Looking to lose a pound or two (or ten)? It might be a lot easier than you think. Cutting just 500 calories each day for seven days — through a combination of diet and exercise — can mean safely shedding up to a pound a week, experts say. Just remember, said Christine M. Palumbo, RDN, a registered dietician from Naperville, Illinois, there is no magic bullet to weight loss. “You have to make changes to see changes,” she said.