It's natural to want to lose weight quickly. If you make dramatic changes in your lifestyle and diet, you will be able to drop pounds rapidly. However, consider pacing your weight loss at one to two pounds per week, a rate that's within your reach to maintain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that people who lost weight at that pace were able to keep it off more successfully than those who slimmed down more quickly.
Cut Calories
Weight loss comes down to burning more calories than you take in. To make that process easier, it's helpful to reduce the total number of calories you eat daily. Eating less is a good start, but you can also try changing the foods you eat. If you normally eat out or frequent fast food restaurants, try cooking your own meals instead. Avoid extra snacks, desserts and foods that you know won't fill you up.
Substitute
The healthy-living resource HelpGuide.org recommends substituting tempting high calorie or high fat foods with healthier items. For every 3,500 calories you save with substitutions, you'll lose an extra pound. Try drinking water instead of soda and sipping regular coffee instead of a latte or mocha. Eat fresh fruit or sorbet instead of more fattening desserts, and have oatmeal instead of pancakes or French toast.
Vary Your Diet
It's important to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy when you follow a weight loss plan. One way to do that and cut calories at the same time is to abide by the United States Department of Agriculture's food pyramid. The pyramid recommends limiting your daily intake of calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar while eating daily servings of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low fat or nonfat dairy products and grains, particularly whole grains. Focus on fresh, natural and unprocessed or minimally processed foods to get the most nutritional benefits and the fewest calories.
Exercise
When you add exercise to a healthy diet plan, you'll lose weight faster and reduce your risk of many chronic diseases. The American College of Sports Medicine has minimum guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 60 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week for healthy adults, but you should aim to exceed those markers if you want to lose weight quickly. Begin with a varied exercise plan that you're excited about, and gradually work toward increasing the intensity and time that you regularly work out. The more you move, the more calories you'll burn.
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