There are several ways to lose weight without resorting to pills, which can sometimes be dangerous. Unfortunately there are no quick fixes to being overweight and the best way to lose those extra 20 pounds--and to keep them off--is to follow a plan that will make your weight loss slow and steady. Physicians at the Mayo Clinic report that after the first couple of weeks on a diet, you should lose no more than two pounds per week to have the most long-lasting success. Weight loss is essentially a math problem and you need to expend more calories than you take in.
Restrict Calories
To lose 1 pound you need to burn 3,500 more calories than you take in. This may seem like a lot, but broken up over a week's time it's only 500 calories per day. Calorie savings can be fairly simple with some substitutions. Trading one bag of chips for an apple at lunch will save you 100 calories. Trading two cans of soda for two glasses of flavored water will give you another 300 calories. Cut one tablespoon of butter from a couple slices of bread and you'll have saved your 500 calories for one day. Other ways to cut calories include cutting portion sizes and stopping eating after 7 p.m.
Add Aerobics
The more you move, the more calories you'll burn off, so try and get 30 to 40 minutes of aerobic exercise every day. The Cleveland Clinic reports that this exercise doesn't need to be done at the same time and can be broken up into 10-minute increments. You can do something as simple as walking, or you can hit the gym and work out at an indoor cycling class or even take a class in salsa dancing. Anything that has you moving more than you were before you started your diet plan, will give you an edge. You can check out online sites such as Spark People to find out how many calories are burned during exercises from walking to chopping wood.
Build Muscle
Fat is inert, which means it burns no calories. Muscle, however, uses that fat to burn calories. So the more muscle you can create, the easier it will be to lose or maintain weight. Adding two days of strength training, either with machines at a health club or with free weights at home, will help to build muscle as well as toning them, giving the appearance of more weight lost.
Join a Weight Loss Group
Organized weight loss groups such as Weight Watchers and Overeaters Anonymous can offer support and suggestions for continued weight loss. In addition organized weight loss groups also offer accountability with weekly weigh-ins.
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