Lose Weight Without Exercise Changes: Calorie Deficit Strategies

When it comes down to it, weight loss is a simple mathematical game. If you create a calorie deficit -- meaning you consume fewer calories than you burn -- you will lose weight. There's really only two ways to create a calorie deficit, by increasing your exercise or cutting calories. If you're happy with your exercise routine, you'll need to trim calories from your diet to shed pounds.

Instructions

• 1

  Calculate your basal metabolic rate using the appropriate formula. For women, the formula is 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years). For men the formula is 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in year). This will give you the number of calories that you will burn from basic biological functions. For example, a 200-pound 28-year-old male who is 70 inches tall will burn 2,011 calories from basic biological functions.

• 2

  Multiply your basal metabolic rate by the appropriate factor based on your activity level. If you are sedentary, multiply by 1.2. If you exercise one to three times a week, multiply by 1.375. If you exercise three to five days a week, multiply by 1.55. If you exercise six to seven days a week, multiply by 1.725. If you have a highly physical occupation or exercise more than once a day seven days a week, multiply by 1.9. This will give you your daily calorie requirements to maintain weight. For instance, if your basal metabolic rate is 2,011 and you exercise twice a week, you need to consume 2,765 calories to maintain your weight.

• 3

  Consume 500 to 1,000 calories a day fewer than your daily requirements for weight maintenance. A 500-calorie-a-day deficit works out to about 1 pound of weight loss per week, while a 1,000-calorie-a-day deficit doubles the weight loss to about 2 pounds per week.