When you want to lose a specific amount of weight, you have to be very precise with your approach. If you have patience, you can set yourself up to make slow and steady progress on a weekly basis. This is more manageable than trying to go on crash diets and lose your weight in record-fast time.
Calorie Reduction
To lose weight, you must reduce your intake of calories. To lose 1 to 2 lbs. a week, you need to reduce your daily intake by 500 to 1,000 calories, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before you are able to reduce your calories, you need to first find out what your current intake is. To find this, spend three days tracking all of your liquid and food calories. After adding these totals together, divide by three to get an average. Now make your reduction from this number. If you are in a hurry to lose 30 lbs. and you feel you have good discipline, aim for the 1,000-calorie reduction. For example, if your current daily intake is 2,400 calories, your new intake will be 1,400 calories.
Healthy Eating Choices
Your eating choices play a major role in your weight loss strategy. Even though you are going to be cutting your calories, you still want your intake to come from quality sources. This means avoid anything that is high in sugar, sodium, saturated fat and artificial ingredients. Foods like cheese puffs, deep fried onions, wings, ribs and pastries are high in empty calories. Stay with foods that are more natural and have higher nutrient density like beans, whole grains, lean meats, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. An occasional treat is fine, just keep it to no more than once a week and make sure to get right back on the wagon once you are done.
Breakfast
Before you step out the door to go to work, take a few moments to prepare yourself a healthy breakfast. Not only will this help boost your energy levels, but it will also keep you on track to make healthy foods choices during the course of the day. If you are pressed for time, grab something quick like a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter or mix up some fruit, yogurt and granola.
Multiple Meals
Eating multiple meals will help give your metabolism a boost and it will also keep your belly feeling satisfied. If you do not allow yourself to become hungry, you will not have to worry about overeating. With each of your meals, include a portion of protein and complex carbs to keep them balanced. For example, have half of a whole wheat pita with sliced turkey breast, lettuce, tomato and low-fat mayonnaise. After you have breakfast, eat a small meal every two to three hours for the rest of the day.
Exercise
Exercise is a very important part of your 30-lb. weight loss goal. Being that you are already cutting calories from your diet, aim to burn an additional 500 calories a day with exercise. If you did this in conjunction with a 1,000-calorie food reduction, you would lose about 3 lbs. a week. Do any form of exercise that you enjoy, such as running, brisk walking, elliptical training, inline skating, stair climbing, rowing or jumping rope. As far as your time frame goes, refer to an online activity calculator like Calories per Hour to determine how long you need to exercise to achieve your desired caloric expenditure.
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