Engulfed in a lifestyle that promotes instant gratification, everyone wants a quick, easy solution to the age-old question of how to lose weight. According to CNN.com Americans spend $40 billion a year on weight loss solutions ranging from diet pills to gym memberships. The sad truth remains: There's no miracle cure for weight loss. A responsible exercise and diet plan in which the body burns more calories than it takes in is the only solution for permanent weight loss.
Diet Basics
Shapefit.com recommends that you eat a small meal every two to three hours to keep metabolism revved up all day. Eat lean proteins, whole grain carbohydrates and unsaturated fats from natural sources such as nuts, avocados and olive oil. Drink eight glasses of water a day to increase waste elimination and stay hydrated. Tatiana Ridley, a certified health and wellness coach in New York City, notes that clients often mistake dehydration for hunger.
Diet Components
Eat 8 to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day to encourage weight loss. The soluble fiber lessens hunger and prevents overeating. Include high-water options such as oranges and celery and count potatoes as a carbohydrate instead of a vegetable.
Implement green tea into your diet. Diabetes.com says regular consumption of green tea boosts metabolism and burns up to 78 calories per day in adults.
Exercise Basics
The American College of Sports Medicine updated its exercise standards in 2009. The newest research, published in the February 2009 issue of the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise says people must exercise four or more hours a week to lose weight.
Healthyweightforum.org recommends timing your workout to boost metabolism. Metabolism slows down about eight hours into the day, so work out in the afternoon to burn more calories all day long.
Exercise Components
Get four-plus hours of cardiovascular exercise such as swimming, speed walking, biking, hiking or rowing each week. Use interval training, a routine alternating high-intensity and low-intensity segments of cardio, to keep your workout interesting.
Add weight lifting one to two times a week to build muscle tone. Lift weights heavy enough that you cannot perform more than 10 or 12 repetitions. Muscles must be worked to exhaustion to get stronger. Rest at least one day between lifting weights that target similar muscle groups.
Keep a Diary
Keep a food intake and exercise diary. Track your habits for a week before starting a weight loss plan to determine how many calories you consume and burn each day. Cut food consumption by 200 to 400 calories a day and burn an additional 200 to 300 calories a day exercising. Plan to eliminate 500 calories a day through diet and exercise changes, and you will lose one pound each week.
Record hardships, distractions and stumbles in your weight loss diary and brainstorm solutions. Always snack watching TV? Limit tube time or pick up a hand-busy hobby such as knitting when you sit down on the couch.
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