How to Lose Weight for Research

Lose weight healthily and steadily for research purposes. Eat a balance of different foods and always include fresh fish, vegetables and fruit because they contain the most essential vitamins and minerals for your body and its functions. Remember to drink plenty of water, factor in fiber, avoid alcohol and cigarettes and keep up a gentle exercise routine. Losing weight is not just about eating smaller portions, it is about eating fresh, healthy food that contains vitamins and minerals and about exercising to maintain a strong heart and mind.

Things You'll Need

• Paper or computer spreadsheet
• Meal planner
• Fresh food
• Calculator
• Fresh water
• Glass
• Bathroom scales

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Instructions

• 1

  Draw a table on a piece of paper or create one automatically using a spreadsheet on a computer. Make five columns at the top for "Breakfast", "Lunch", "Dinner", "Snacks" and "Water". Write the days of the week down the left hand side. Plan to lose weight over a healthy, safe period of time, such as two months.

• 2

  Design a weekly meals roster with different, balanced options for each of the three daily meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Include two light, low-calorie snacks that total around 200 calories each. Try to think up meals that contain similar amounts of calories. Use a ready-made meal planner if it helps. Balance protein, carbohydrates and fat. Aim to eat about 500 calories each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The total number of calories required to maintain a person's body weight needs to be approximately 2000 for women and 2500 for men per day, according to The Column. However, to lose weight steadily, it may be necessary to reduce this total to about 1800 for women, as described by Weight Loss For All, with a similar reduction of 200-300 calories a day for men.

• 3

  Make the first meal. Count the number of calories in each ingredient. Add up the total calorie intake for each meal, using a calculator if necessary. Record the calorie count in your table. Try not to exceed the calorie count in a given day, but if you do, reduce the following day's calories by as much, to even it out. Make a note of the total calories each day in a sixth column if it helps you keep track of your consumption.

• 4

  Eat controlled quantities of food at regular times during each day. Exercise at least four times per week for an hour at a time if you want to maintain a healthy heart and toned appearance as you lose weight. Healthy adults should drink six to eight glasses of fresh water each day for optimum results, according to The Healthy Eating Club. Poor fluid intake can cause constipation, kidney stones or even digestive tract cancers.

• 5

  Measure your weight at the end of each week using bathroom scales. Calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) and ensure it is always below 30, because 30 or above means you are clinically obese, as described by Research Penn State. Calculate your personal BMI using this equation: BMI equals your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters. If you are overweight, follow the same steady, calorie-controlled diet to get healthy. Aim to fall within the healthy BMI range, which is 18.5 to 25.