I weigh about 165, and I'd like to lose a bit of weight. If I walk or jog for about a half hour to an hour a day, doing some cardio Tae Bo or something like that - will I lose at least ten to fifteen pounds by like mid August? As well as eating lots of healthier foods, cutting down on the junk food and candy.


Any opinions are appreciated thanks!

Mid August is about 10 weeks away, so 10 pounds would be a healthy, reasonable goal. One pound is 3,500 calories, so to lose 1 pound per week you need to have a swing of 500 caloies per day. If you walk one hour a day at 3 miles per hour, you will burn 250 calories. If you eliminate 250 calories a day from your diet, then you will lose your pound per week.

I would suggest you find out how many calories you need to lose a pound or two a week and then track it on Fitday or some other program like that. Do cardio at least 4-5 times a week. Don't starve yourself because your metabolism will slow down but keep track of your calories and exercise and you should lose a healthy amount.

Never starve. Never.

Eat breakfast. Don't skip meals. Make dinners light.

Cardio is key. Jog. Do jumping jacks [I love jumping jacks, cheapest cardio around and very effective]. Go to Wal-Mart and pick out an exercise DVD that would best suit you, I find it better to get the ones that you don't need to buy the equipment. I like "flirty girl fitness" or "core rhythms".

Keep track of what your eating. Fill your cabinets and fridge with more veggies and fruits. Replace your candy with strawberries, or whatever fruit you like best. Add more veggies to your meal- why not a steamed bowl of veggies before your dinner.

Be creative with your meals. Rice cakes are overrated when it comes to dieting- in fact don't even think this of a diet- think of it as the road to a new and better you.

Congratulations on making the decision to become a healthier you.

Sarah