Many people try to find the fastest way to lose weight. This often leads to unhealthy weight-loss methods; however, it is possible to lose weight quickly without jeopardizing your health. As you lose weight, it is important to focus on doing so in a manner that will help you to keep the weight off once your diet period is over.
Function
When you are trying to lose weight quickly, you must focus on proper eating habits and lifestyle changes that will help you keep the weight off when you reach your goal weight. Taking diet pills, following a crash diet and eating only prepackaged meals may help you to lose weight quickly, but it is unlikely that you will be able to maintain those habits for the rest of your life. Instead, you must learn how to choose healthy foods and prepare healthy foods so that you can continue doing this to maintain your weight loss.
Diet Plan
Your diet should be balanced. You need to eat foods from all the food groups each day, including meat and beans, milk, vegetables, fruits, grains and oils. Your diet should include a minimum of 1,200 calories if you are a woman; however, it is likely that you actually need closer to 1,600 if you aren't active or 2,200 if you are. If you are a man, you need a bare minimum of 1,600 calories daily; however, you likely need at least 2,200 if you aren't active or 2,800 if you are active.
Exercise
Another important component of a diet plan to lose weight quickly is exercise. Aerobic exercise can help you burn calories and fat. You should do aerobic exercises, such as running or swimming daily. To reach a moderate intensity, which is recommended, you should work out at a pace that makes you sweat and raises your heart rate; however, you should still be able to talk. Strength training can also help you to lose weight by building lean muscle. Ideally, you will work out for at least one hour on most days of the week.
Time Frame
If you follow a healthy weight loss program, you will likely lose 1 to 2 lbs. per week. By losing weight at this rate, you are more likely to lose unhealthy fat instead of losing muscle weight and water weight, which is what you are likely losing if you lose more than 2 lbs. per week. For example, this means that losing 10 lbs. will take you five to 10 weeks.
References
- American Academy of Family Physicians: What it Takes to Lose Weight
- University of Iowa Health Care: Calories: How Many Do You Need?
- American Heart Association: Quick Weight Loss or Fad Diets
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Healthy Weight -- It's Not a Diet, It's a Lifestyle!
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity & Public Health Guidelines
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