Losing 100 pounds is a matter of applied physics. If you burn more calories than you eat, you'll lose weight. Even if it's just 100 calories less each day, you'll lose the 100 over the course of a few years. Losing 100 pounds in a hurry is more of a challenge. Although health counselor Maya Paul recommends losing no more than two pounds per week, this plan starts with a brief spurt of faster weight loss to help you get excited and motivated about shedding the rest.
Preparation Stage
Step 1
Spend two weeks tracking your diet in a journal. Write down everything you eat and drink, even small snacks. Note the approximate portion size, but don't start weighing everything on a scale.
Step 2
Note the caloric value of any foods you eat from the package. You'll find it on the nutrition information panel. This will save you time later on.
Step 3
Look up the caloric value of what you ate using one of many free online calorie calculators. Write down the amounts next to each entry in your journal.
Step 4
Total the calories you ate for each day. Add them together, then divide by 14. This will tell you how many calories you eat on average in a day.
Stage One
Step 1
Eat 1000 fewer calories daily than you did before starting your diet. This will be easier if you plan and prepare your meals in advance. Use the online calorie counting site to calculate what you can eat.
Step 2
Eat a healthful diet with the calories you do permit yourself. Eat foods rich in protein and essential oils and consume vegetables in abundance. Watch how much fruit you take in: they're healthful but high in sugar. Avoid carbohydrates, sweets and sugary drinks including most fruit juices. Take a multivitamin daily to help fill in any corners your new diet left out.
Step 3
Walk thirty minutes every morning at a brisk pace. For a 250 pound person, this alone will burn off nearly one pound per week.
Step 4
Get thirty to forty minutes of interval training each evening. With interval training, you alternate between two minutes of a fast pace and two minutes of an easy pace. Use the pace and exercise that your body is ready for, whether that's walking, running, cycling, swimming or another aerobic workout.
Step 5
Take one day off each week from your exercise routines, giving your body time to rest.
Step 6
Maintain this regimen for one month. This should result in losing as many as 25 pounds, says fitness coach Ben Cohn. However, it would be difficult to sustain over the long haul.
Stage Two
Step 1
Add 500 calories per day to your diet, making them up out of fruits, proteins and vegetables. Resist the temptation to make it 500 calories worth of empty treats.
Step 2
Continue walking in the morning every day, 20-30 minutes at a brisk pace.
Step 3
Reduce your cardiovascular workout to three days per week on alternating days. Continue to do interval training. As your body gets used to the exercise, try newer and more rigorous types of exercise. For example, you might trade in power walking for jogging.
Step 4
Get a resistance workout three times per week, on days you're not doing your cardio. This can be weight lifting at the gym, calisthenics in your bedroom or a group fitness class like yoga. Resistance training doesn't burn a lot of calories. However, it does boost your metabolism and builds an under layer of muscle that can make your remaining fat appear more attractive.
Step 5
Maintain this regimen until you've lost the remaining weight. Cohn notes that most people will lose between 2 and 3 pounds per week on this diet, meaning you'll reach your goal in four to eight months.
Tips and Warnings
- Consider undergoing this program with a buddy. It makes the entire process more fun, and gives you somebody to help keep you motivated when it's hard.
- Rapid weight loss can lead to health problems. Consult with your doctor before beginning this or any other weight loss program.
Things You'll Need
- Internet access
- Journal
- Bathroom scale
References
- Ben Cohn; Fitness Coach; Hillsboro, OR
- "Body for Life"; Bill Philips; 2006
- Changing Shape: Exercise Calorie Counter
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Walter Willet & P.J. Skerrett; 2005
- Help Guide.org: Healthy Weight Loss
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