Weight loss takes never-ending discipline and the willingness to make changes in your lifestyle. These changes revolve around your dietary habits and levels of physical activity. If you want to lose weight and tone up simultaneously, the best way to pull this off is with patience. Trying to do too much too fast not only can jeopardize your health, but it can cause you to fail in your efforts.
Eat Less
To lose weight, one key step is lowering your intake of food. This can cause a caloric deficit, where your body starts using stored fat for energy. Aim for a reduction of 500 to 1,000 calories per day. This can promote 1 to 2 lbs. of weight loss per week. But do not get too carried away with your deficit. According to the National Institutes of Health, women should not eat fewer than 1,200 calories a day and men should not go below 1,500 calories a day.
Fiber
Fiber is a non-digestible substance that creates bulk in your stomach. Eating foods that are high in fiber can help fill your belly and keep you feeling full long after you are done eating. High-fiber foods include beans, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. According to the Mayo Clinic, a high-fiber diet also may help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. If you are female, aim for 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day. If you are male, aim for 30 to 38 grams a day.
Fats
High-fat foods are high in calories and should be avoided if you want to lose weight. Stay away from processed meats, doughnuts, commercial baked goods, ice cream and deep fried foods. Eat foods that are baked, broiled, steamed or raw. Keep the gravy, dressing, butter and cheese sauces to a minimum.
Water
Water is free of calories and it helps hydrate your system. Those two benefits alone are reasons enough to drink it in place of calorie-containing beverages.
Stay away from high-calorie beverages such as alcohol, sweetened drinks, soda and slushies. Johns Hopkins University researchers found cutting 100 calories from liquids led to better weight loss than cutting 100 calories from solid food.
Build Muscle
Strength training can help tone up your body. As an added benefit, it can build muscle, which burns more calories even at rest. Work out with free weights, machines, rubber tubing or the weight of your body to build muscle. Target all your major muscle groups and work out two to three times a week.
Exercise to Strengthen Heart and Lungs
Aerobic exercise is exercise that strengthens your heart and lungs while burning calories. Perform this type of exercise to lower your weight. Do any form of movement that you find enjoyable, such as brisk walking, running, biking, playing basketball, inline skating or kick boxing.
Member Comments