Whether you're slimming down for a class reunion or a beach bash, you can drop pounds and inches quickly with a carefully-crafted diet and exercise plan. Regular exercise and a healthy diet work for long-term weight loss, but when you're short on time, you need strategies designed to increase your calorie burn even more.
Step 1
Engage in high-intensity cardiovascular interval training for one hour, five days a week. In as few as seven workouts, you can increase your body's ability to burn fat by an impressive 36 percent, according to a study published in 2006 in the "Journal of Applied Physiology." A team of researchers from Scotland and Canada engaged study participants in one-hour workouts consisting of four-minute bursts of cycling followed by two-minute rest periods. Make interval training work for you by incorporating it into your existing workouts. If you run, skip the long, steady slog through the park and pick up the pace with sprints every three to five minutes. If you typically circuit-train, drop the weights momentarily to do plyometric jumps or another vigorous exercise.
Step 2
Drink eight glasses of cold water each day, and you can burn an additional 400 calories, according to a study published in the December 2003 issue of "The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism." Drinking water temporarily increases your metabolism and prevents you from confusing thirst and hunger. Make a few of those glasses iced green tea with caffeine to burn even more calories. Researchers from the Netherlands found that consuming green tea not only increases thermogenesis, as does water, but also spares lean muscle tissue and increases fat oxidation throughout the day. They published their results in the April 26, 2010, issue of the journal "Physiology and Behavior."
Step 3
Reduce your total caloric intake to about 1,500 calories each day. Research published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" indicates that a diet with 30 percent of total calories from protein yields reduced appetite, which will help you stick to the reduced-calorie plan. Furthermore, protein requires additional energy to digest, so 100 calories of protein may actually yield more net energy than 100 calories of fat. Splash some vinegar into the plan and you could suppress fat accumulation without increasing calories. Japanese researchers published a study in August 2009 in the journal "Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry" and found that study participants who consumed about one tablespoon of vinegar each day reduced their BMI, waist circumference and body fat percentage during the 12-week study.
Tips and Warnings
- Adopt a "fake it till you make it" mentality and use self-tanner to create a more slender appearance in swimwear. Under clothes, use slimming undergarments to give you the appearance of a toned body while you work toward it.
- Never crash-diet. Consuming fewer than 1,200 calories a day will backfire with lost muscle, a slowed metabolism and insufficient energy to engage in exercise.
References
- "Journal of Applied Physiology"; "Two Weeks of High-Intensity Aerobic Interval Training Increases Fat Oxidation"; December 7, 2006
- "Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry"; "Vinegar intake Reduces Body Weight, Body Fat Mass and Serum Triglyceride Levels in Obese Japanese Subjects"; August 2009; T. Kondo et al
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; "A High-Protein Diet Induces Sustained Reductions in Appetite"; David S. Weigle et al; July 2005
- "The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism:" Water-Induced Thermogenesis"; M. Boschmann et al; December 2003
- "Physiology and Behavior"; "Green Tea Catechins, Caffeine and Body -Weight Regulation"; April 26, 2010
Member Comments