There is no shortage of quick and easy weight-loss schemes. From diet pills and surgeries to celebrity-endorsed fasts, your options may seem endless. However, nothing compares to a nutritious and well-balanced diet alongside routine cardio exercise when it comes to healthy and sustainable weight loss.
The Basics of Weight Loss
You must burn more calories than you consume to lose weight. It takes approximately 3,500 calories to burn 1 lb. of fat, which translates to about 500 calories per day. You must reduce your caloric intake and/or increase the number of calories you burn throughout the day. Effective and sustainable weight loss occurs gradually, while rapid weight loss typically leads to rapid weight gain because it slows down the metabolism.
Cardio Exercise
Thirty minutes or more of cardio exercise each day elevates your heart rate to a level that promotes rapid and efficient calorie burning. Cardio exercises also work several major muscle groups at once, which helps to reveal lean and toned muscles as you shed pounds. Exercises like running, kickboxing, jump roping, swimming and cycling can help you burn between 400 and 600 calories per hour, depending on the intensity of your workout and your current level of fitness.
Weight Training
Weight training is a key component to any effective weight-loss program. Strength training with free weights and resistance machines builds muscle, which will help you to more effectively perform exercise. Furthermore, because muscle burns calories more efficiently that fat, as you continue to strength train you burn fat more more quickly. Thirty minutes of weight training following cardio exercise is enough to help tone and build muscle so that you can progress towards reaching your weight-loss goals.
Diet
Your diet is one of the most important factors of successful weight loss. You should stick to a certain number of calories each day, which typically ranges between 1,200 and 2,000 calories per day, depending on your current height and weight. Your diet should be filled with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats, while limiting your intake of foods high in fat and cholesterol. Furthermore, drink at least 64 oz. of water each day to support weight loss and prevent dehydration.
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