Weight loss is often a struggle, regardless of the amount of weight you have to lose. Burning more calories than you consume daily is the way to lose 20 lbs. Creating this calorie deficit is not always easy when you have job and family obligations that conflict with your intentions to exercise and eat healthfully. Adopt specific strategies to support your weight loss effort and stay on track. Losing 20 lbs. takes time when done in a safe, sustainable rate.
Step 1
Start writing down all the food you eat everyday. Record your hunger level and reasons for eating as well, to identify triggers such as boredom and emotional stress. Be honest in your diary about portion sizes and foods.
Step 2
Identify extra calories that you can do without regularly. Cut out things such as sodas, candy, donuts, cheese on your sandwich and alcohol. Since one pound is equivalent to 3,500 calories, if you trim just 250 calories of these discretionary foods daily, you can spur a ½ lb per week of weight loss.
Step 3
Include regular exercise as part of your weekly routine. Exceed American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines, and work out at a moderate intensity for a minimum of one hour most days of the week. Once you have a base level of fitness, amp up your routine a few days per week to increase calorie burn and maximize your body's fat burning potential. A study in "Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism" published in December 2008 found that including high-intensity aerobic interval training for an hour, three days per week, increases the body's ability to burn fat and carbohydrates. Do your own interval training on any piece of cardio equipment by alternating two- to four-minute bouts of very high-intensity movement with equal amounts of easier work.
Step 4
Burn additional calories in any way possible, suggests the Harvard School of Public Health. Take the stairs, walk instead of drive, volunteer for chores like mowing the lawn and play outside with your kids. Burn just 250 extra calories per day and yield another ½ lb of weight loss per week.
Step 5
Aim for a balanced diet composed of healthy, whole foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, proteins low in saturated fat, low-fat dairy and monounsaturated fats. Control your portions, because even healthy foods can hinder weight loss if you eat too much of them. Stay out of restaurants whenever possible to avoid temptation. Even if you do make a seemingly healthy choice, you are probably taking in too much sodium, sugars and fat. To lose 20 lbs. of body weight, commit to cooking at home at least once or twice a week--and make extra food so you will always have something healthy on hand.
Tips and Warnings
- Aim for a slow rate of weight loss, as it is more likely to mean success in reaching your goals, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
References
- Archives of Internal Medicine: Effect of Exercise on 24-Month Weight Loss Maintenance in Overweight Women
- NIH: High-Intensity Aerobic Interval Training Increases Fat and Carbohydrate Metabolic Capacities in Human Skeletal Muscle
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity Guidelines
- Harvard School of Public Health: How to Get to Your Healthy Weight
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Losing Weight
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