It seems as if everyone wants to lose weight --- and fast. Losing pounds and inches is typically a healthy choice, but successful weight loss takes hard work, dedication and consistency. To lose 1 lb. pound of fat, your body must burn more calories than it takes in --- 3,500, to be exact. To drop pounds in a month's time, realize two things: It can be done, and it will take effort.
Exercise
Exercise is perhaps the best method of losing weight. As long as you work off more calories than you take in, you will lose weight. Perhaps most important, exercise helps strengthen your heart and lungs. The key is to keep your heart rate elevated for a minimum of 20 continuous minutes. The longer the workout, the higher the cardiovascular and weight-loss benefits.
After getting the OK from your physician, start slowly and ramp up on speed, intensity and/or frequency of your exercise. Try walking, running, jumping rope, kickboxing, yoga, tennis, basketball, aerobics, boot camp classes --- anything and everything that you enjoy doing and will stick with. Consistency and time can help you healthily lose as many as 8 lbs. in a month.
Portion Control
American restaurants are famous for serving enormous portions, and the public has gotten used to eating too much in one sitting. Learn to scale back your meal portions. A meal's protein, such as a piece of chicken or fish, should be the size of the palm of your hand. The majority of the plate should be filled --- but not to the brim --- with raw, steamed or baked vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains.
Food Choices
Raw, roasted, steamed or baked foods are usually the best choice for those looking to lose weight quickly. Fried, sauteed or smothered foods add unhealthy, unnecessary fats and calories to an otherwise good-for-you meal. Soups are good weight-loss choices --- as long as you avoid cream-based soups and those laden with fatty cuts of meat. Broth-based vegetable soups that contain fiber-rich barley or beans fill you up with fewer calories.
Don't wait until you're famished to eat. Small, healthy snacks throughout the day help curb hunger and keep blood sugar levels stable. Try a handful of raw nuts or a cup of low-fat yogurt to keep hunger pangs at bay.
Fluids
Minor dehydration is often falsely assumed to be hunger. Stave off feeling hungry by drinking plenty of water or decaffeinated tea throughout the day. If plain water sounds unappetizing, add citrus slices or cucumber slices to cold water. Green tea is a healthy choice to curb hunger pangs between meals, as well. Steer clear of fruit juices, which contain sugars, and sodas --- regular or diet --- which do not provide nutritional value.
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