While it's not safe to start a crash diet that results in several pounds lost rapidly, it's possible to sensibly lose weight at a reasonable pace of up to two pounds per week. By making smart food choices and adjusting your current diet, you can notice a difference in your body in as little as a few weeks.
Step 1
Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), or the calories you would burn each day if at rest, using an online BMR calculator. Do not consume less calories than this amount to prevent adverse health effects. Your body needs this amount of calories to perform basic functions like breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels and growing and repairing cells, according to MayoClinic.com.
Step 2
Use the Harris Benedict formula to determine how many calories you need per day to maintain your current weight. If you are sedentary, multiple your BMR by 1.2. If you are lightly active, multiple your BMR by 1.375. If you are moderately active, multiple your BMR by 1.55. If you are very active, multiple your BMR by 1.725. If you are extra active, multiply your BMR by 1.9.
Step 3
Subtract a maximum of 500 calories from this number to determine the number of calories per day you should consume for a safe weight loss goal of 2 pounds per week.
Step 4
Eat breakfast. Breakfast jump-starts your metabolism so you burn more calories throughout the day, according to Go Ask Alice, an advice column posted by Columbia University.
Step 5
Combine diet with exercise to lose weight more rapidly than diet or exercise alone. The body begins to conserve energy when you consume less calories, according to a study from Oregon Health & Science University. In the study, monkeys were fed a high-fat diet for years, then switched to a lower-calorie, low-fat diet. In response, the monkeys began to decrease their physical activity level and, as a result, burned fewer calories throughout the day.
Step 6
Eat high-fiber, low-fat foods. Fiber contributes to feelings of fullness, while high-fat foods are often high in calories and not very filling. Examples of generally high-fiber, low-fat foods include fruits, vegetables, broth-based soups, whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy products and beans.
Step 7
Try eating soup before meals. In a 1999 study of lean women, consuming soup before a meal led to lower overall calorie consumption.
References
- Columbia University: Go Ask Alice!: Breakfast: The first chance to fill your tank
- ScienceDaily: Diet Alone Will Not Likely Lead to Significant Weight Loss, Study Suggests
- BMI-Calculator: Harris Benedict Equation
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition": Water incorporated into a food but not served with a food decreases energy intake in lean women; October 1999
- Mayo Clinic: Metabolism and weight loss: How you burn calories
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