The Quickest Way To Lose 55 Lbs.

One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories. To lose 55 lbs. you will need to burn 192,500 calories more than you consume. This may seem like a high number; but if you set yourself a target of 180 days, you will only need to spend around 1,000 calories more than you consume daily, which is achievable. If you try to lose weight at a rate of more than 1 to 2 lbs. per week, you are likely to be losing muscle rather than fat. The most effective way to burn the extra calories is through a combination of dietary changes and exercise.

Breakfast

Starting the day with a low-calorie, fiber-rich breakfast can help to jump-start your metabolism, and the fiber will help to keep you feeling full and prevent mid-morning snacking. A breakfast of one-half a grapefruit and a slice of whole-wheat toast with 1 tbsp. peanut butter, provides 245 calories and nearly 5 g dietary fiber. Eating foods high in fiber is beneficial when you are on a diet, as apart from creating a feeling of fullness, it also slows fat absorption. Adults should aim to eat between 25 and 35 g of fiber a day. A breakfast of egg, cheese and ham on a bagel has 595 calories and 2.5 g fiber. By reducing your breakfast caloric intake by 300 a day, you would lose more than 15 lbs. during six months.

Lunch

Eat a large salad for lunch. Eating low-energy dense foods, like a salad, will help fill you up and reduce your overall calorie intake. Add a lean protein source to fill yourself up even more and supply your body with essential amino acids. A lunch consisting of a large green salad and a fillet of grilled halibut has around 380 calories. A double cheeseburger with a medium-sized portion of fries contains about 820 calories. By reducing your lunch calories by around 400 a day, you would lose around 20 lbs in 6 months.

Dinner

Eat a bowl of chunky vegetable soup as a prelude to your main meal. Like your lunch salad, it fills you up and prevents the likelihood of overeating during the rest of the meal. Avoid all starchy carbohydrates, such as pasta, bread, corn and potatoes during dinner, to induce weight loss. Starchy foods are quickly converted to energy, and if your body cannot use them, it will store them as fat. As you are not likely to burn many calories between dinner and going to bed, avoid these foods and eat a lean protein with vegetables to speed weight loss. An optional dinner menu might consist of vegetable soup, grilled chicken and steamed vegetables and a fresh fruit cocktail for dessert. This would provide around 700 calories. If you were to eat a starter of a pasta dish, followed by fried chicken and a dessert of ice cream, you would consume around 1,100 calories. Even if you only reduce your dinner calories by an average of 200 per day, you will lose an additional 10 lbs. in 180 days.

Non-Exercise Activity

It is not necessary to go to a gym, or take up a sport to burn more calories. Simply by moving more throughout the day, your body will burn an additional 100 to 200 calories daily. Wash dishes by hand rather than using a dishwasher, change the TV manually, and leave the car at home when traveling short distances. If you burn an extra 150 calories daily through being more active, you will lose around 8 lbs. in six months. You can further add to this by taking a brisk walk several times a week. Walking at a pace of around 4 mph for 30 minutes will burn around 180 calories.