Losing weight quickly takes a positive mind set and a diet that is focused. Choosing to watch the amounts of foods you eat and the types of foods you consume will help you lose weight. Filling up on nutrient dense foods will help you stay full longer and eat less often.
Setting Goals
Setting weekly weight loss goals will hold you more accountable to your program. A healthy weight loss is one to two pounds per week. A steady weight loss is a lasting weight loss because it requires permanent changes to your lifestyle. Understand that the only way to lose weight is to create a caloric deficit at the end of each day. Weighing in weekly will help you better understand if your calories consumed are fewer than your calories burned each week, thus encouraging you to work harder if the scale does not move.
Balanced Calories
Eating a variety of foods and monitoring your caloric intake will help promote weight loss. No one group should be eliminated from your diet. Fruits, lean meats, vegetables, whole grains and low fat dairy products should make up the bulk of your meals daily. According to the American Heart Association, dieting women should not fall below 1,200 calories and men should not fall below 1,600 calories. In order to lose a pound you must burn 3,500 calories. Eliminating 500 calories from your diet daily will result in a one pound weight loss per week.
Empty Calories
Eliminate any empty calories from your diet like alcohol, cookies, candy and soda that provide no nutritional value. These foods are high in calories and will distract you from your weight loss goals. Calories in beverages, like soda or alcohol, add up fast and do not keep the body full and satisfied. Snack foods also provide the body with little to no nutritional value and are often over eaten because they do not create a feeling of fullness. Instead, these foods pack on calories and actually reverse weight loss.
Eat Often
Eating five to six small meals a day will help you lose weight at a steady rate. Frequent eating will not only keep you full and prevent over eating of less healthy foods, but it will also help keep you fueled to stay active. Eating small frequent meals encourages you to plan your meals ahead of time, giving yourself the chance to make healthier choices.
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