How to Lose Weight Fast Before School Starts
Overview
To lose and keep weight off, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture recommends following its revised My Food Pyramids appropriate for your gender, age group and physical health. Vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters will find dietary guidelines that will help them lose weight safely.
Generally, if you are in excellent health, aim to lose no more than 1 to 1.5 pounds per week. Losing more than that is crash dieting, and you risk regaining the weight lost and even adding weight. Exercise daily to boost metabolism and burn calories more efficiently.
Step 1
Figure out when you are overeating. Ideally, you want to eat throughout the day to keep your blood sugar level: it keeps your metabolism up and prevents binge eating.
Keep a food diary for a week and list all foods and drinks, including diet sodas and water you consume in a 24-hour period. Include the times when you eat and how you felt before and after eating. An entry might be: "9:45 a.m., a large cappuccino with whole milk, a Danish pastry. Hungry, need caffeine, sugar."
This will give you a clear pattern. Do you skip breakfast or eat sugar and drink caffeine early in the day?
Step 2
You must trim 3,500 calories per week to lose one pound. Cut empty calories and walk for at least 30 minutes a day to increase your ability to burn calories.
Aim to eat five small meals and one to two tiny snacks daily.
Measure all foods to control food portions.
Drink at least six, eight-ounces glasses of water every 24 hours, including after exercising.
Step 3
Strive to eat four to five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Eat lean proteins such as poultry, lean cuts of beef, low-mercury fish, low-fat dairy foods and legumes. Favor whole grains and unsaturated fats.
Step 4
Eliminate all the junk food from your home and office. Include all foods and drinks made from refined sugar, corn syrup, refined flour or fried foods. Eating too much of these can contribute to heart disease, obesity, diabetes---and weight gain. Replace junk food with versions that are not high in refined sugar, saturated fat or salt. Read all labels on foods.
Step 5
Find your Body Mass Index. Divide your height in inches by your weight in pounds. According to the National Institutes of Health, healthy adults have a BMI in the range of 18 to 24.9. If you have a BMI higher than 24. 9, you risk for developing heart disease, diabetes and obesity is greater.
If your BMI is above 24.9, reduce the saturated fat, salt and refined sugar in your diet. Eat more fiber, which is found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
After eating a low-fat diet and exercising daily for at least a month, assess your BMI. You may see a difference. You may lose fewer pounds but you might shed an inch or two around the waist and hips.
The BMI is a good way to track your health risk. The more fat on the belly, the higher your risk for developing certain types of cancer.
Step 6
Monitor the type and amount of fat you consume daily. Keep your daily fat intake to no more than 30 percent of your total daily calories, and of that number, no more than 10 percent from saturated fats. Eating a diet high in saturated fats increases cholesterol levels and can lead to heart disease.
Favor olive, flax, hemp seed and canola oil. Avoid fats that are solid at room temperature. The exception is fish fats: they are heart-healthy and do not increase cholesterol levels. Broil, bake, grill, steam or poach food and meats to keep the fat content low. Add spices, nonfat sauces made with nonfat yogurt or add a roux of cornstarch and water to thicken gravies.
Step 7
Exercise every day. If you are really out of shape, start with walking for 20 minutes. Add 5 to 10 minutes per day until you can walk comfortably for an hour. Include hills in your walking route and climb stairs instead of using an elevator.
Join a gym and learn resistance training.
Mix it up: bike one day, walk another, do 10 sets of hills on another day. Stretch lightly for five minutes before and after you exercise.
Tips and Warnings
- Recruit a workout buddy to go on walks with you after work or to bike hills on weekends. Or, if you prefer solitude, take your MP-3 player and walk for at least 30 minutes daily. Take your cell and chat, but keep your stride brisk to get your heart elevated to a fat-burning rate.
- If you have any serious health issues such as diabetes, an eye disorder or high blood pressure or you take prescription medication, get medical clearance before starting a diet and exercise program. Avoid crash diets: you might lose five pounds in a week but will regain it and more once you eat solid food again. Eating less than 1,000 calories for a woman at least five feet tall or 1,200 calories for a man of the same height signals that your body is in a "famine" state: your metabolism will slow down, burning fewer calories to preserve energy. If you starve yourself, your body cannibalize lean muscle tissue.
Things You'll Need
- Blank notebook Food scale Measuring utensils from 1/8 tsp to 1 cup Scale to record body weight
About this Author
Sava Tang Alcantara is a Los Angeles based writer with 22 years experience. She worked as a writer and editor at newspapers, magazines and websites. Alcantara also worked as a full-time developmental book editor and has edited and ghostwritten books on medical subjects. She is a graduate of Scripps College in Claremont, California.
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