Healthy Ways To Lose Weight Fast By Diet

To lose weight quickly, it's tempting to try a fad diet or trendy weight-loss plan. To lose weight quickly and keep it off, MedlinePlus recommends simply taking in fewer calories than you use and exercise regularly. To drop 1 lb. a week, you should eat 500 fewer calories a day, or burn up to 500 calories a day through exercise.

Count Calories

If you are aiming to eat 500 fewer calories a day, you need to know how many calories you take in. Keep track of what you eat each day using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database. The database has nutritional information on hundreds of different foods including store-bought brands to fast-food menu items. When you know how many calories you take on a typical day, you can start to replace higher calorie foods for lower calorie substitutes. For example, drink a plain, 16 oz. coffee containing about 5 calories rather than a café latte with 190 calories. Opt for an apple with 72 calories instead of a doughnut with 239 calories.

Beverages

HelpGuide.org reports that soft drinks provide the biggest source of calories in the American diet. One can of cola has 10 to 12 tsp. of sugar and about 150 calories. Drinking three cans of regular cola adds up to 450 calories a day. Instead drink club soda, with zero calories and add real lemon or lime juice for flavor. Even if you drink diet cola, you may not be doing yourself any favors. In 2005, researchers from the University of Texas found that consuming diet soda increases a person's chances of becoming overweight or obese. In 2010, researchers from the American Chemical Society found that drinking two 8-oz. glasses of water before eating a meal resulted in consuming 75 to 90 fewer calories.

Condiments

You can actually reduce your calorie intake drastically by eating fewer condiments or choosing condiments with fewer calories. On CBSNews.com, registered dietitian Keri Glassman reports that 3 tbsp. of ketchup has 48 calories and 2 tsp. of butter has 70 calories. Instead, try five sprays of olive oil at 10 calories or herbs and spices such as tarragon and rosemary with practically no calories.

Walk More

Wearing a pedometer can help you shed pounds quickly. The "Journal of the American Medical Association" published an article in 2007 indicating that using a pedometer can help you walk more and lose weight. Wearing a pedometer, according to the study, was especially beneficial to people who are normally sedentary. The study looked at more than 2,700 participants, most of whom were female, overweight and relatively inactive. Compared with non-pedometer users, the participants increased their walking by nearly 2,500 steps daily, or a 27 percent increase in overall physical activity.

Quick Weight Loss Benefits

No matter how you choose to drop pounds, there are benefits to losing weight quickly. In 2010, researchers from the University of Florida found that people who lose weight quickly, compared to those who shed pounds slow and steady, were able to keep the weight off longer. The study followed 262 middle-aged, obese females for 18 months. Women who lost the most weight in the first month also lost more overall weight, maintained their weight loss longer and put less weight back on.