Carrying excess weight can be a problem. Not only can it cause emotional distress and lower your self esteem, but it can increase your risk for debilitating diseases.Losing weight quickly can be achieved by following key steps. You are also going to need to make some sacrifices and be disciplined.
Step 1
Clean out your kitchen. Go through your cupboards, refrigerator, pantry and freezer, and throw out all foods that are high in sugar, fat and sodium. Also avoid fast food and commercial baked goods. Have your diet consist only of nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, fish and lean meats.
Step 2
Eat fewer calories.To lose weight you need to create a caloric deficit in your body where you are burning more than you are taking in. To lose a pound of weight a week, decrease your daily caloric intake total by 500.
Step 3
Drink more water. Avoid beverages that are high in sugar and calories as they do not register to the brain the same way whole foods do. You can drink them and get the calories but not feel satisfied, which can lead to weight gain. Eliminate soda, fruit drinks, sweet teas, flavored coffee drinks, milk shakes and alcoholic beverages. Drink water instead, as it has no calories, it helps keep you hydrated and it also flushes toxins from your system. Drink a glass of water right before your meals to help give you a full feeling.
Step 4
Instead of eating two to three meals a day, eat a meal every two to three hours. This will help increase your metabolism, give you sustained energy levels and will prevent you from overeating. Make your meals a balance of protein and complex carbs. An example would be a bowl of brown rice and beans. Also make sure to eat breakfast every morning which can kick-start your metabolism. Have a granola bar, a cup of yogurt with fruit or whole grain toast with peanut butter.
Step 5
Don't eat late at night. If you were to eat a meal right before going to bed, it would likely be stored as fat. This is because your metabolism naturally slows down during the nighttime hours.
Step 6
Do cardio intervals. Cardiovascular exercise recruits the large muscle groups in the body to work in a repetitive motion. It strengthens your lung capacity and it also burns significant calories. To get an even greater benefit, perform interval training. This is characterized by alternating your intensity from high to low. For example, start with a 5 minute warm-up. Go all out for 30 seconds, then come back to a moderate intensity for 60 seconds. Go back and forth for 20 minutes and finish with a 5 minute low-intensity cool-down. Apply this type of cardio training to running, Spinning®, elliptical training, stair stepping, rowing, jumping rope or anything that you like to do.
Step 7
Lift weights to crank up your metabolism even more. Weightlifting builds muscle which is metabolically active tissue. Do exercises that target all of your major muscle groups like chest presses, shoulder presses, bent-over rows, triceps dips, barbell curls and squats. Do 12 to 15 reps with moderate weights and 3 to 4 sets of each exercise. Take 45 to 60 second rest periods in between each set.
Step 8
Work out every day. Do your weight training three times a week on alternating days, and do your cardio on the other three alternating days. On your off day, do a 30-minute moderate-paced walk or bike ride.
Member Comments