Here are some tips to help you safely drop 3,500 from your regular routine:

Run

Running for about 1 hour at a slow pace will help you lose approximately 350 calories, depending on your body type, speed and terrain. Thus, if you run for one hour five days a week while maintaining a consistent diet, you will safely lose half a pound a week, or 2 pounds a month.  While this is a long term weight loss plan, it does work.

It is important to understand that many people who just begin running will eat pasta and other foods high in carbohydrates in order to compensate for the exertion. They think that because they worked out so hard, they deserve a treat. After all, they justify, the pasta will help to keep their energy levels high.

However, what they may not realize is that while they are justified in thinking that the carbohydrates will infuse their workout routine with energy, they are not actually setting their bodies up to lose weight. When you burn 350 calories but intake 450 over a high-carbohydrate pasta dish, you are adding more calories to your body than you otherwise would have.

Running does, however, help to boost our metabolism and change your muscle tone so that you burn calories more efficiently. Instead of inhaling a pasta dish after a run, select instead to have a large salad and splurge for the carbohydrate-rich croutons.

Eat In

When you eat out at a restaurant, not only are you subjecting your body to an array of high fat, high calorie foods, but you are also tempting yourself to eat a larger portion than you might normally eat. Therefore, what could be a simple 500 calories meal can easily turn into a 1500-calorie fat fest. In order to lose weight by cutting calories, it is essential that you are aware of exactly what you are putting into your body. Especially in the beginning of your new routine, it is important that you prepare your meals and monitor your level of hunger.

When eating out, generally you are in a social situation where food is not a priority – but spending time with your friends is. For this reason, people tend to eat more than they normally would. Non-dessert eaters often even spring for the extra round of calories. If you must eat out, help yourself avoid temptation by selecting a salad rather than a plate of pasta or burger. You will be amazed at the difference in the amount of calories you intake when you make simple choices such as meal option.

By reducing your overall calorie intake and increasing your level of physical activity, you will be able to lose those 3,500 calories without much trouble. Make sure that you stay focused, motivated and on task. You’ll shed unwanted weight in no time!

Let’s face it, you and I both will most likely violate our diets before this holiday season is over.  But just because you “splurge” once or twice doesn’t mean that you have to give up on your weight loss goals.  The important thing for you to accept is you are who you are.  Don’t try to fit yourself into the mold of the “perfect dieter.”

It’s ok if you splurge.  Just do your best to eat in moderation, while eating as healthy as you possibly can.

If you follow that one piece of advice, after the holidays have passed you’ll feel much better about yourself and you’ll be able to make a fresh commitment to your weight loss plan.

Also, since the daylight hours are getting shorter, the nights longer, and the weather colder, you may feel like skipping on your daily exercise routine.  But just because you cannot go outside to exercise doesn’t mean you cannot exercise.  This is the best time of year to break out those dust covered workout videos and get to work!

Workout videos are great since they can be fun and are much less expensive than a gym membership or buying home workout equipment like treadmills, elliptical trainers, and exercise bikes.

If you don’t have any workout videos, here’s a couple of workout dvds that are different from the usual that we’ve personally tried and found to be fun and enjoyable.

Tai Chi

Tai Chi is a soft form of martial arts which can help you to develop balance, stamina, and grace.  Tai Chi uses slow, controlled movements in specific forms to focus the mind, reduce stress, and bring mental clarity.  Besides those benefits of Tai Chi, it will most definitely help you gain physical strength and lose weight.  Two great Tai Chi dvds I have found to be highly instructive and fun are Simplified Tai chi Chuan with Applications and Sunrise Tai Chi.

Belly Dancing

Belly Dancing has a long and involved history which is entirely too detailed to go into here.  But it is fun to watch, fun to perform, and will definitely help you shed those unwanted pounds.  My wife enjoyed her belly dance videos so much she went and started taking classes.  Two great dvds for beginners are Luscious – The Bellydance Workout for Beginners and Bellydance Fitness for Beginners – Arms, Abs, Hips, Buns & Thighs.

Have fun!