There are three ways to lose weight fast -- dieting, exercising and a program that includes diet and exercise. A diet and exercise program is the preferable way to lose weight fast if you've been eating more calories than you need. You will lose weight faster if your exercise program emphasizes aerobic exercises such as cross-country skiing because aerobic exercises spur more weight loss than other exercises, increase your calorie-burning metabolism as you perform everyday activities and suppress your appetite.
Understanding Calories
Calories are a measurement of energy and they are needed to survive. Women who eat fewer than 1,100 calories daily and men who eat fewer than 1,300 calories daily are risking not having enough energy for their internal organs such as their heart and lungs to function properly, according to the college textbook "Essentials for Health and Wellness." The Merck Manual of Medical Information reports that active women and men should eat 2,000 and 2,400 calories daily, respectively. Someone eating 2,000 calories daily and burning 2,500 calories daily will lose 1 lb. in one week because 3,500 calories equals 1 lb. Losing weight faster by dieting without exercising can be counterproductive, because it reduces the amount of calories you burn throughout the day by slowing your metabolism. Muscles burn more calories than fat.
Aerobic Exercises
Aerobic exercises burn more calories than nonaerobic exercises because they require you to move continuously for at least a few minutes, according to "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease." Running, bicycling and swimming are examples of aerobic exercises. They top the list of exercises that burn the most calories, according to the "Harvard Heart Letter." Slow bicycling and running burn about the same amount of calories, about 500 to 700 calories per hour, as nonaerobic start-and-stop sports such as basketball, football and hockey and more calories than golf, soccer, softball and tennis. Heavier people burn more calories.
Metabolism
Aerobic exercises also increase your metabolism more than nonaerobic exercises, according to the textbook "An Invitation to Health." Author Dianne Hales wrote that this "surge" lasts up to 12 hours after you've finished exercising. Consequently, a morning run will help you burn more calories for most of the rest of the day. The "Harvard Heart Letter" reports that the average person burns 280 to 400 calories per hour gardening, but someone who ran that day will burn more calories than the average and someone with a slow metabolism will burn fewer. Dieters who don't exercise will have a slower metabolism. That's a crucial reason why 67 percent of dieters regain their weight within one year and diets aren't a good way to lose weight fast, according to "Essentials for Health and Wellness."
Best Aerobic Exercise
Exercise expert Dr. Kenneth Cooper lists 31 exercises as aerobic and identifies cross-country skiing as the best. Cross-country skiing is an excellent way to lose weight fast because it burns more calories than any exercise except fast bicycling and fast running, according to a study by the state of Wisconsin. Uphill cross-country skiing burns about 1,000 to 1,400 calories per hour, depending on your weight. Cross-country skiing on a flat surface burns about 800 to 1,200 calories per hour if you're skiing 8 mph.
References
- "Essentials for Health and Wellness"; Gordon Edlin and Eric Golanty; 2004
- The Merck Manual of Medical Information; 2003
- "Harvard Heart Letter"; Calories Burned in 30 Minutes for People of Three Weights; July, 2004
- "An Invitation to Health"; Dianne Hales; 2010
- State of Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services: Calories Burned Per Hour
- "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way"; Dr. Kenneth Cooper and William Proctor; 1999
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