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Think of Your Heart chronicles by , May 1, 2014 - 14:00

To lose weight, you either need to eat fewer calories or burn more—what’s known as creating a calorie deficit. To lose one pound a week, you’ll need to cut 3,500 calories, or 500 calories per day, from your diet. Here’s how you can do this:

• eat smaller portions and eliminate extras
• move more
• combine a balanced diet with regular exercise

Sample meal:
Plate of pasta (2 cups) = 464 calories
Caesar salad (1 cup) = 200 calories
1 slice of bread = 100 calories
Parmesan cheese (2 tablespoons) = 54 calories
4 chocolate cookies = 240 calories
Total: 1,058 calories

To cut out 500 calories…

1. Cut the pasta in half, replace the Caesar salad with a double serving of green salad, and eliminate the cookies.
2. Walk briskly for 140 minutes.
3. Eliminate the cookies and walk for 70 minutes.

It’s not easy to create a calorie deficit. The best solution in the long term is to follow a balanced diet and lead an active lifestyle. Pick an exercise you enjoy and eat healthy!

Contributed by Valérie Guilbeault, kinesiologist, and Élise Latour, nutritionist