Eating less and cutting back on unhealthy foods is recognized by organizations like the Harvard School of Public Health, the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health as the best way to lose weight. Combine these strategies with regular exercise to accelerate your 20-lb. weight loss. The fastest you should aim to lose weight is about 1 or 2 lbs. per week, but you may be able to drop weight a bit faster in the first week or two of your plan if these changes are drastic for you, according to MayoClinic.com.
Step 1
Cut back on discretionary calories---which the United States Department of Agriculture explains come from "extras" like solid fats, added sugars and alcohol. Skip one soda, doughnuts in the break room, the fancy coffee drink, butter on your toast and cheese on your sandwich, for example, which add up to about 875 calories a day---over one and a half pounds per week of weight loss, so you can lose 20 lbs. in just over three months.
Step 2
Keep your portion sizes slim. Eat just 3 oz. of lean beef, poultry or fish with each meal. Include one slice of bread or ½ cup of grains, going for whole varieties as much as often. Have a cup of vegetables at most meals---preferably leafy greens or dark orange, non-starchy types. Snack on fresh fruit or low-fat dairy products like cottage cheese and plain yogurt. Measure easily by eyeing your portions---a serving of protein is about the size of a deck of cards, ½ cup of cooked broccoli looks like a light bulb and a standard slice of bread is about the size of a cassette tape, says the Cleveland Clinic.
Step 3
Use easy cooking techniques like grilling, poaching, steaming broiling and roasting. Use olive oil or canola cooking spray to prevent sticking and promote browning on roasted, grilled and broiled foods. Flavor foods easily instead with a squirt of lemon or lime, vinegar, herbs and spices.
Step 4
Make an effort to be more physically active. Burn an extra 270 calories per day, if you weigh 160 lbs., simply by adding a brisk walk for an hour in the evenings and stimulate another ½-lb. of weight loss per week. Split up exercise over the course of the day if you cannot fit an hour in all in one solid block, recommends the American College of Sports Medicine. Walk, or do another exercise of choice, 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes at lunch and 30 minutes in the evening if necessary.
Tips and Warnings
- Do not follow fad or starvation diets in an effort to lose weight quickly. These diets may help you lose the weight initially, but you will gain it back soon after you go back to your regular eating habits. MedLine Plus, a service of the National Institutes of Health, says you need a minimum of 1,200 calories per day if you are a woman or 1,500 if you are a man.
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