Stay away from fad or crash diets. You will not lose weight on them and they are not safe. Losing weight by eating healthy and exercising is the best regimen. There are some healthy programs out there that you can join if you want to spend the money. You can also go see a dietitian if you need to learn more about healthy dieting.

Some people are really stumped about how to diet, trying to figure out how many calories needed to lose weight. If you like math there is one formula you can use to figure out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). That number is the minimum amount of calories your body needs to function at rest.

There are specific calculators to do this for you or you can do the math yourself. It takes into account your age, size and activity level. To lose weight you want to eat less and exercise. It is true that if you eat 500 calories less that usual for seven days you will lose one pound or more depending on your activity level.

You do not need to focus on complicated figures to lose weight. Most women will lose weight on a 1500 calorie diet, for men it is a little higher. It is unhealthy to eat less than 1200 calories a day. At 1200 calories a day you may not feel satisfied.

With 1500 calories you have more leeway, you can balance your meals, have snacks and feel satisfied. You need to incorporate exercise into your lifestyle and this will boost your weight loss and you BMR. Many of us do not remember how to eat healthy with all the fast and convenient foods available today.

Remember the food group pyramid from grade school? It has changed some but the tenets are basically the same. For a healthy diet you need to consume protein, milk products, vegetables, fruits and fats and drink a lot of water. With a little research you can figure out how many servings of each group you need a day and how to balance them out for optimum calorie burning.

If you want to lose with by calorie counting you can go to any drug store and purchase a book with the caloric count of many foods, even fast foods. You will need to start measuring your food until you get an eye for what the portion size looks like. Once you reach your realistic goal weight you can start adding more foods.

Finally, you need to exercise at least three times a week to boost your weight loss. Exercise comes in many forms. You can join a public gym if you want to spend the money, or do something for free like walking.

The benefits of a slower weight loss program are that it is healthy and your weight is more likely to stay off. Your weight will stay off because you have learned a new way to eat and exercise. You can incorporate these changes into your lifestyle and never have to battle weight again.