Being overweight or obese can be taxing on your mind and physical health. According to the Mayo Clinic, obesity can lead to a number of potentially serious health problems, including gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, and depression. If you want to lower your risk factors and lose fat fast, there are several lifestyle adjustments you can make.
Calorie Cutting
Whether you want to lose 1 lb. or 50 lbs., you must reduce your the number of calories in your daily diet. This is called a caloric deficit and by doing this, you are burning more calories than you are consuming. A safe amount of calories to cut from your daily diet is 500 to 1,000 according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Fiber Consumption
Fiber is a substance found in complex carbohydrates. When consumed, fiber creates bulk in your stomach, causing you to become full and stay full for hours after you are done eating. To get adequate fiber, eat foods like beans, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Give up the refined, simple carbs you currently eat, such as white bread, white rice, crackers, cookies, pastries, and potato chips.
Meals and Snacks
Eating small meals every two to three hours throughout the day can help you lose fat in more ways than one. It can keep your metabolism elevated, control your hunger, and prevent you from overeating. Create meals that contain complex carbs and quality sources of protein. Chicken breasts, lean beef, venison, fish, eggs, and bison are examples of quality proteins. Baked turkey loins with steamed broccoli and quinoa is a lean meal that includes complex carbs.
Liquid Calorie Avoidance
Calories in the form of liquids still qualify as calories, and they can prevent you from losing weight if you keep drinking them. To lose fat fast, give up beer, wine, sweet teas, flavored lattes, soft drinks, and slushies. Drink 10 cups of calorie-free water a day instead. Before you eat a meal, drink a full glass of water to stifle your appetite.
Eating Breakfast
Skipping breakfast can spell disaster when you want to lose weight quickly. This can cause you to become hungry later in the day and eat empty calorie foods to satisfy your appetite. To prevent this, consume a meal upon waking that is high in fiber and balanced. A bowl of whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk is a healthy option.
Interval Training
Interval training is a type of cardiovascular exercise that can burn significant calories during and after your exercise session. This is done by alternating between high and low intensities of exercise. Start with a 5-minute warm-up, end with a 5-minute cool-down and make your low-intensity bouts twice as long as your high-intensity bouts. You can apply interval training to any form of cardio that interests you, such as walking, running, swimming, rowing, elliptical training, or stair-stepping. Perform interval training three days a week on nonconsecutive days.
Lifting Weights
Weight lifting is often forgotten when it comes to weight loss, yet it is very important. When you lift weights, you build muscle, which raises your resting metabolic rate. This means your body efficiently burns calories when you are sitting or lying down. Do exercises that target as much of your body as possible, such as chest presses, shoulder presses, bent-over rows, triceps dips, biceps curls, and squats. Work out with weights three days a week on the alternate days of your cardio exercise.
Additional Exercise
To boost your caloric expenditure, take every opportunity to increase your activity levels. When going to the store, park far away from the entrance. During your lunch break, go outside and do a 10-minute power walk. While watching television at night, walk in place or do some body weight exercises like jumping jacks, crunches, push-ups, and leg raises.
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