For the purposes of this article, let’s pretend you like math. Now, if 3,500 calories equal one pound, how many calories do you need to shake off in order to lose five pounds? How about ten?

Don’t despair --It’s easier than you think. The 3,500 calories can come from food you cut from your diet or calories you burn off exercising. Here are 45 painless ways to burn or reduce calories. Choose a few and start tallying up. For every 3,500 calories you accumulate, you should’ve lost a pound. Cut 100 a day and it will take you a little over a month to lose a pound. Cut 250 a day and you will lose a pound every two weeks. Easy, right?

1. Keep a food diary. For a week, write down everything you eat and drink and how were you feeling when you did. Were you eating because you were truly hungry or out of boredom and stress? Did you eat in a hurry or did you enjoy the meal? A food diary can help you discover unhealthy patterns and give you clues on how to break them.

2. Eat smaller but more frequent meals. It boosts your metabolism and keeps hunger at bay, so you are less likely to overeat. Aim for five or six small meals instead of three large ones.

3. Drink water before a meal. Drink at least six glasses a day; eight would be great. Have an extra glass for every cup of coffee you drink, as caffeine dehydrates. Drink water when you feel hungry, since dehydration is often confused with hunger. If you feel the need for a snack, try having a glass of cold water first to see if the urge goes away. Calories saved for not having a snack: at least 150.

4. Sneak in activity into your daily life. Use the stairs for anything less than five floors up; walk the long way to the supermarket and then carry your bags home instead of taking a taxi; in your office, use the restroom in the floor above you. Every little thing counts. Burn 100 or more extra calories.

5. Avoid super sizing. A muffin should be the size of a large egg. A serving of pasta is about the size of your fist. One ounce of cheese equals four dice. Cut your portions by a third and you’ll be saving 50 to 200 calories on each meal.

6. Eat half your dessert. Share a piece of cake with your sweetie. Order the smallest serving you see in the display. Do not add syrup or whipped cream to your apple pie. Save at least 200 calories.

7. Switch to diet soda. If you drink two cans of regular soda a day, switching to diet will save you over 350 calories.

8. Work around the house. Vacuum every room. Do yard work. Dust above the refrigerator and any other high and difficult places you can think of. You burn about 150 calories for an hour of preparing dinner and over 300 calories for mopping up after the dinner guests leave.

9. Take up gardening. Plant vegetables to enjoy fresh salads or flowers to beautify your backyard. Grow herbs and use them to spice up homemade low-fat marinades and soups. Gardening burns over 300 calories an hour.

10. Change your china. Most people tend to finish the food on their plates, whatever the amount. Trick your mind by using dessert plates instead of jumbo ones and you will be eating up to 30 percent less food than usual. Depending on the food (salad or French fries?), you can save from 50 to 250 calories.

11. Walk. Walk to work, walk instead of driving, walk laps around the mall, walk during lunch hour, get off the bus one stop earlier and walk, adopt a dog from the local shelter and walk him or her twice a day. Aim for at least 12,000 steps a day. Walking briskly burns about 300 calories an hour.

12. Avoid late night snacking. If you stay up late and need to refuel, snack on crackers and peanut butter, a cup of light popcorn, or a small yogurt. If you find yourself eating large quantities of food at night, review your food diary.

13. Choose fat-free milk over whole milk. Dairy products are a source of cholesterol, artery-clogging fat. Lower the consumption of dairy in general, but especially full-fat products. By switching to skim milk, you save 100 calories a glass.

14. Park your car (or sell it) and jump on a bike. Use it on weekends for fun and during the week to commute to work. Find uphill roads in your neighborhood and make them part of your route. An hour of biking at a steady pace of 8mph on a level surface burns 300 calories.

15. Have a single scoop of ice cream instead of two. Or switch to frozen yogurt. Reduced-fat frozen yogurt is lower in calories than most light ice creams. Fruit sorbet is even better and some of them provide Vitamin C. Calories saved: 70 and up.

16. Pass on second helpings. Or wait at least 20 minutes before going for seconds, which is the amount of time it takes your brain to register that you are full. By the time the 20 minutes are over, you’re probably won’t be hungry anymore. Not having a second serving of mashed potatoes, for example, will save you 170 calories.

17. Don’t skip breakfast. People who do tend to overeat later in the day. When you’re hungry, your body also goes into starvation mode, shutting down and burning less fat to conserve energy. Start your day with a balanced breakfast and save hundreds of calories from mindless snacking later in the day.

18. Go meatless once in a while. Or permanently. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) confirms a link between a vegetarian diet and a reduced risk for obesity. On average, vegetarians are ten percent leaner than meat eaters. Try a soy burger, have a bowl of vegetarian chili, or switch to veggie bacon. Vegetarian alternatives are 50 to 200 calories lighter than the traditional meat dish.

19. Get a pet. A dog requires a minimum of two walks a day plus weekends of Frisbee in the park. Put on rollerblades instead of simply walking with your dog. Run together. If you can’t afford to care for a pet, volunteer at the local shelter. They are always in need of dog walkers and volunteers to help socialize the animals. Act like a passionate pet owner for an hour and burn almost 400 calories.

20. Fidget. Tap your feet. Drum your fingers on the table. Stretch. Stand up and move around. Even standing up burns more calories than simply sitting down on the couch. Calories burned: from 100 to 150 an hour.

21. Go low carb. But not completely. Cut down on white breads, excessive sugary snacks and starchy vegetables such as potatoes. Eat more whole grains and green vegetables. Save calories by the hundreds.

22. Do not shop for food when you’re hungry. Always have a healthy snack before heading to the supermarket. Make a shopping list and stick to it, even if it means rushing through the aisles to avoid temptation. Stay away from checkout lines with large chocolate or candy displays. Save money and at least 200 calories (the amount in a small chocolate bar).

23. At restaurants, consider ordering an appetizer or side dish instead of a full plate. They are usually a more appropriate size than the extra-large portions served at many restaurants. Calories saved: 400 and up.

24. Sip green tea instead of coffee. Three cups a day will boost your metabolism and help your body burn an extra 100 calories.

25. Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Alcohol slows down your metabolism and the rate at which you burn fat. Avoid beer; choose wine wines over reds; and stay away from creamy, sugary cocktails. Drink a glass of cold water between drinks. Switch your sweet wine (206 calories a glass) for dry (100 calories). For every can of beer you don’t drink you will save 110 calories.

26. Make good use of the seasons. In winter, go skiing or snowshoeing and burn up to 600 calories in an hour. In spring, spring-clean your house and get rid of up to 400 unwanted calories. In summer, go swimming and wash off 500 calories. In the fall, rake leaves together with 250 calories.

27. Ask for salad dressing "on the side" and then dip your fork in it before each bite. At home, skip dressings altogether and use herbs and spices for seasoning. Save over 100 calories.

28. Give up butter. A tablespoon adds 110 calories of fat and no nutrients to your diet. Light butter will save you about half the calories, but it still adds up if you’re not careful. Calories saved: 110.

29. Cheeses are high in calories and fat. When available, always choose the low fat version. Sharper cheeses are best, since you don’t need to use so much. Calories saved for cutting one slice of Swiss cheese: 110.

30. Play with your kids every day. If you have a baby, put him or her in a stroller and go for a jog. If you don’t have children, borrow your friend’s. An hour of chasing a toddler burns 200 calories. More if you have a really active toddler. Or twins.

31. Beware of coffee. While plain black coffee will not interfere with your weight loss efforts, richer options are certainly another story. A large cafe mocha with whipped cream at Starbucks will set you back 490 calories. Order your coffee skinny (with fat-free milk) and hold syrups and creams. Or have a traditional coffee with a chocolate chip cookie for only 150 calories.

32. Dip carefully. Be mindful not only of what the snacks are (pick baked tortillas over chips) but also of the actual dips. Select low-fat mayonnaise instead of regular, salsa in place of guacamole, hummus instead of cheese sauces. Beware of fat content also, as many dips are high in peanut and coconut oil. Dip sparingly and save at least 20 calories a dip.

33. Feeling like Italian? Skip the calzones (500 calories) and the deep tray pizza (350). Order a thin crust, veggie pizza, which normally includes lots of vegetables and almost half the cheese of a regular slice. Hold the pepperoni. Save at least 150 calories.

34. Stop picking on food. Resist the urge to sample while cooking, finishing the food on your children’s plates, or “just having a bite” every time you open the refrigerator. Innocent bites of only 30 calories each can add up to 300 or 400 calories at the end of the day.

35. Beware of mindless TV-induced snacking. To avoid finishing the whole bag of potato chips or popcorn, serve yourself a portion in a bowl and eat only that. Calories saved for not eating a whole 8oz. bag of potato chips: 600.

36. Skip the carwash. Put on a bikini, pretend you’re back in college and wash your car by hand. For an hour of entertaining the neighbors, you’ll burn 350 calories.

37. Increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Fiber makes you full so you’ll be less tempted to snack on sugary or fatty foods. It also takes longer to chew and digest so you’ll feel full for a longer time. Fiber can save a few snacks a day, which can add up to 400 calories or more.

38. Beware of “healthy” muffins. A Dunkin Doughnuts reduced-fat blueberry muffin sounds healthy but packs 450 calories. Order a donut instead and you will only be taking in 200 calories. Or replace with an English muffin for a mere 170 calories.

39. Go on fitness dates. Suggest mini-golf (200 calories/hour), ice skating (450/hour), dancing (300), or even a picnic followed by a nice walk in the park (250)

40. Walk up and down the beach instead of laying for hours in the sun. Both your waist and your skin will thank you. Running in the sand is also an excellent workout, since it calls for balance and engages more muscles than running on pavement. An hour of sand walking will burn about 250 calories.

41. At fast food restaurants and mall cafés, order a kid’s meal. They are the right size for an average weight woman. Calories saved when compared to a huge adult serving: at least 200.

42. Ban white sugar from your diet. Drink your tea plain or with lemon. For your coffee, try some of the "alternative sugars" available, such as Splenda. Calories saved: 15 for every teaspoon you used to have.

43. Find an active hobby. Pick pottery wheel or sculpting over reading. Build birdhouses. Paint a room instead of a portrait. Calories burned: anything from 150 to 400 an hour.

44. Spice up your food. University research indicates spices such as chili can raise your metabolic rate by up to 50% for hours after you’ve finished your meal.

45. Stop eating when you are full. There is no rule that says you have to finish whatever is on your plate.

Remember, commitment is key. Make changes you can live with and you'll be more likely to stick to them.