If you have decided to lose weight, chances are fairly good that you have seen TV, magazine or billboard advertisements claiming that by taking a pill or drinking a shake, you can lose weight. While some of these products may or may not work, some people are uncomfortable with the idea of taking a specially formatted weight-loss supplement. Fortunately, there are ways you can lose weight naturally. Consult your doctor before beginning any new diet or exercise regimen.
Get a Good Night's Sleep
Sleeping fewer than seven hours every night has been shown to significantly alter the amount of chemicals in your blood that tell your brain if you are full or hungry, research published in 2004 in the journal "PLoS Medicine" concluded; individuals who slept less than seven hours per night reported that they were hungrier and had more body fat. Since nutrition can make or break your weight-loss program, getting your appetite under control will be key to long-term success.
Change the Way You Eat
Of the calories you get daily, 55 percent should come from carbohydrates, 25 percent from fat and 20 percent from protein, registered dietitian Joanne Larsen writes on the Ask the Dietitian website. Carbohydrates should come from complex sources like vegetables and whole grains. Fats should be from sources high in omega-3 fatty acids like avocado and olive oil, while protein should be from low-fat sources like chicken.
Exercise More
Get an hour of physical activity every day for optimal health, the U.S Surgeon General recommends. If you can't get that much, accumulate a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity a week. This should be in the form of brisk walking or higher-intensity exercise, like running or active sports.
Lift Weights
Lift weights three times a week by performing exercises for each major muscle group. Perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of a variety of exercises, the National Academy of Sports Medicine instructs. This will help increase the amount of muscle on your body, which in turn boosts the number of calories you burn every day. One such workout might include dumbbell bench presses, squatted rows, single-leg shoulder presses and leg presses.
References
- "PLoS Medicine"; Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index; Shahrad Taheri et al.; December 2004
- Ask the Dietitian: Underweight
- U.S. Office of the Surgeon General: The Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010
- National Academy of Sports Medicine: Program Design Concepts
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