Diet plays a huge role in weight loss, and no matter how much you work out, you won't lose weight if you succumb to exercise-induced hunger and negate your workout with a snack. That said, there are ways to structure your workout to lose weight more quickly than you would by doing steady-state cardio every day. Of course, the term "quick" is relative.
"Quick" Weight Loss
The viability of a "quick" weight loss plan depends upon your definition of "quick." Fad diets often make unrealistic promises like "Lose 14 pounds in 10 days!" -- that kind of weight loss is unhealthy, and guaranteed to backfire. Because the weight is lost through starvation, about half of it is muscle. The loss of so much muscle mass combines with the starvation of a severely restricted diet to slow down your metabolism. Not only will the weight come back, it will be more difficult for you to lose it again. On the other hand, there are ways to tweak your workout to accelerate your fat loss in such a way that you not only retain calorie-burning muscle but build more. The result is a body so trim and toned that you will look much better than you would have with the fad diet, and you'll feel much less deprived in the process. The results won't be as dramatic, but they'll be more permanent.
Interval Training
Interval training boosts fat loss by recruiting both your aerobic and anaerobic systems to fuel your body, and keeping your average heart rate higher for every workout session. Simply work at your normal pace for a period of time, then speed up for a period of time. Return to your normal pace until you are recovered, then speed up again. Alternate this way for the remainder of your workout. You can measure your intervals by time, distance or simply by how you feel. You can alter the lengths of the different intervals, but always keep a 1:3 work-to-recovery ratio. For example, if you sprint for 30 seconds, jog or walk for 90 seconds so your body can recover enough to power the next sprint.
Resistance Training
A regular resistance training routine will help stimulate fat loss because the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns just to exist. If you want bulky muscles, lift weight heavy enough that you cannot do more than six reps. If you want more strength without bulk, use a weight light enough that you can do 12 to 15 reps. If you work opposing muscle groups in succession, you can move from one exercise to the next without a break. This allows you to work at a pace that will raise your heart rate enough to help you burn additional fat.
Focus on Efficiency
Choose your activities wisely. Ballroom dancing may be one of your favorite forms of exercise, but it only burns 219 calories per hour for a 160-pound person. To make the most of your workout, you must choose activities with the most calorie burning power, which are generally the most strenuous ones. Running at eight miles per hour burns 986 calories per hour, jumping rope burns 730 calories per hour and inline skating burns about 913 calories per hour. Of course, you must sustain the activity for the entire hour to achieve that kind of burn, but no matter what pace you can sustain, these activities still burn more calories than walking or dancing. You can have comfortable exercise or quicker fat loss, but not both.
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