Losing weight fast, naturally and free often entails changes in diet and physical activity. By simply reducing the number of calories you eat each day, coupled with increases in energy expenditure, you can set the stage for weight loss. But how much diet and exercise are needed to shed the excess pounds varies greatly from person to person. This is largely due to your current caloric needs, which depend on your age, gender, height and weight.
Step 1
Calculate your current caloric need. Based on your age, gender, height and weight, you can eat a certain amount of calories without gaining weight. For women, this caloric value is calculated as follows: [655 + (4.35 x pounds) + (4.7 x inches) - (4.7 x years)] x 1.2. The equation is slightly different for men: [66 + (6.23 x pounds) + (12.7 x inches) - (6.8 x years)] x 1.2.
Step 2
Adjust your caloric intake to create a caloric deficit. You need a deficit of 3,500 calories to produce a loss of 1 lb. in weight, explains the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. Eating fewer calories than your current caloric need can create this caloric deficit.
Step 3
Eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. These foods are often considered complex carbohydrates, which provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, while filling you up on far fewer calories. Fewer calories often translate to a caloric deficit.
Step 4
Look for healthier alternatives to red meat. Besides eating more black beans, lima beans, lentils, chickpeas and other legumes, you can incorporate healthier proteins and naturally lower your caloric intake by opting for tofu, tempeh, chicken, turkey, fish and even lean cuts of beef.
Step 5
Choose low-fat over full-fat foods. As a general rule, the lower the fat, the fewer the calories found in the food item. Eating fewer calories reduces your caloric intake and can promote natural weight loss.
Step 6
Track your caloric intake. While eating healthier foods, it's still important to monitor your caloric intake so you don't offset the necessary caloric deficit to promote weight loss. Jot down the food and its caloric worth after every meal or snack.
Step 7
Step up your level of physical activity. This increases the amount of energy expended, which has a direct impact on the number of calories burned each day. The more calories you burn, the more likely you are to produce a caloric deficit.
Tips and Warnings
- Some of the best complex carbs come in the form of oranges, apples, bananas, pears, corn, peas, carrots, green beans, broccoli, spinach, beets, sweet potatoes, lentils, black beans, chickpeas, lima beans and whole grains. Watch your beverage intake. One way to sabotage your weight loss goal is to drink calorie-laden beverages. Soda, juice and alcohol all contain calories that increase your caloric intake. If you do drink beverages with calories, make sure to account for them while tracking your caloric intake.
- Make sure you talk to your primary care doctor before taking steps to lose weight. Your current health may preclude certain weight loss tactics.
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