The same way everyone does: eat fewer calories than you burn until you reach your goal.
Use the dotFITprogram to find out how many calories you burn and set your goal. Follow the program’s directions for your daily calorie intake and use the food log to keep track. The good news for someone moderately overweight is that it will be less of a struggle to lose the weight and certainly easier to maintain the loss compared to someone very overweight. Below are directions for goal setting, monitoring and adjustments that your MILI program will deliver daily:
Weekly goal: lose 1-2 pound per week or approximately 1% body fat every two weeks. Your target daily calorie intake will be slightly lower than your daily burn, allowing you to lose at least one pound per week without compromising health and performance. Monitoring: weigh/measure in the same clothing, at the same time and on the same scale. Take care to also use the same method or device for body fat measurements. If necessary only adjust calories in or out every seven days:
Adjustments: a measurable or visual reduction in body fat and/or weight should take place in a fairly consistent manner such as a decrease in circumference inches, and/or the desired average decrease in weight or body fat per week. If progress stops or slows dramatically, one or a mixture of the following adjustments will be necessary to re-start the process:
• Increase daily activities (e.g. daily steps or other non-athletic/exercise activities)
o Standing and pacing burns 2-3 times more calories than sitting for the same time period
o There are approximately 2000-2500 steps (depending on stride length) in a mile. Walking 2000 steps will burn ~75-150 more calories (depending on individual size) than sitting for the same time and only takes ~20-30min and can be done anywhere, even in the office, while on the phone or watching TV
• Increase workout time or intensity
• Decrease food intake approximately 200 to 300 calories per day or remove a small portion of your largest meal
Repeat the process any time weight or body fat is stable for at least one week. Always remember if you stop losing weight/fat you need to eat less, move more or a combination of the two regardless of what you read or hear from others. Once you have achieved your body composition goals, increase your calorie intake, decrease activities or a combination of the two in order to maintain desired weight.