One of the healthiest ways to lose weight fast, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, is to create a daily deficit of 500 calories. You can do this by eating fewer calories, or burning off calories through exercise. If you reduce your weekly calorie intake by 3,500, you can drop 1 lb. Double your calorie deficit, and you can drop 2 lbs. The AAFP advises that losing more than 2 lbs. a week is not the healthiest way to drop weight because instead of burning off excess fat, you're most likely only losing lean muscle mass. You can safely lose 20 lbs. in 10 weeks.
Step 1
Calculate how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. Go to the Calorie Counter Calculator at the American Cancer Society's website (see Resources). Enter your weight, sex and activity level. The calculator will tell you how many calories you should consume each day to maintain your current weight.
Step 2
Go to the Calories Per Day Calculator at ShapeFit (see Resources) to find out how many calories your body needs each day. This step is different than Step 1 because if you're consuming thousands of extra calories, there's a chance that if you make drastic changes to your diet, you could drop weight much more quickly.
Step 3
Eat five or six smaller meals throughout the day rather than three standard-size meals. This helps avoid those between-meal hunger pangs.
Step 4
Avoid condiments, such as ketchup, barbecue sauce and mayonnaise, which gobble up a huge percentage of your daily calorie allowance. In a 2009 article published by CBS News, dietitian Keri Glassman reported that 3 tbsp. of ketchup has 48 calories; 2 tbsp. of barbecue sauce has 50 calories; and 1 tbsp. of mayo contains 90 calories. Instead, use zero-calorie alternatives: hot sauce, herbs and spices like tarragon and rosemary and lemon juice with garlic.
Step 5
Exercise for at least half an hour every day. Go to ProHealth's Exercise and Activity Calculator (see Resources). Enter the activity, your weight and time spend doing that exercise. The website will calculate how many calories you burned. The good news is you can also calculate things like housework, gardening and pushing a stroller.
Step 6
Drink water instead of soda or juice. Colas are one of the top sources of calories for most Americans, according to a report by ABC News. A 20-oz. bottle of soda can have up to 320 calories. If you replace that with water, you're more than halfway toward your goal of 500 calories.
Step 7
Keep track of how many calories you eat. Go to the USDA's Nutrient Database to get calorie information on thousands of different foods. It also has data on different food preparations. For example, it has calorie information on roasted chicken and fried chicken.
Tips and Warnings
- If water is too bland for your tastes, squeeze in some lemon or lime juice. You can also make a low-calorie lemonade spritzer by combing carbonated water with fresh lemonade.
- Beware of diet pills. The FDA does not regulate these supplements. While they may help you quickly burn off several pounds, they usually do not help you keep the weight off.
Member Comments