While you may want your excess weight to fall off with the snap of your fingers, in reality, this just doesn't happen. A dozen infomercials advertising diet pills may promise this, and the creators of the latest fad diet may guarantee instant weight loss but chances are it's not healthy and you will gain the weight back. The truth is that you lose weight by eating less, exercising more and building some muscle. The rate at which you lose your weight depends on you and how commited you are to your lifestyle changes.
Step 1
Cut your calories. To lose 1 lb. per week, you need to burn 3,500 calories, explains HelpGuide.org. To accomplish this, you need to reduce your daily caloric intake by 500 calories a day for this to happen. To expedite your weight loss efforts, you can reduce your caloric intake and burn calories through exercise. The number of calories you burn depends on the type of exercise you do and the length of time you do it.
Step 2
Practice portion control. Using a smaller plate when eating gives you the impression that your portions are larger when in fact, they are smaller. This helps you eat less without realizing it. Be mindful of what you eat though. A small plate containing a hamburger and fried potatoes contains more calories than a small plate of broiled fish and brown rice. The portions only matter when you are mindful of what you eat.
Step 3
Drink more water through the day. Replace your high-calorie, high-sugar drinks such as soda with a glass of water. It not only saves you approximately 150 calories and 40 g of sugar for every 12-oz. can of soda you drink, it flushes your kidneys and helps fill you up in between meals. When you drink a glass just prior to a meal, you may eat less, according to HelpGuide.org.
Step 4
Make time for aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is any activity that increases your heart rate. You can make it fun and play tag with your kids, dance around your living room when no one is around or rake every single leaf in your yard. If you like walking, talk a brisk hike around your neighborhood, or perhaps you're a water baby and like to swim laps in the pool. Whatever activity you choose, strive for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, as the DietChannel recommends.
Step 5
Go to your local gym and begin weight training. Weight training is different from regular exercise. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, explains Registered Dietitian, Kathleen Goodwin of the DietChannel. She states that aerobic exercise is great for burning calories, however, to burn fat too, you need a metabolism running high, even while you're resting. She adds that Miriam Nelson, who is a researcher for Tufts University, showed that women who dieted and performed weight training exercises lost 44 percent more weight than women who dieted only.
Step 6
Eat a healthy breakfast and continue to eat through the day. Eating a breakfast such as a bowl of oatmeal or scrambled egg whites is a great way to start your day and move your metabolism into high gear. To keep it the fat-burning machine it is meant to be, eat every two to three hours. These should be small meals and snacks, and by the end of the day, you will have eaten five to six times total. Doing this also keeps you satisfied by eating healthy foods such as salads, yogurt, fruits and vegetables.
Tips and Warnings
- To ensure your health and the most effective weight loss, ask your doctor how many calories you should be eating each day.
- Losing weight too quickly, such as more than 1 or 2 lbs. per week, can lead to fatigue, damage your nervous system and result in a loss of muscle rather than fat, according to HelpGuide.org.
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