In order to shed a pound a week you need to burn an additional 3500 calories. It really is that that simple! No fancy pills or powders or the latest fad diet are necessary, just a progression of calories exerted without an increase in calories consumed. Sounds easy, right? The simple law of thermodynamics.

Try the following three steps to Shed A Pound A Week:

1. Record your normal weekly exercise - look at everything from walking to participating in sports to exercising in the gym. This is your starting point. Remember, you need to burn an additional 3500 calories on top of your normal weekly exercise.

2. Record your normal weekly food intake - this may be hard to do honestly, but remember that you are only cheating yourself by not recording everything. Calculate the total number of calories that you eat in an average day.

In your quest for dropping inches you shouldn't exceed your normal daily caloric intake - you should, rather, work at slowly decreasing that number. Remember, we are going for a 3500 calorie deficit each week - this can be done by a combination of increased calorie exertion (exercise) as well as a decrease in calories consumed (eating less).

3. Chart the difference - now that you know your starting point for both calorie exertion and calorie intake it is time to turn the tables in your favor. Take every opportunity to exert more calories by increasing your physical activity, and to decrease your calorie consumption by eating fewer calories and by making healthier selections.

Record your progress in a notebook and refer back to it often. You will be surprised how encouraging it is to see the positive changes that you are taking in your life written down on paper. Keeping a food journal will also help you establish your eating behavior patterns.

If you are able to burn up 500 calories a day you will drop a pound in a week!!

Here are some practical ways to lose calories:

If you normally: Drink a Mocha or other flavored coffee drinks Try: Drinking green tea or black coffee (200 calories lost)

If you normally: Enjoy a candy bar for a snack Try: Snacking on a granola bar or granola (180 calories lost)

If you normally: Sit during your entire lunch break Try: Walking briskly for 30 minutes (150 calories lost)

If you normally: Watch T.V. for two hours Try: Doing jumping jacks during the commercials (120 calories lost)