Cycling at a vigorous pace will encourage weight loss.
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The optimal way to drop excess pounds is to use a combination of exercise and lowered calorie intake. If you have decided that you will lose 2 lb. weekly through exercise alone, you will need to perform activities that will expend a total of 7,000 calories, as 1 lb. of body fat equals 3,500 calories. You'll have to exercise enough to burn around 1,000 calories daily if your calorie intake remains the same.
Cycling
Leisurely riding means more pedaling!
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Cycling is an aerobic exercise. Aerobic means "with oxygen"; an aerobic exercise gets the heart pumping blood more quickly, which increases oxygenation and causes breathing to quicken. A 160-lb. person cycling at a pace of around 14 to 16 mph will burn approximately 770 calories per hour. To burn the necessary 1,000 calories daily without lowering your caloric intake, you'll need to cycle for around 75 minutes. If you ride at a leisurely pace -- less than 10 mph -- you'll need to cycle for at least three hours a day.
Aerobics Classes
Aerobics classes are great calorie blasters.
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"Aerobics" is an exercise that involves moving energetically to music. Aerobics classes are held at gyms and local community halls, or you can buy a workout DVD to follow at home. During a low-impact aerobics session, the moves do not require that both feet leave the ground; one foot will have contact with the floor throughout the workout. However, a high-impact session involves hopping, jumping and running, and both feet will consistently lose contact with the floor, which requires more energy expenditure. During a 60-minute high-impact session, a 160-lb. person will burn around 500 calories. You'll need to perform two sessions lasting 60 minutes every day to lose 2 lb. a week if you don't plan to cut back on the number of calories you eat daily.
Swimming
Swimming will help tone all your muscles.
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Swimming as an exercise has numerous benefits. It strengthens and tones all the muscles, and helps maintain a healthy heart and lungs. Vigorous swimming -- steady paced laps with heavy breathing and your heart rate elevated -- consumes around 710 calories per hour. To burn 1,000 calories with vigorous swimming, you'll need to swim for about 75 minutes a day. Swimming at a more moderate pace burns about 440 calories per hour. If you're not planning on cutting back on the number of calories you take in each day, you'll need about 16 one-hour sessions during one week to lose 2 lb.
Stair-Stepping
Stair-step machines can be purchased in most sports shops and can easily be stored in a closet or under a bed when not in use. One hour of stair-stepping burns around 500 calories. If you perform four 30-minute sessions each day, you'll burn the required 1,000 calories to achieve 2 lb. of weight loss in a week without changing your eating habits.
Walking and Running
Walking and running are aerobic exercises that can be used to help you lose 2 lb. weekly. The number of calories you burn will vary depending on your weight, age and the intensity level you do. If you weigh 154 lb., you burn 280 calories an hour walking 3.5 mph, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When you run or jog an average of 5 mph, you burn 590 calories an hour. If your caloric intake remains the same, you'll need to jog or run for nearly two hours a day to lose 2 lb. a week.
Considerations
Before beginning an exercise program to lose 2 lb. a week, talk with your doctor. Doing an activity such as running for two hours a day is strenuous -- you run the risk of injury if you're not conditioned to do that much exercise a day. Combine exercise with a sensible eating plan that reduces your caloric intake. If you cut out 500 calories a day and do an activity such as cycling for an hour that burns 500 calories, you'll reach your goal without physically overdoing it.
FAQs
If you're not planning on cutting back on the number of calories you take in each day, you'll need about 16 one-hour sessions during one week to lose 2 lb.
How much exercise to lose 2lb a week? ›
That said, here's an example of how much exercise might help someone lose two pounds a week: Aim to move for 60 to 90 minutes each day by incorporating cardio of your choice (see ideas below, walking counts!) and adding in full-body strength training two to three times per week, Mitchell says.
Is losing 2lbs per week realistic? ›
According to many experts, losing 1–2 pounds (0.45–0.9 kg) per week is a healthy and safe rate (1, 2, 3 ). Losing more than that is considered too fast and could put you at risk of many health problems, including muscle loss, gallstones, nutritional deficiencies and a drop in metabolism ( 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 ).
How many calories should I be eating to lose 2 lbs a week? ›
For example, to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week — a rate that experts consider safe — your food consumption should provide 500 to 1,000 calories less than your total weight-maintenance calories. If you need 2,325 calories a day to maintain your current weight, reduce your daily calories to between 1,325 and 1,825.
How much exercise do I need to lose 1 pound a week? ›
So you'd lose about one pound for every extra 35 miles you walk — provided you don't change anything about your current food intake or other activities. If you walk briskly (at a pace of 4 miles per hour) for 30 minutes on five out of seven days, you'll log 10 miles a week.
Does drinking water help you lose weight? ›
Water can be a helpful part of a weight loss journey. It's 100% calorie-free, may help you burn more calories, and may even suppress your appetite if consumed before meals. The benefits are even greater when you replace sugary beverages with water. It can be a simple way to reduce sugar and calorie intake.
Does drinking rice water help you lose weight? ›
“While rice water may have some nutritional benefits, such as providing a source of energy from its starch content, there is no evidence to suggest it has any properties that would significantly impact weight loss, especially in the manner that anti-diabetic medications like Ozempic do,” Keatley said.
Is losing 10 pounds in a month healthy? ›
"In general, 1 to 2 pounds per week, or 4 to 8 pounds per month, is a safe and sustainable amount to lose," says Sarah Gold Anzlovar, M.S., RDN, LDN and founder of Sarah Gold Nutrition. "Some people may lose more than that in the beginning, but it's often a lot of water weight and not true fat loss."
How long does it take to lose belly fat? ›
How long does it take to lose stomach fat? Understanding that is crucial for setting realistic goals and maintaining motivation. Generally, a safe and sustainable rate of weight loss is about 1 to 2 pounds per week. This means that you can realistically expect to lose 4 to 8 pounds of body fat per month.
What exercise burns the most calories? ›
According to Healthline, running burns the most calories. A tried and true exercise that requires little more than your legs and the open road, running burns just over 800 calories for a 155-pound adult per hour.
If 1,200 calories a day is more than 500 calories lower than your weight-maintenance calories, you can expect to lose more than 1 to 2 pounds per week. If it's less, then you might lose fewer pounds a week.
How to lose 2lb a week without exercise? ›
Focus on lean proteins, healthy fats, and veggies for weight loss, Kimball advises. Then, add in whole grains and fresh fruits for carbs and fiber. On the other hand, limit refined starches and added sugars. Those won't do much to keep you full, unlike protein and fat, she explains.
What is the best time to exercise for weight loss? ›
Researchers say exercising between 7–9 a.m. is best for weight management. Morning exercisers had a lower body mass index and waist circumference than those exercising later. Experts say better sleep, mental health, brain health, and physiological health are also important benefits of exercise.
What's the best exercise to lose weight? ›
Vigorous aerobic exercise includes activities such as running, swimming hard laps, heavy yardwork and aerobic dancing. Strength training can include use of weights or weight machines, your own body weight, resistance tubing, or activities such as rock climbing.
Can you lose weight just by exercising and not dieting? ›
Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Exercise while ignoring your diet just isn't a good weight loss strategy, says exercise physiologist Katie Lawton, MEd. “To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume or eat fewer calories than your body uses each day,” says Lawton.
How much weight will I lose on a 3 day water fast? ›
We watched hundreds of videos on 3 day water fasts and people reported losing between 4.5 lbs to 12 lbs on their fast. This depends on a lot of factors including starting weight and height. The three-day water fast can be a powerful tool for natural healing, weight loss, and overall well-being.
How much weight would I lose if I didn't eat for two weeks? ›
Most of this weight loss is related to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Over several weeks of starvation, changes in the body usually cause weight loss to slow down to an average of 0.3 kilograms (0.7 pounds) per day.
How can I lose 10 pounds in a week? ›
To lose 10 pounds in one week, you'll need to burn between 3,500 and 5,000 calories more than you consume each day by restricting your diet to small portions of nutritious yet low-calorie foods, and significantly increasing your aerobic exercise with interval training, sports, and other vigorous activities.
