Losing a large amount of weight too quickly can be dangerous for people of any body type. Extreme calorie-restriction diets or over-exercising can lead to discomfort, injuries, unhealthy changes in metabolism or other negative effects. Consequently, it’s important to design a weight loss plan that progresses gradually and allows your body time to adjust to each change. A collection of small changes can easily result in healthy weight loss, especially over a month-long period. To do it, focus on a comprehensive fitness plan that includes exercise variety and healthy eating.
Step 1
Build a varied exercise plan that includes stretching, aerobics and strength training. The Cleveland Clinic recommends including all three elements for the best weight loss results, and each component helps enhance the effects of the other two. Try workouts that are simple to do from home and don’t require special equipment or a gym membership. Jogging, brisk walking, weightlifting, core exercises, yoga, Pilates and team sports are all good choices.
Step 2
Exceed the American College of Sports Medicine’s guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise and two strength training sessions per week. Accelerate healthy weight loss by aiming to exercise for a minimum of 45 minutes on most days of the week. To burn even more calories, try vigorous cardio exercises such as rollerblading, taekwondo or jumping rope, which all burn more than 900 calories per hour for a 200-lb. person, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Step 3
Eat a healthy, nutritious and low-calorie diet. Seek out fresh fruits, vegetables, plant-based proteins and whole grains. Limit the amount of full-fat dairy products, fatty meats, refined grains and high-calorie snack foods in a daily diet. Make healthy substitutions in meals and snacks, as HelpGuide.org recommends. For example, sip water instead of soft drinks or flavored coffee drinks, and eat oatmeal with fresh fruit instead of pancakes with syrup and butter. Focus on whole, fresh, unprocessed foods with many nutrients and little fat, sodium, cholesterol or sugar.
Step 4
Define goals that are achievable and actionable. Rather than establishing a goal to “Lose 10 lbs. by next month,” focus on goals such as “Climb a flight of stairs without breathing hard” or “Run a full mile without stopping to walk.” By concentrating on actionable goals, it will be easier to maintain focus on workouts, and it’s likely that you’ll lose just as much or more weight than you would if you defined progress by scale numbers only. Go for gradual, consistent results. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that people who lose weight slowly, at a rate of 1 or 2 lbs. per week, are more likely to keep it off over time than those who lose weight rapidly.
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