The safest rate of weight loss is about one or two pounds per week, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While this may not be as quick as you would like, it makes your ability to stick to your plan for the long-term more likely and prevents the frustration and burnout that comes with deprivation diets. If you have considerable weight to lose, and make a number of easy changes all at once, you may experience quick initial weight loss before leveling out to the safe one to two pounds per week rate, notes mayoclinic.com.
Step 1
Reduce portion sizes by 10 to 15 percent, recommends the American Council on Exercise, or ACE. Serve yourself less at meals and do not go back for seconds. Leave food on your plate when you dine at restaurants. Do this consistently during the week rather than designating certain days as restrictive and others as "cheat" days.
Step 2
Cut out discretionary calories. Skip soda, energy drinks, candy, cookies, cakes, alcohol and chips. Eliminate just one soda, one doughnut and a beer per day to save 450 calories. Snce 3,500 calories equals a pound, this should result in almost one full pound lost per week.
Step 3
Go for a higher than standard protein diet, as the Harvard School of Public Health notes that it may help you lose weight quickly in the short term. Emphasize proteins low in saturated fat like fish, white-meat poultry and tofu. Do not shun all carbohydrates; rather, use fruits and vegetables as your primary sources so you obtain nutrients and fiber. Obtain 25 percent to 35 percent of your daily calories from protein, an acceptably safe level, according to the Institute of Medicine.
Step 4
Work up to doing an hour or more of moderate- to high-intensity exercise five days per week. Start with smaller increments if you are new to exercise---try just 20 minutes of brisk walking, cycling or swimming per session. Increase the duration by about 10 percent per week until you can sustain a full hour or more, recommends ACE. If you are new to exercise, even a small amount helps you burn more calories and stimulates weight loss.
Tips and Warnings
- Experienced exercisers may benefit from amping up the intensity of workouts by adding short bursts of high intensity intervals--such as all out sprints lasting one or two minutes---throughout their hour-long routine. Exercise does not have to be complicated---even running up and down your stairs or walking through your neighborhood or the mall burns calories.
- Check with your doctor before beginning an exercise routine.
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