Do you know that if you burn 500 calories per day you can lose 1 to 2 pounds PER WEEK! That’s right! All you have to do is drop 500 calories every day and you will find that the excess fat on your body will melt away.
The easiest way to lose this many calories per day is to adjust your diet. That’s pretty simple. With the following tips you can easily lose 10 to 12 pounds in as little as 4 weeks.
How To Lose 500 Calories A Day
1.Stay Active. Don’t stop moving. Even if you’re seated you should tap your foot or bounce your legs. This excess movement can burn over 300 calories per day. Don’t just stop there. If you’re on the phone, walk around while you talk. Do jumping jacks or run in place while you wait for water to boil (or simply walk around your house).
2.Sit down at the dinner table when you eat. Researchers have found that if you eat while you watch TV, listen to the radio, or even read a book or the newspaper that you’ll eat over 250 calories more than you would have. In fact, if you should simply spend the time you would have been watching television being active. If you do that you can burn MORE than 500 calories per day.
3.Drink skim milk after a workout. Studies have shown that people who drink skim milk after working out with weights burned TWICE as much fat and calories as those who don’t.
4.When you eat a salad, skip adding all the toppings. If you put cheese, nuts, bacon bits, croutons or more on your salad you will really rack up the calories. Try fresh veggies instead: Peppers, caramelized or grilled onions, mushrooms, etc. Also use less dressing and keep it on the side. Studies have shown that if you keep your dressing on the side you will use less.
5.Size does matter. If you use smaller plates (and even smaller silverware) you will eat less because it looks like more. In fact you will eat up to 25% less than you would have with a larger plate.
Delicious? Yes! High In Calories? OH YES!
6.Love your daily trip to the coffee shop? Good. Coffee is actually quite healthy for you and even has some weight loss benefits. However, if you’re getting a large White Chocolate Mocha then you could be adding over 500 calories in that one drink. Here’s what you do. Order your regular drink but order it with skim milk, NO whip cream, and half the syrup. This will dramatically cut down on the calories without cutting down too much on the flavor. If you want to lose even more calories don’t buy the large, buy the medium sized or small sized drink.
7.Try to avoid potato chips if you can. If you can’t, don’t eat out of the bag. Look at the serving size and count out that many. Usually it’s around 150 calories per serving (for 10-15 chips).
8.Add Vitamin C and D to your diet. Research has found that these two vitamins actually help your body burn fat. Aim for about 450 mg of C and about 800 mg of D per day.
9.Sign up for a dance class. Dancing for an hour burns 600 calories! And it doesn’t even feel like exercise. Susan Biali, a doctor and flamenco dancer says that it not only burns lots of calories but it can help you increase your flexibility, build your strength, and even slow down the aging process.
10.Skip the creamy alcoholic drinks. In fact, if you can, skip alcohol all together. 90 calories of vodka can slow down your metabolism by 75%. If you can’t avoid it and you must have a drink try and get a drink with tonic water, club soda, or cranberry juice. Avoid syrups, creams, and sour mixes.
11.Try to cut back on the number of people you have dinner with. This sounds strange but scientists have found that if you eat with more than 7 people you will eat over 95% more food.
12.Eat slowly and leave some food on your plate. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s full so take your time and chew your food. You can even put your fork or spoon down between bites. Also you can easily lose 500 calories per day if you leave a fourth of your food on your plate.
13.Smoothies are good for you but can be very high in calories. Instead have a bowl of oatmeal with a bit of brown sugar. You can even add a banana and a cup of coffee (black). This can save you over 500 calories per day.
14.If you are eating out try to have your food cooked in a stock instead of an oil. Also instead of fried have your foods steamed, baked, or poached.
15.If you walk try a weighted vest. This can help you burn 10% more calories than you would have without one.
Green Tea Is Delicious, Soothing, And Helps You Burn Calories
16.Drink green tea and water only. Cutting out 2 sodas or 2 sugary drinks per day can easily be a way for you to learn how to cut 500 calories a day. Green tea will also actually boost your metabolism so you burn more calories during the day.
17.Eat an apple instead of drinking a cup of apple juice. Doctors have found that it not only cuts down on your calorie consumption but it also boosts your metabolism.
18.Get more sleep. If you sleep 7-8 hours a night instead of 5-6 you will eat less and burn more calories during the day. Some research has found that you may consume close to 1,500 calories more per day if you sleep under 7 hours per night.
19.Prepare a fabulous meal. If you go to the grocery for an hour, put all the groceries that you bought away, and then spend a few hours cooking a fabulous meal, then you will burn more than 600 calories.
Eggs Are Filling And Full Of Protein
20.Eggs fill you up! If you have two eggs for breakfast (poached, boiled, or in a vegetable omelet) can fill you up but with much less calories. Also before you have lunch and dinner, try having a cup of very low calorie soup. This will prevent you from eating more and can easily help you cut out 500 calories per day.
21.Skip the snacks at the movie theater. Do NOT have the popcorn as it can be more than 1,000 calories per bucket. If you can’t stand going to the theater without snacks then bring your own. Put some low-calorie microwave popcorn in a zip-locked bag and bring it in your purse. If you like candy try some seedless grapes instead.
22.When you walk or exercise take your ipod. A recent study found that women who listened to music while they walked lost 2 times more calories than women who didn’t.
23.Park far away from where you’re going. Park a few blocks away from the store or from your work. Walking that extra distance will burn more calories. And take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Know The Calorie Burned Results From Your Workouts
When you’re trying to get rid of 500 calories per day it’s good to know what the results of your workouts are. Here is a chart that gives approximate figures:
More Great Weight Loss Tips:
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The more Calories would make us fat. I hate fat,I want to know how to lose the Calories yet.
Just follow the 23 tips on this page and you’ll be able to lose up to (or over) 500 calories per day!
It is not as easy as it seems to lose 500 calories a day. Your tips here will be very helpful but you have to make sure to really pay attention to what you eat and even what you drink. You have done a great job with this article and I look forward to trying these tips because I have been trying to lose about 40 pounds for a long time and nothing is working.
Hey Gerald,
It’s certainly not easy to lose weight but if you make some minor changes to your diet and your physical activity regimen you’ll find that cutting back on calories is not that hard. You can always try cutting back on a fewer amount of calories (like 300) and then work your way up to 500. I recommend doing that instead of going “cold turkey” with 500.
Sara
I agree that diet plays a major role in your fitness, but so does exercise. And the suggestions provided in this article are good and are the same things I heard one of the doctors on a show suggest. He suggested you take the stairs instead of the elevator; He also said the same things, namely, that you can burn many calories simply by being more conscious about moving more.
Hey Alan,
Absolutely! Being more conscious about what you eat and your level of physical activity can make a HUGE impact on your weight loss and your health in general.
Sar
This is some great advice. I am trying to lose about 30 pounds and I was looking for an easy way to do it with out having to count calories etc. and I think these tips will help me do that. You have done a great job on this blog and I look forward to any more advice you may have. Thank you so much for the help.
Hey Tonya,
You’re welcome
Sara
I like to follow the 1 hour a day rule which essentially means you can get into shape and remain fit by engaging in 1 hour of exercise each day. Now, I know this isn’t always possible considering people’s busy schedule, but you don’t need to stress out if you can’t do this every single day. It is ok to miss a workout so long as you don’t make it a habit or an excuse.
I’ve been trying to lose weight for a long time and I was doing fairly good, then I reached a plateau and can’t seem to get off of it. I still would like to lose twenty pounds but if my body isn’t willing to let it go then I have to change what I’m doing right? I changed my lifestyle awhile back and it has helped but I think this is the boost I need.
Hey Nicole,
Reaching a plateau is a problem that a lot of people face when they want to lose a lot of weight. What you need to do is vary your routine. Add some resistance training with weights. Switch to swimming, hiking, biking, kayaking, etc. Cut down your carb intake. Increase your vegetable and fruit intake. This type of variation can help you break through that plateau.
Sara
Some people think that taking 50 calories out of your diet everyday is easy to do but it really isn’t when you are only getting about 1200 per day. I think that would make you hungry more often. Thank you for posting this information though I am going to try it and see what happens. If I start losing again and it is manageable then I think my husband should do it to.
Hey Shawn,
First of all, 1,200 calories is WAY too little to be eating. The average adult male should be consuming 2,500 calories per day and even more if you’re very active. If you’re only eating 1,200 calories per day then you do NOT want to cut out anymore.
Sara
Well this sounds easy enough right? It isn’t really I tried giving up that 500 calories in a day and the most I can eat if I d o that is about 700 calories and that would be gone in just one very short meals. This was a very interesting article and you did a great job posting it. Is there anything else that could have been given up to make this work?
Hey Patricia,
If you’re eating the 2,000 to 2,200 calories that an adult female needs each day then cutting out or burning off 500 calories shouldn’t be too difficult. If you eat 3, 500 calorie meals and 2, 100 calorie snack and throw in some exercise (enough to burn off 200 calories) then you’ll lose that 500 calories each day.
Sara
I’ve tried the removing calories thing from my daily diet but it didn’t work very well at all. Would it have the same effect if you exercised an extra 500 calories off a day? That almost seems more doable to me then giving up more of what I eat on any given day which isn’t much in the first place. This was a great article and I hope you will post more weight loss tips.
Hello Bernice,
Exercise is essential to weight loss. If you’re not use to exercising, just start out slowly and work your way into it. I like to take walks and I recommend that if you’re not used to working out that you begin by walking a few times per week. Also, I advise that if you’re serious about weight loss that you gradually eliminate sugar and processed foods from your diet. Make sure that HALF of your plate for lunch and dinner is vegetables and fruit. Also, eventually work some weight training into your regimen because the more muscle you have the more fat and calories you’re going to burn.
Sara
People make this sound so easy to just lose 500 calories out of your day. I don’t see how that is possible without you being really hungry later because of it. I understand that the hunger will go away as your stomach shrinks but still. If you are having 2500 calories a day then it might be easier to do but what if you are only having about 1500 a day? Is it advisable then?
Hey Johnny,
If you are only consuming 1,500 calories per day then you should NOT try to reduce it. 1,500 calories per day is not very much, especially if you’re exercising. The average adult male should have at least 2,200 calories per day just to MAINTAIN his weight. So you shouldn’t be eating less than 1,500 calories per day or else your body may not be getting the nutrients and the energy it needs for optimal health.
Sara
If you work in an office all day and you’re on the phones and the computer the majority of the day how many more calories can you burn by standing instead of sitting all day? I was also wondering if you can burn calories or lose weight by setting on a exercise ball instead of an office chair? I have enjoyed your article on giving up 500 calories and I am going to try.
Hey Florentina,
You can burn as much as 200 to 300 calories MORE per day standing as opposed to sitting! Standing burns 50 more calories per hour than sitting. So just the simple act of standing most of the day can burn off quite a few calories.
Sara