Losing weight is best viewed as a long-term endeavor, but sometimes you just want to lose weight fast. By buckling down on your dietary habits and exercise regimen, you can lose weight relatively fast. The key is to cut back on calories while still giving your body the nutrition it needs. To help ensure that this need is met, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends losing weight at a pace of 1 to 2 pounds per week. That way you'll get the ideal balance between losing weight and still getting enough calories in your diet for energy and overall health.
Step 1
Cut your daily caloric intake to 1,000 to 1,200 calories per day if you're a woman and 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day if you're a man. This is the lowest recommended number of calories per day for safe weight loss, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Speak to your doctor to be sure this is healthy for you; you may need to increase this figure slightly. Focus on vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fat-free milk and lean proteins such as skinless turkey and chicken and fish.
Step 2
Exercise three days per week using any type of aerobic exercise, such as walking briskly, jogging or doing step aerobics. Rest one day between each workout. Each workout should last 30 to 60 minutes and be completed at a moderate pace; this is the CDC's recommendation.
Step 3
Lift weights, or perform any type of full-body resistance training program three days per week on the days you do not perform your aerobic exercise. A 2003 study in the "Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science" showed that an exercise split of three days of aerobics and three days of resistance training each week helps burn more fat and increases lean muscle mass compared to aerobic exercise alone. Each workout should be 30 to 60 minutes in length.
Step 4
Rest one day per week to help your body fully recover from the week's workouts. If your body still feels sore after this day of rest, continue resting until your body is fully recovered before starting your next workout.
Tips and Warnings
- MayoClinic.com suggests avoiding fad diets, such as those under 1,000 calories per day, low-carb diets or high-protein diets. Avoid sugary foods and drinks, such as soda, to easily cut hundreds of calories from your daily caloric intake. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated, keep your energy level high and help curb your hunger. When searching for a diet plan to follow, MayoClinic.com suggests asking the following questions of the company: What does the plan consist of? Who's behind it? What are the risks? What are the results/potential?
- Don't start a diet and exercise program without discussing it over with your doctor.
Things You'll Need
- Healthy foods
- Running shoes
- Weightlifting equipment
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Losing Weight
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Aim for a Healthy Weight
- "Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science"; The Effect of Combined Aerobic and Resistance Exercise Training on Abdominal Fat in Obese Middle-Aged Women; S.K. Park, et al.; May 2003
- Mayo Clinic: Weight Loss: Choosing a Diet That's Right for You
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