What does it really take to lose weight? How long do we have to diet for and how much exercise does it take to burn off a pound? How do we maintain and how often do we need to diet? These are all questions to ask ourselves before beginning the weight loss journey. So read on the article to find out the most important questions and answers to them:

Question # 1: How long do I need to diet for?

You need to diet for as long as it takes to reach your weight loss goal. If you hit a diet plateau, you may need to change some things in your diet. I remember a while back that my aunt was losing weight by following a program her nutritionist had created for her. She was doing well and losing plenty of weight and then suddenly stopped. She went back to the nutritionist to discuss what she could be doing different and was told that she needed to cut fruit out of her diet. Fruit is a wonderful kind of natural sugar, but in her case, it was the cause of her weight loss plateau.

Question # 2: When can I go back to eating normally?

Never, if you want to stay thin. That doesn’t mean that you can’t indulge every once in a while, but the fact of the matter is, that if you go back to eating the same way you used to before you lost weight while dieting, the odds of the weight piling back on (and the possibility of gaining more than you lost) are extremely high. Losing weight is a lifestyle change and you need to maintain that lifestyle in order to keep it off and to stay healthy.

Question # 3: How often do I need to work out?

Experts recommend that you work out at least five days a week, 30 or more minutes a day. Most suggest working out up to 60 minutes a day; however, I find 45 minutes is nice middle ground. You can break up your work out routines into two or three times throughout the day if you are short on time. Sometimes we can find more motivation to fit it in if we only have to dedicate 10 minutes at a time and it’s just as effective (if not more effective) than working out for 30 or 40 minutes straight.

Question # 4: How much exercise burns off a pound?

If you burn about 3500 calories, you’ll burn off a pound. Cutting just 500 calories a day (through diet and exercise) means you’ll lose 1 pound a week. You can cut 500 calories out of your daily diet (be careful not to cut too much out) and burn off 500 calories a day, exercising 7 days a week, and you’ll likely lose 2 pounds a week. It’s not suggested that you lose more than 2 pounds a week.

Question # 5: How many calories will I burn within a month or 2?

This is the most important question for most of people who start following a weight loss program.

Here you should take into consideration several factors in order to predict how many calories you will be able to lose:

• How long will your weight loss program last?
• How often do you work out?
• What are the main parts of your weight loss program?

Many people are not regular in their efforts to lose weight. Some follow a weight loss plan that includes only diet without any work-out, while others are trying to get rid of their extra pounds by combining healthy diet and regular exercises.

So depending on the above mentioned factors, one can burn 10 pounds within a week, while the other within a month.

After you have answered to all 5 questions, you need to act according a special weight loss program mentioned for a certain period of time. It is recommended to go to a specialist and get your individual fat burning plan in order to achieve the best results in a shorter time. The key to success is not fast but healthy and smart weight loss!