Many television and Internet ads promote quick, easy weight-loss products and the promise of losing weight with no effort. While you may be able to lose weight with a fad diet, the American Heart Association recommends avoiding quick weight-loss schemes. Losing weight by exercising regularly, eating a healthy well-rounded diet and replacing bad food habits with good is a smart choice. Learn how to enjoy your new healthy lifestyle as your lose weight and look better.
Step 1
Reduce your average caloric intake by about 500 calories, or set a daily caloric intake. The National Institutes of Health cautions that women need a minimum of 1,200 calories while losing weight, and men need a minimum of 1,500 calories. Begin reducing calories by eliminating the extra, unnecessary foods from your diet first. Avoid chips, full-fat ice creams, candy bars, cookies, brownies and fried foods.
Step 2
Eat high-fiber food that help keep you full, recommends MayoClinic.com. Select grains, high-fiber vegetables and beans to eat. For breakfast, include whole-grain waffles with an apple, one-half a bagel spread with 1 tsp. peanut butter or 1 cup of plain oatmeal mixed with blueberries. Eat a lean chicken or turkey sandwich using reduced-calorie bread or a brown rice, bean and vegetable wrap. Include vegetable or whole-wheat pastas, multi-grain rolls, potatoes or polenta with your dinner. In addition to keeping you full, fiber can aid in digestion and help your cholesterol levels.
Step 3
Include low-calorie vegetables, fruits and lean proteins to lose weight steadily and stay healthy. One and one-half cups of a fast food salad with chicken, but no dressing has just 105 calories, according to the USDA's National Nutrient Database. Incorporate more vegetables into your diet by adding them to soups, casseroles and eating them raw. Eat a piece of fruit rather than drink a high-calorie fruit beverage. Eat poultry rather than red meat to save calories, and avoid unhealthy saturated fats.
Step 4
Exercise regularly to assist with your weight loss efforts. In addition to burning calories, exercise can help you feel more positive and help you manage stress more effectively, says the American Council on Exercise. Choose a cardiovascular exercise, such as walking, bicycling, running or swimming, to strengthen your heart and lungs. Commit to exercising a minimum of three times a week. Use resistance bands or light weights to strength train several times a week.
Step 5
Track your calories, nutrients and exercise using a journal. Write down your caloric intake at least three times a week. Analyze your diet to be certain you are eating from all the food groups. Use your journal to write down your exercise and the length of time you exercised. Keep a graph of your weight-loss progress as motivation, recommends HelpGuide.org. If your weight loss hits a plateau, eat fewer calories and exercise more.
Tips and Warnings
- Limit the number of times you eat at restaurants. Pack your healthy lunch the night before. Vary the type of aerobic exercise you perform.
- Avoid fad and crash diets. Ask your doctor for nutritional advice.
References
- American Heart Association: Quick-Weight-Loss or Fad Diets
- National Institutes of Health: Tips for Losing Weight
- MayoClinic.com: Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17: Energy
- American Council on Exercise: Exercise Can Help Control Stress
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