If you're a man and you want to lose weight fast, you're not alone. According to the Obesity Society, 70 percent of men in the United States were overweight or obese as of 2010. Obesity isn't simply a cosmetic issue, either; it can lead to myriad serious health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes. Deciding it's time to shed some of those extra pounds was the first step; now it's time to take action. Consult your doctor before you begin any new diet or exercise regimen.
Break a Sweat
If you're in the position of needing to lose weight fast, odds are you haven't been getting a great deal of exercise. Any aerobic exercise will help your cause by burning calories, offsetting the ones you're taking in when you eat. Running is an effective option because it not only burns calories, but can be done virtually anywhere, with no equipment needed beyond a pair of sneakers. The National Weight Control Registry, which monitors more than 3,700 people who lost at least 30 pounds and kept them off, reports that the average participant does 30 to- 40 minutes of jogging daily, or the equivalent in other cardiovascular exercise such as active sports, swimming or aerobics.
Cut Calories
There's no better way to lose weight than to eat fewer calories. For every 3,500 calories you cut, you should drop one pound. The Food and Drug Administration recommends a diet consisting of roughly 2,000 calories daily, yet many consume far more. If you're chomping down 3,000 calories or more daily, cutting your intake to 2,000 or a few hundred less can help you shed several pounds in a matter of days.
Cut Carbs
Cutting carbohydrates in your diet to a minimum is a proven way of achieving quick weight loss --- particularly "simple" carbs. Simple carbs are packed into sweets and starchy items like bread and pasta. They raise blood sugar levels and are burned quickly by your body, creating only a short-term feeling of fullness, and thus leading to more eating. In a 2007 study by Chicago-based Radiant Research, subjects on a low-carb diet lost 10.8 pounds in 12 weeks, roughly twice as many as peers following a low-fat diet. With a low-carb diet in conjunction with exercise and calorie-cutting, you should be able to lose significant amounts of weight relatively quickly.
Speed Your Metabolism
Your metabolism is the speed at which your body burns calories and fat, so you can shed weight quickly by speeding it up. Eat four or five small meals a day rather than two or three big ones --- not only will it continue to stoke your metabolic fire, but it will cut down on the desire for in-between snacks. Lift weights; the more muscle you have have, the better equipped your body is to burn fat. And rather than working out for hours at a time, try doing a few mini-workouts. Aerobic exercise keeps your metabolism running high for hours afterward.
References
- Building Healthier America: Facts About Obese/Overweight Men
- Harvard School of Public Health: Exercise and Weight Control
- Calories Per Hour: What It Takes to Lose a Pound
- Reuters: Low-Carb Diets Speed Initial Weight Loss
- "Daily Mail"; Speeding Up Your Metabolism Is the Key to Slimness; Laura Topham; Jan. 25, 2011
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