If you want to lose 20 lbs. in four months, you need to set a pace to lose just over a pound a week. This is a safe weight loss plan that is not too overwhelming. In order for you to do this though, you are going to need discipline with your diet and exercise habits. If you do one without the other, you can still achieve your goal of 20 lbs., but it won't come as easy and it might not happen in four months.
Step 1
Weigh yourself first thing in the morning. Roll out of bed, use the bathroom, strip down to your underwear and step onto the scale. Write down your weight and place this on your refrigerator, in plain view at your office or on your dresser. This will give you a constant reminder of where you do not want to be and it will help you stay motivated.
Step 2
Create a reward system. Book a weekend getaway at an exclusive resort four months down the road. Use this as added motivation to stay on track for making your goal. Set up something more materialistic if you do not like to travel, such as buying a new TV, buying a new piece of jewelry or getting a new stereo system for your car.
Step 3
Carry around a small notebook to track your calories for a full week. Monitor every food and liquid calorie you take in for the week, add all the totals together and divide by seven to get an average. Subtract 375 calories from this total to get your new daily intake. Use an online resource like The Daily Plate to help with tracking.
Step 4
Eat nutrient-dense, healthy foods instead of empty calorie foods. Give up pizza, burgers, chips, cakes, cookies, doughnuts and any other food that is high in calories and low in nutrient values. Eat foods like eggs, chicken breasts, lean beef, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Replace all liquid-calorie beverages with water or unsweetened tea as well, to make it easier to meet your caloric restriction. Eat small, balanced meals every two to three hours to keep your metabolism elevated and appetite satisfied. A bison burger on a whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato is an excellent meal example.
Step 5
Burn 375 calories a day with exercise. Utilize an online activity calculator like CaloriesperHour.com to figure out caloric expenditures of various exercises. Input your weight, the time you are going to exercise and then select the exercise you are going to do. Your caloric expenditure will then appear. Perform any type of exercise as long as you burn at least 375 calories during your workout. Make sure to mix in at least two weight training sessions a week as building muscle will increase your metabolism.
Step 6
Step back onto the scale after a week to see if you lost any weight. With your diet and exercise caloric expenditure, you are on pace to lose one and a half pounds a week. This is because you are burning 750 calories a day which comes out to a 5,250-calorie deficit for the week and it takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose one pound. Increase your exercise duration, decrease your calories slightly or do both if you have not lost at least one and a half pounds. Keep everything right where it is if you have. Check your weight every week to make sure you are staying on track.
Things You'll Need
- Scale
- Notebook
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