Losing one pound a week may not sound very hard, especially when you consider that the average woman weighs 164 pounds and the average man weighs 191 pounds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  But as anyone who has ever tried dieting and given up a month later knows, it’s much harder than it seems.

Fortunately, dropping this kind of weight (and keeping it off) doesn’t have to be difficult according to Nubella, especially if you make a few simple changes to your daily routine. Shedding one pound a week means taking in a total of 3,500 fewer calories. You could simply eat 500 fewer calories a day (the equivalent of cutting out one burrito), or you could burn 500 more calories (the equivalent of running for an hour). Or you could do a combination of both.

Here’s 8 tips to get your started:

1. Calculate how much you really eat. How are you going to cut out 500 calories if you don’t know how many you’re taking in to begin with? You may be surprised how quickly sides, snacks, and treats add up. Write down how much you eat each day, and remember to include the piece of cake you had for your coworker’s birthday, the beer you grabbed with a friend after work, and the potato chips you had after dinner. From there, find places to start trimming the fat—literally.

2. Get moving. If you feel like you don’t have time to exercise, try adding mini-workouts into your day. For example, spend 10 minutes stretching in the morning when you get out of bed, take a quick 15-minute walk after lunch, and do some sit-ups and lunges during commercial breaks while watching TV at night. Without making any major adjustments to your schedule, you can add in 30 minutes of exercise to your day.

3. Get it out of the house. Don’t buy cupcakes “for the kids” or certain snacks “in case someone stops by.” If it’s there, you are more likely to eat it. Get rid of the unhealthy foods in your kitchen. Before you go grocery shopping, plan dinner menus for the week, and buy only the items you need. Don’t go to the supermarket when you’re hungry, or you’ll be tempted to buy items you don’t need.

4. Eat more fruit. One study found that women were able to lose more weight when they began a low-calorie diet and started eating more fruits and vegetables, including apples, oranges, carrots, and cucumbers. The reason was simple: These foods made them feel fuller longer than when they simply cut calories from their usual diet.

5. Check the nutrition information. You might be surprised by the true caloric count in certain foods. For example, if you’re looking for a snack to go with your low-fat soy latte at Starbucks, would you choose the Rice Krispies square or the Chocolate Fudge Brownie? Although neither is exactly diet-friendly, you might be surprised to find out that the Chocolate Fudge Brownie has 30 fewer calories, 410 versus 440. The same goes for low-fat peanut butter, which only saves you four calories per serving.

6. Buy smaller plates. If you have large or oversized plates, you’re more likely to pile on more food to make them look full. Consequently, you’re also likely to eat more. Using smaller plates will help you control your portion sizes, an important component of any weight-loss plan.

7. Step it up. Build more walking into your day. Walk a lap around the mall before you start shopping, pace in your living room while talking on the phone, and don’t drive to the video store around the corner. Over time, these steps will add up.

8. Change your routine. Certain situations may encourage overeating. If you eat while watching TV, replace that behavior with something else. Drink a glass of water instead, learn to knit, or simply play with rubber ball to occupy your hands. If you’ve gotten used to having a 3 p.m. snack, take a quick walk as a distraction. Eat because you’re hungry, not because it’s a habit.

Thanks for stopping by Making Mommy Hot! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Technorati Tags: how to lose a pound a week, losing a pound a week, Weight Loss Tips

One of the things that is so important when dieting, is portion control. Of course, that is one of the major things that Weight Watchers pushes. And once, when my hubby and I decided to start losing weight, we both went on an 1800 Calorie Diabetic Diet. He had just been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, and scared the bejeezes out of him. So he was determined back then, and so was I. We both ended up losing over 50 lbs, and then I got preggo with the first, so of course, all of that weight loss went down the drain.

But seriously, using portion control can make all of the difference. It can be annoying at times, but once you get the hang of it, it just becomes an everyday thing. You don’t always have to use measuring cups and spoons, Weight Watchers talks about how you can simply use every day objects to estimate what a sensible portion is, and by doing that you’ll find it a lot easier to eat only as much as you need. Here are a few examples:

• 3 oz portion of meat = about the size of a deck of cards

• A large bagel = about the size of a DVD

• A cup of rice = about the size of a tennis ball

• A potato = about the size of a light bulb

Another way to help with portion control, is to shop for pre-packaged single-servings, like frozen dinners, mini bags of pretzels or chips. Something very popular now, are the 100 Calorie Packs. I LOVE them!! I use them when I get really hungry and just need something to tide me over until my next meal. I’d be lost without them!