You don’t just lose muscle from your legs and arms. You lose some from your heart. Many fad diets provide protein supplements under the supposition that eating more protein will prevent muscle loss, but it doesn’t work that way.

Exercise, generally recommended as part of a weight loss plan anyway, will help preserve muscle tissue. You should make smaller changes in your diets and activity levels so that you lose no more than two pounds a week. It’s relatively easy to determine how many calories you should eat to lose weight if you know the right formulas.

A pound of fat is equal to about 3,500 calories. Figure out how many calories you eat to maintain your weight. And then, if you want to lose a pound a week, you would need a deficit of 500 calories a day.

If you wanted to lose two pounds a week, you would need a deficit of 1,000 calories a day. So if you are eating 2,000 calories a day, cutting your intake to 1,500 calories should result in a weight loss of a pound a week.

Experts do not recommend dieters cut down below 1,200 calories a day, because it is virtually impossible to get sufficient protein, vitamins and minerals on less than that.

Another way of calculating is to determine how many calories you need to maintain your desirable weight and cut down to that level, allowing the excess baggage to drop away. On the average, women need 12 calories a pound of bodyweight for very light activity, 13 for light, 14 for moderate, 15 for strenuous and 16 for very strenuous.

Men need 14 calories a pound for very light activity, 15 for light, 16 for moderate, 17 for strenuous and 18 for very strenuous.

Very light activity involves mostly sitting with up to two hours of standing or walking each day. Very strenuous activities include tennis, swimming, running, basketball and football.

Thus, a woman whose activity level is very light, who weighs 150 pounds – but whose ideal weight is 120 pounds – would need 1,440 calories at her ideal weight. That is 360 calories less than the 1,800 she would need to maintain her current weight – and would result in a loss of about a pound every 10 days.

But by increasing her activity level to moderate, she would burn 2,100 calories a day at her present weight and 1,680 at her ideal weight.

By comparison, a 200-pound man with a very strenuous activity level would need 3,600 calories to maintain his weight, while a 160-pound man who is a couch potato would require just 2,240 calories.

People who want to lose weight should return to the “basic four” food groups and cut their fat intake in particular, since fat has more than twice as many calories as carbohydrates or protein. And cutting down on extras can make a big difference. Just 150 calories a day – approximately the amount in either a 12-ounce can of cola or a 1-ounce bag of potato chips – adds up to 54,750 calories, or nearly 16 pounds of weight, in a year’s time.

A new study also indicates that people can lose weight by cutting down on fat and eliminating refined sugar, but not making a great effort to reduce their caloric intake.

So there you have it. Now that you know how many calories you should eat to lose weight, there are no more excuses for you. Start exercising and eating healthy and you will be amazed with the results.

A few individuals may be able to achieve their ideal weight by embarking on an exercise program; however, most people who want to lose weight will also have to reduce their intake of calories.

We keep reading about how important it is to have a balanced diet, but when we get all the figures thrown at us about vitamins, minerals and proteins and whatnot, we don’t know what to make of it all. Isn’t there some simple way that a person who is not a genius can have a balanced diet? Or is it necessary that we first learn how to operate a computer?

Enjoying a balanced diet does not require the intelligence of a genius or the use of a computer. A balanced diet can be achieved simply by eating moderate amounts of a number of different foods. This holds true, with only slight modifications, for people trying to lose weight. A balanced diet merely means consuming appropriate amounts of all nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.

However, it is not necessary to memorize lengthy lists of all the vitamins and minerals and all the foods that provide them. If you eat moderate amounts of a variety of foods, you will get all the nutrients you need.

The proper balance can be achieved by selecting foods from the four food groups: Dairy, which includes milk, cheese and yogurt; meat, including poultry, fish and beans; fruits and vegetables; and grain, including bread, cereal and rice.

Fats, sweets and alcohol compose a food group. The items included in this category provide calories but few nutrients, and therefore should be used sparingly.

Why all the fuss over this “light-hearted” form of dance exercise? It’s simple: Low impact aerobic classes supply people with a means of obtaining and maintaining a high level of fitness, while avoiding undue stress and strain on the body’s vulnerable points such as the knees, shins, ankles, and feet.

Low-impact classes involve movements that mimic those of their high-impact cousins, but the pace is slowed down considerably. Rhythmic motions are performed in a controlled manner, and one foot remains on the floor at all times.

Hopping and jumping, for example, are excluded and replaced with, say, marching or fast walking. The underlying rationale is to “keep it all moving,” while minimizing harsh jarring.

Low impact aerobics programs are designed to incorporate many muscle groups simultaneously, demanding the heart to work harder. Exercise becomes extremely efficient when the smaller muscles of the upper extremities are engaged along with the larger muscles found in the lower extremities.

Low impact aerobic routines consist of simple dance-like combinations, walking variations, sweeping full-body movements, and upper-body strengthening exercises. Since the legs do not play as active a role as they do in high-impact aerobics, the arms are used more extensively to elevate the heart rate to a desired level.

Take chocolate, for example, I can’t tell you it’s good for you. But eating a small quantity infrequently won’t harm you. If you deprive yourself, that’s unrealistic. Also unrealistic is the idea that gimmicks and fad diets are successful ways to lose weight.

It’s easy to lose weight. What’s tricky is keeping it off. That requires a permanent change in eating and exercise habits that most people are unwilling to make.

Also be wary of extreme weight loss measures such as Oprah’s liquid protein diet. That diet is very risky and expensive. It should only be undertaken by extremely obese people who’ve failed to lose weight every other way.

Starving oneself isn’t safe and often isn’t effective for causing weight loss anyway. There’s a misconception that you will lose weight by only consuming 400 or 500 calories a day. But your body will suppress your metabolism to compensate so you might even gain weight. You’d have to keep eating less and less. It would be very devastating to your health.

Instead, people should eat a reasonable amount and exercise to keep their metabolism up. The word, exercise, turns people off. By exercise, I didn’t mean jogging in the snow or getting sweaty and yucky in the gym – just keeping active will do.

For diet, be sure to include plenty of fibre and starchy carbohydrates, minimize the amount of fat and pay attention to the amount of salt and sugar. Drink plenty of water as well – it’s a very forgotten nutrient.

Moderation is recommended for children’s diets as well. Restricting diet at an early age is too extreme and can cause growth retardation. Children need more fat and cholesterol than adults. Children should drink whole milk until they are at least two years old and never drink skim milk until they’re teenagers.

Overweight children should never be put on a weight loss diet. Instead, their current weight should be maintained until they grow into it.

Children needn’t be deprived of sugar either. Believe it or not, sugar has a clean bill of health. It doesn’t cause hyperactivity. It has been linked to dental caries, but the concern is more for dental hygiene than eating sugar.

On the other hand, sugar has no nutrients so no one needs to eat it. But it’s not realistic to deprive children of foods they’ll encounter elsewhere. However, they should know the difference between healthy foods and treats. Treats are okay in moderation, but not as substitutes for healthy foods.

Adults needn’t be overly concerned about sugar in their diets either. It’s more important to limit the amount of fat. We eat so much more fat than needed. We’re probably better off with jam on our toast or syrup on our pancakes instead of butter.

So there you have it. You can really eat anything you want and still lose weight if you follow the nutritionists’ advice about moderation.

When it comes to the battle of the bulge, most Americans are losing. For some, the reason is too much inactivity. For others, it’s a combination of inactivity and poor nutrition. Obesity is on the rise, not only among adults, but for children as well. On average, Americans put on 1 to 2 pounds annually between the ages of 20 and 50, typically because of their high-fat diet and too little exercise.

Research has constantly pointed out that exercise can help reverse this damaging health trend, but renewed emphasis is being placed on the role of nutrition in promoting weight loss and a heart-healthy lifestyle.

If people would only follow guidelines regarding proper nutrition, there would be a considerable decrease in deaths due to heart disease. Cancer deaths would drop another 30 to 40 percent as well. These are big numbers and represent millions of lives.

Proper nutrition for weight loss and health starts at your local supermarket and favorite restaurants. The problem is that people do what they want to do when it comes to food, instead of doing what they know they should.

Proper nutrition should be everyone’s concern. If people have interest to spend the time exercising during the week to maintain or improve their health, then they should carry it full circle by paying attention to good nutrition as well. And this means drastically reducing their dietary fat intake.

The dietary fats that you can see (butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, etc.) and the hidden fats you can’t see (fat in ice cream, meat products, etc.) are the real enemies in your diet. Exercise alone will not rid your body of the fat laid on by these culprits.

Combined with good nutrition, however, you can certainly bring about tremendous reversals. Reducing fat from the diet take some willpower and commitment.

Increase the amounts of fruits, vegetables and grains that you eat, while cutting back on red meats, fried foods and rich desserts.

As difficult as weight loss can be, weight maintenance is a daunting challenge. Studies of individuals on commercial weight loss programs indicate a high percentage of initial success, followed by a high percentage of weight regain. Within three years, the vast majority of dieters have returned to their pre-diet weight. While each case varies, many of the people who manage to keep the weight off permanently do so with the help of a regular exercise program.

Diets alone can actually slow your metabolism as your body grows accustomed to smaller quantities of food. Regular exercise, on the other hand, boosts your metabolism and burns extra calories to boot. And, exercise doesn’t have to be grueling. Over the past years, research has shown that moderate aerobic exercise performed three times a week for 20 minutes of longer is very effective at improving fitness.

Add weight resistance training to your weekly schedule and you can even increase your resting metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn to maintain normal bodily functions such as circulation and respiration) by increasing your muscle mass.

The key to adherence is selecting exercise activities that appeal to you. If you enjoy dancing, the following exercise will raise your heart rate to a training level.

• Start by standing with your feet together. Touch your left foot on the floor to your left side as you hop on your right foot.

• Extend your left arm toward your left side, following the motion of your leg.

• Next, hop on both feet, bringing them back together in the middle, as you extend both arms downward.

• Reverse the movements to the right side, and continue by alternating sides for 15 sets.

Combine these movements with other dance exercise steps for a 20-minute workout. And remember, before beginning any exercise program, it is advisable to check with your physician.

Understand that strength training, an anaerobic activity, requires short bursts of energy. You won’t be able to keep working at high intensity levels for very long – your body just can’t handle the demand.

You won’t get muscle soreness from a step class. Maybe you’re new to the workout scene or you decided to hire yourself a personal trainer. Whatever the case, muscle soreness that takes place during the activity or waits a few days after your workout to appear can make you rethink your next workout session.

Just know what to expect when you train hard. You can do aerobic work (or sustained activities such as running, cycling or stepping) for longer periods of time, because the work is less intense. Wiih aerobic work, you won’t get this can’t-get-out-of-bed-this-morning feeling. We’re talking two different activities and intensities.

Because anaerobic work or strength training, produces nasty byproducts, like lactic acid, expect soreness during the activity. When lactic acid reaches high levels, it can leak out of muscle cells and stimulate nearby nerve endings causing muscle soreness.

According to research, the muscle soreness that results a day or two after your workout seems to be caused by tiny tears in the muscle. Given at least 48 hours of rest between workouts, the muscle will synthesize and repair proteins, and grow stronger. If you experience pain that doesn’t go away within a few days, after your workout, it could be a sign of injury to the muscle. In this case, stop exercising and consult your doctor.

In the meantime, if you’re just getting used to intense training and soreness, don’t baby your body. Your arms won’t fall off if you drive to work. If the muscle soreness really bothers you take a warm bath to soothe aching muscles. After that, have a good night’s rest and you’ll be ready for your next workout.

Now that you know what causes muscle soreness and how to get rid of it, you will know what to expect the next time you exercise after a lengthy break.

When carbohydrates are eliminated or drastically reduced, a person’s appetite is diminished. That is because the body switches over to using protein and fat, and there is a chemical change in the body, called ketosis.

The hardest part of dieting for many people is controlling their appetites. But if you can consume just the same number of calories, regardless of the diet composition, you will lose the same amount of weight.

All low calorie diets are potentially dangerous. Semi-starvation is not the right approach to weight loss. Yes, the very low carbohydrate diets can lead to fatty deposits in the liver. The emphasis on proteins, particularly fat meats and other foods high in saturated fats, and even eggs, may significantly increase the total cholesterol levels.

The proper diet for weight loss is not a low calorie diet, but rather a balanced diet that includes all of the four basic food groups. It should provide 1,200 calories a day for adults. Anything less can lead to problems and needs to be managed by a physician. The low calorie diets being promoted today usually produce only temporary results. All you need to do is look at Oprah Winfrey’s story of rapid weight loss and not too long afterward, a rapid weight gain, back to where she started. That is the usual story. If you want to lose weight, you need to be on a program you can follow for life.

Don’t forget the value of exercise. A proper limited-calorie diet (rather than a very low calorie diet) along with a good exercise program is essential. And it really doesn’t matter if you have three or six meals a day. Calories do count and the total calorie intake is the important factor.

You may wish to try a non-prescription product for weight loss. Such products may be purchased in pharmacies or health food stores. This article will list the ingredients in some of these diet products. You will need to check the packages carefully to see what is in them.

They should not be used by children under 12. The effectiveness of the diet products is directly related to the reduction of your food intake. Since you must have a commitment to develop new eating habits, the use of the products is limited to three months as a rule. After that time, the new eating habits will allow you to stabilize at your lower weight.

Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) is found in many OTC diet tablets and long-acting capsules, as well as products for nasal congestion associated with the common cold, allergy or cough. PPA does have a long history of safe use but should be avoided by patients with a history of high blood pressure, depression, diabetes or thyroid problems unless a physician approves. Its side effects include nervousness, dizziness and sleeplessness. It may also cause headaches, nausea, ringing in the ears and elevated blood pressure.

Benzocaine is an ingredient of diet candies, gum and lozenges. It acts to deaden the nerves of the mouth, which decreases the ability to detect sweetness. The product is used just prior to eating and some do get weight loss since they lose the desire to eat much food.

At this time, only benzocaine and PPA are fully approved as over-the-counter weight loss products. However, claims are made for the following products.

Vitamins, minerals: Despite the brochures provided by health food stores, no vitamin or mineral singly or in combination has been proven to cause weight loss.

Diuretics: Some weight loss products promote the flow of urine. However, the weight loss is water rather than fat. The lost water also carries potassium, sodium and other necessary body chemicals with it. When the products are no longer taken, the water will be regained by the body and thus diuretics are ineffective.

Fiber-containing products are safe and effective for such problems as constipation. However, their role in dieting is still unproven.

Losing weight (and trying to keep it off) is a major preoccupation for many adults in this country. Doctors tell us that being overweight is unhealthy. The media tell us that being overweight is unattractive. And the diet industry tells us (in no uncertain terms) that weight control can be a highly profitable business – for everybody but the person trying to figure out how to lose weight, for whom it can be a very expensive business.

How many times have you prayed for a magic pill or diet that would instantly solve your weight problem? How many times have you succumbed to the outrageous claims made for various diets, in the hope that this could be the one? How many pills or shots have you taken to try to lose those extra pounds quickly? How many times have you heard that the only thing that will really help you lose weight is to change your eating habits and increase your exercise? How many times have you rejected that advice as boring and impossible?

That many, huh?

Well, you’re going to hear it again, but this time with suggestions to make it easier.

While it is true that the only way to lose weight is to take in fewer calories than you burn, it is not as difficult as you might think to cut down on the number of calories you eat. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to give up everything you like to eat. It may just mean that you have to make room for food with fewer calories and more nutrients. Here’s how it works.

Your body is using up calories all the time, whether you are moving around or not. The rate at which you burn calories while at total rest is called your resting, or basal metabolic, rate. For women this is about 11 calories per pound of body weight and for men it is about 12. This means that if you are a woman who weighs 150 pounds, your body needs to take in about 1,650 calories a day just to exist. If you are engaged in light exercising, you multiply the BMR by 1 6, giving you approximately 2,400 calories to play with, moderate exercise activity requires somewhere around 3,450 calories (23 x BMR).

Let’s assume that this 150-pound woman is eating 2,500 calories a day and is doing light activity. If she cuts down her calories to 1,500 per day and does not change her exercisee pattern, in about 1 1/2 days she will lose a pound. If she begins to do moderate exercise and only eats 1,500 calories per day, it will take less time to lose the same pound.

You probably already know how to increase your activity level, but where can you cut those calories to make your weight loss plan as painless as possible?

• Instead of eating 1 croissant, substitute 1 plain bagel to save 72 calories.

• Instead of eating 1 whole egg, substitute 1 egg white to save 47 calories.

• Instead of eating 1 oz of Cheddar cheese, substitute 1 oz of part-skim mozzarella to save 42 calories.

• Instead of eating 1 tablespoon of cream cheese, substitute 1 tablespoon of 1 percent cottage cheese to save 35 calories.

• Instead of eating 35 oz of untrimmed beef, substitute 35 oz of trimmed beef to save 75 calories.

• Instead of eating 35 oz of lamb chop (broiled), substitute 35 oz of lean leg of lamb (broiled) to save 220 calories.

• Instead of eating 1 oz of regular bacon, substitute 1 oz of Canadian bacon to save 110 calories.

• Instead of eating 1 beef hot dog, substitute 1 chicken hot dog to save 67 calories.

• Instead of eating fast food French fries, substitute 1 baked potato (plain) to save 126 calories.

• Instead of eating 1 cup of ice cream (premium), substitute 1 cup of sorbet to save 350 calories.

The substitutions on this list also save many grams of fat and cholesterol, as well as calories. If you read labels, pay attention to what you are eating and eliminate the true junk food from your diet, you can come up with a 3,500 calorie savings in no time.

If you also start moving around and exercising a little more, you will lose weight even faster.

Now make no mistake, losing weight is hard work, requiring a lot of consistency and it will not work very quickly. But it is the most sensible way to lose weight, does not put money in anybody else’s pocket and will help you change your eating habits.