We all like to eat!

It`s true, many of us over-indulge in food, and when we want to lose weight, that is the first thing we focus on.

Taking out the bad snacks like chips and soda and replacing them with healthier options like fruit and veggies and water.

This IS a very important part of not only losing weight, but becoming healthier overall, but many of us tend to ignore the importance of exercise.

By combining exercise with our food diets, we can allow ourselves a higher daily caloric intake, because if we are burning more calories than we take in, we can consume more.

For example, lets say Sally weighs 150 pounds, and allows herself 2,000 calories per day. By including exercise into her lifestyle, she can add 200-500 more calories into her daily meal plans, which will help her feel more satisfied and less inclined to cheat`and over-eat.

So, what type of exercises can you do to increase your daily calorie limit? Here are just a few ideas:

• Clean the house (burns 160 calories/hr)

• Golf (burns 180 calories/hr)

• Garden (burns 250 calories/hr)

• Walk (burns 280 calories/hr)

• Play tennis (burns 290 calories/hr)

• Go skating (burns 420 calories/hr)

• Bike (burns 450 calories/hr)

• Swim (burns 500 calories/hr)

• Cross Country Ski (burns 500 calories/hr)

• Hike (burns 500 calories/hr)

• Do Step Aerobics (burns 550 calories/hr)

• Play squash (burns 650 calories/hr)

• Jump rope (burns 700 calories/hr)

• Go for a run (burns 700 calories/hr)

To lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume. One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories, so to burn fat, you must combine diet and exercise in order to lose and maintain weight loss.

Generally people cut out 500 calories a day, but cutting out 500 calories from your diet alone is quite a lot. By combining diet plus exercise, you can cut 250 calories out of your diet and you can burn off the other 250 calories per day by exercising.

Ideally, you should do a combination of both, (such as cut back 250 calories; burn an extra 250 calories). So, if we go back to Sally`s example, she could cut out 250 calories from her diet, allowing her daily caloric intake to be 1,750 if she also burns 250 calories per day by going for a run for half an hour during her lunch break. At this rate, Sally would be losing weight at a safe and steady rate, and she could keep this diet up long-term.

The key to sustainable weight loss is in the combining of diet AND exercise. You don`t have to deprive yourself of food and starve in order to lose weight. You do not need to eat less food to lose weight, instead, you need to consume fewer calories. With smart choices, this is very doable.

The key is to choose "low density" foods, which means foods that allow you to eat a larger portion sizes but that is lower in calories. These foods, including many fruits and vegetables, tend to contain more water and fiber. Try starting your meal with a low-density salad or soup (just watch the dressings and sodium) to help fill you up, so you eat less of your entrée.

Some substitution ideas are:

• Instead of a Starbucks Grande Cafe Late (190 cals), choose a 16oz Coffee or Tea (5 cals) and save 185 calories

• Instead of a Glazed Doghnut (239 cals) , choose an apple (72 cals) and save 135 calories

• Instead of a bag of corn chips (441 cals), choose 2 large carrots with 2 tbsp hummus (138 cals) and save 318 calories

• Instead of pancakes with butter and syrup (520 cals), choose 1 cup cooked oats (166 cals) and save 354 calories

To lose weight and stay healthy, choose healthy snacks and meal plans, and exercise routines that you enjoy to cut 500 calories from your regular caloric intake, and you will be losing weight while remaining healthy, and you will be losing weight for the long-term!