With many of the health risks of being overweight and obese now being understood, the benefits of reaching a healthy body fat percentage are more clear than ever. Losing 80 pounds should be considered a long-term goal and it's important that you understand that it's going to take patience and discipline to reach that goal. A combined program of healthy eating and daily exercise is the most healthy and safe way to losing the weight.
Step 1
Visit your medical professional. Receive a physical examination so that your health is cleared and you're sure that you're safe to proceed with an exercise program. Your doctor may have specific recommendations for you dependent on your personal health status.
Step 2
Weigh yourself on the same day every week. By keeping track of your progress and seeing the improvements that come from your efforts, you will continue to build on your motivation to stay with the program. Knowing that you're going to be weighing yourself will help you stay accountable when you're tempted to make unhealthy choices.
Step 3
Focus on losing one to two pounds per week. This is a healthy rate of weight loss, but would mean that it will take you at least 40 weeks to reach your goal. It's important to break down your weight loss efforts into smaller, short-term goals instead of focusing on the big picture. This will help you concentrate on what you need to do on a daily basis to reach your overall goal.
Step 4
Incorporate at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise into your daily routine. Cardiovascular exercise efficiently burns calories and will greatly increase your fat loss. Choose activities that you enjoy, as doing so will help with your motivation to get your workouts done. Running, walking, swimming, biking and using the elliptical machine are some examples of effective calorie-burning exercise activities.
Step 5
Exercise at home. You may feel self-conscious exercising in front of others. If so, add physical activities that you can do at home, such as doing yard work in the back yard. If you have the financial means, purchase a stationary cardiovascular machine so that you can work out whenever you want and in the privacy of your home.
Step 6
Choose safe cardiovascular activities. Running while carrying a significant amount of weight puts impact and stress on your joints. Walking, swimming and riding an elliptical machine or bicycles increases your heart rate, burns calories and doesn't put any impact on your joints.
Step 7
Strength train twice a week. Increasing your lean muscle mass will boost your overall metabolism, causing your body to burn more calories throughout the day. The presence of muscle requires constant energy, so even while you're at rest, you will be burning more calories than if you didn't have the muscle.
Step 8
Determine your daily calorie needs and consume 500 fewer calories than that total per day. Mayo Clinic offers an online calorie calculator to first determine how many calories you need per day. Cutting 500 calories from what you need per day will help create a necessary calorie deficit to lose fat. Incorporating this step into your regime will equate to one pound of fat loss per week. A common way to reach this goal is to cut your meal portions in half, eating less per meal.
Step 9
Make healthy food choices. Eat fruits and vegetables for snacks. Choose baked chips over regular ones. Pay attention to nutrition labels and stay away from foods that are high in calories and fat.
Step 10
Drink water. Sodas, juices, energy drinks and alcohol have a significant number of calories in them and you can greatly reduce your overall calorie intake just by cutting these from your diet and drinking only water.
Step 11
Give yourself rewards. Celebrate your accomplishments by buying yourself gifts or doing activities that you enjoy. Meeting your weekly exercise and eating goals should be rewarded. This will also help you focus on the day to day process of weight loss.
Tips and Warnings
- A more realistic way to cut calories from your diet is to allow yourself to still eat your favorite foods, but to limit the portions that you consume. Not allowing yourself to eat what you like can backfire and make you more susceptible to giving up.
- It's highly recommended that you see your doctor prior to starting any weight loss program.
Things You'll Need
- Weights
- Watch timer
- Scale
Member Comments