The battle of the bulge seems like an ongoing war, but you can win with the right strategy. Losing weight is a numbers game. To lose weight you have to create a calorie deficit, meaning burning more than you consume. Crash diets or pills can provide fast results, but these methods can be unhealthy. You can lose weight easily and quickly with regular activity and clean eating habits. Healthy eating will help you decrease the number of calories you consume daily. Regular exercise will help to increase your metabolism so you burn more calories even when resting. Sticking to your newly adopted healthy habits will help you shed pounds and keep them off.
Nutrition
Consume a low fat diet. Focus on whole foods in their most natural form. Whole foods take longer to digest so you feel fuller longer, according to MayoClinic.com. Eat lean proteins such as beef, skinless poultry, eggs, coldwater fish, legumes and soybeans. Proteins aid in rebuilding the muscles, which helps to increase metabolism. Consume complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, brown rice, oatmeal and high-fiber cereal to increase energy levels and keep you feeling satiated, so you eat less.
Boost Metabolism
Jump-start your metabolism first thing in the morning with breakfast. When you sleep, you go six to eight hours without food. Going for long periods without a meal causes your body to go into starvation state to preserve energy, according to Natural Health Magazine. When in starvation state, you are more likely to store your meals as fat. Skipping breakfast deprives your body of much-needed nourishment and can trigger overeating later in the day.
Count Calories
Create a calorie deficit by monitoring your meals daily. Record the foods you eat in a journal or use an online weight management tool such as MyPlate on LIVESTRONG.COM. Track your calories for a week to see the average amount you consume on a daily basis. Add up the totals and divide the total by seven to calculate your average. Subtract 500 to 750 calories from your average to calculate your daily goal to lose 1 to 2 lbs. per week.
Resistance Training
Strength training has many benefits, including increased metabolism and stronger bones. Train with weights three days per week. Include compound or multi-joint exercises which engage more muscle groups at one time, notes Bodybuilding.com. Compound exercises burn more calories and help you build muscle quickly. Try exercises like lunges, squats, pull-ups and push-ups. Perform each exercise for three sets of 15 repetitions.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Muscle is the furnace of the body, but cardio revs up the furnace to burn fat. Perform cardiovascular activity three days per week. Jog, walk on the treadmill, bike or take a group fitness class. Vary your cardio so your body doesn't adapt and stop responding.
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