If you seek quick, safe weight loss, you are not alone: 66 percent of Americans are overweight or obese in 2010, reports Medline Plus, a service of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). There is no magical method for weight loss: You must reduce caloric intake and become more physically active to drop pounds. Certain strategies can help make it more manageable, but the NIH cautions against losing weight faster than about two pounds per week unless you are under a doctor's supervision. Consult your doctor before beginning any new diet or exercise regimen.
Step 1
Reduce your portion sizes and make healthier choices. Eat fewer calories than you burn by sticking to a standard 3 to 4 oz. of lean proteins and a half-cup of starches at most meals. Think of an appropriate serving of meat as being the size of a deck of cards and starch, like rice, as the amount that would fit in a cupcake wrapper, recommends the Cleveland Clinic. Choose lean proteins, whole grains and unsaturated fats whenever possible --- you do not have room for discretionary calories when looking to quickly drop weight.
Step 2
Fill up on fresh vegetables and fruits. Bulk up your portions by adding spinach to soup, incorporating broccoli into casseroles, using spaghetti squash instead of pasta and filling half your cereal bowl with berries, suggest the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This can save hundreds of calories and fight feelings of deprivation that often accompany a low-calorie plan. Eating ample produce also ensures you take in enough nutrition.
Step 3
Eat every meal. Do not skip meals or starve yourself; women need at least 1,200 per day, men at least 1,500. Skipping meals shuts your metabolism down and may make you feel so hungry that you cannot help but binge or cheat on your plan, slowing your weight-loss progress. Include breakfast: 75 percent of successful losers on the National Weight Control Registry --- a group of 5,000 dieters who have lost an average of 66 pounds --- cite eating breakfast as a key to their results.
Step 4
Exercise regularly, including both cardiovascular and strength work. Exceed the American College of Sports Medicine's guidelines for health and participate in moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise at least an hour on most days of the week --- brisk walking, jogging and swimming are some examples. Aim to burn 250 to 500 calories per workout beyond what you already burn to lose ½ to 1 pound per week.
Step 5
Take advantage of every opportunity to move. Go for an extra walk in the evening instead of watching television. Meet friends for a dance class instead of drinks. Volunteer to mow the lawn, vacuum and do the laundry. These small movements can burn an extra 350 calories per day, the "New York Times" reported in 2005 --- resulting in an additional .7 lb. of weight lost per week.
Tips and Warnings
- Take your time to lose weight the right way. You can lose weight quickly with a variety of fad diets or drastic measures, but experts agree that you're likely to gain it all back, and then some, as soon as you return to your original eating patterns.
- Remember that fad diets and quick weight-loss schemes will not help you safely lose weight and keep it off. They often lead to nutritional deficiencies, low energy and irritability, the American Heart Association cautions. When you regain weight, which is almost inevitable following very fast weight loss, it will most likely be in the form of fat.
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