Volume 7, Issue 2, Spring 2006

What it takes to lose 1 pound in 1 week

When you have diabetes, there are important reasons to achieve and maintain a healthy weight:

• Weight loss improves blood glucose levels.
• Weight loss reduces your risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in people with diabetes.
• Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight can make a big difference in your health.

There are 3,500 calories in 1 pound. This means that to lose 1 pound in 1 week, you need to cut 500 calories out of your diet each day. You can do this by eating and drinking fewer calories than normal and by exercising.

The healthiest way to lose 1 pound in 1 week is to:

1. burn 250 calories with exercise each day
   
2. and cut 250 calories out of your diet each day

To make it work, take these steps:

• Keep track of your current eating habits and look for easy targets to cut out. If, for example, you eat at a fast food restaurant, a hamburger and small fries is about 500 calories but a quarter pound hamburger and medium fries is about 900 calories. By choosing the smaller meal, you save 400 calories.
• Keep track of your exercise and activity habits for a few days. Do you always look for the closest parking spot in the parking lot? Do you take the elevator rather than walk up a few flights of stairs? You can increase your activity by making a few simple changes.

Did you know?

Eating a small piece of fruit instead of a donut for snack will save at least 100 calories.

Related Resources

Calculate calorie burn rates

Diabetes Condition Center: Weight control = Improved quality of life

Diets: Weight loss

First published: 04/12/2006
Last updated: 04/12/2006

Reviewed by: Mary Frederick, RN, diabetes program manager, Allina Medical Clinic; Paul Kleeberg, MD, medical director, Allina.com

Dialog: Living with Diabetes comes courtesy of Allina.com. Part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, the Web site offers reliable health and wellness information, physician referral and other health resources, especially for people who live in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

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