So you see the idea. You can lose weight simply by eating less. You can also eat a little more (and not feel hungry all the time) by including exercise in your plan. Another possibility is to both eat less and exercise more, therefore accelerating your weight loss. (200 calories burned exercising x 70 days or 10 weeks = 14,000 calories, or 4 more pounds lost over the course of 10 weeks. If you like to play with numbers, you'll see that the possibilities are endless. If you don't, though, that's okay; just know what your target calorie intake is each day. That's the important number right now.

Next: How to Get There (Diet)