Dieting is not a lot of fun, and it isn't necessary to lose weight. Eating a reasonable number of calories for your activity level is necessary to have a normal body fat percentage, but to lose weight, you can increase the amount of exercise you do. Both strength training and cardiovascular exercise will contribute to weight loss, but cardio training is best. The more challenging the cardio, the more calories you will burn and the faster you will lose weight.
Step 1
Start walking with a pedometer. Increase the number of steps you take every day by 1,000 until you reach 10,000. This will help you adjust to exercising if you are a beginner.
Step 2
Do other forms of cardio such as step aerobics, cardio kickboxing or running for 20 to 30 minutes at least three days a week.
Step 3
Work your schedule up to five days of 30 to 45 minutes as advised by Pamela Peeke, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Step 4
Slow down when you eat. It takes your brain about 20 minutes to figure out that it is full, so if you eat too quickly, you are likely to overeat before you know it.
Step 5
Drink eight to 10 glasses of water a day to help you feel full and reduce your desire to eat. Sometimes, when you feel hungry, you are actually thirsty, so drink plenty of water. Nutritionist Andrea Wenger Hess says not drinking enough water will cause your kidneys to retain water, but that drinking enough water will help you lose water weight.
Tips and Warnings
- Cross-training by doing different physical activities instead of just sticking to walking or using an elliptical machine is more effective for weight loss and general fitness. Todd Schlifstein, doctor of physical medicine, says, "When you only do one fitness activity -- like running or weight lifting, for example -- and you only work on the muscles involved in that sport, you may discover that you are far less fit than you think." Another way to induce weight loss without following a rigid diet is to avoid emotional eating. Wenger Hess says emotional eating is one of the main reasons why people overeat. She advises people to deal with issues that are causing stress in their lives head on. "Food never solves the problem, and usually it just contributes to a cycle of guilt, low self-esteem and overeating," says Wenger Hess. "Food is meant for physical nourishment, not for emotional comfort, reward or punishment."
Things You'll Need
- Pedometer
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