The day has finally come that you are willing to do whatever it takes to fit into your dress. Even though you only need to lose a few pounds, you should still take a healthy and natural approach. Following crash diet plans and consuming supplements come at more than a monetary cost. They can also cause harmful side effects. Lose your weight by changing your diet and becoming more active.
Step 1
Decrease your caloric intake to promote weight loss. Calculate your daily average intake, and cut back 500 to 1,000 calories from it. In doing so, give up the high-fat, high-sodium and high-sugar foods that you currently eat. Replace them with nutrient-packed foods instead, such as lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, tofu and low-fat dairy products. Give yourself a treat once a week so you do not feel deprived.
Step 2
Make healthy food choices when dining out. Avoid high-calorie dressings and sauces with your meals. Ask for them to be placed on the side, and use them sparingly. Choose baked, broiled and steamed entrees and sides instead of deep-fried, batter-dipped and pan-fried foods. This will help keep your calories under control.
Step 3
Choose water as your main beverage. Calories from soda, wine, beer, fruit punch, sweetened teas and Slushies all add up and cause weight gain. Do not be fooled by the fact that they are in liquid form. Give them up, and drink water as your only source of liquids. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women get approximately 2.7 liters of water a day. This comes out to about 12 cups.
Step 4
Chew your food slowly. Eating quickly will cause you to eat too much. Place your fork down after taking a bite of food, and swallow completely before going for another bite.
Step 5
Perform cardiovascular exercise to lose weight throughout your whole body. Do any form of cardio as long as you work out at a moderate to high intensity. Brisk walking, biking, elliptical training, stair climbing, cardio dance classes and inline skating are all examples. Aim for 45 minutes of cardio, and do it three to four days a week.
Step 6
Execute strength-training exercises twice a week to build muscle and increase your resting metabolism. Do exercises for all of your major muscle groups, such as chest presses, shoulder presses, bent-over rows, triceps extensions, biceps curls and lunges. Do 10 to 12 reps and three to four sets for each exercise.
Step 7
Attend Pilates classes to tighten and tone your waistline. Take classes two to three times a week. Invest in a DVD for home use if you do not have classes available in your area.
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