If you want to lose weight to get healthy, look great at a special event or impress your spouse on your next vacation, you need to make lifestyle changes. To lose 20 pounds in four months, you'll need to lose an average of five pounds per month or a little over one pound per week. Losing one pound per week can be done in a healthy way by reducing your calories by 250 and burning an extra 250 calories each day.
Step 1
Grab a piece of paper and a pen and start recording everything you eat and drink and the accompanying calories for the next three days. In the morning of the fourth day, add up all of the calories you consumed on those three days and divide it by three. This will give you your average daily caloric intake.
Step 2
Look at what you ate over the past three days. Are you eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables? Is there anything on your list that had a lot of calories that surprised you? It's good to get familiar with your eating patterns and your diet traps. Try to cut back on your guilty pleasures such as pizza, macaroni and cheese and cupcakes.
Step 3
Cut your calories by 250 and continue to record everything that you eat and the calories consume. You can cut your calories easily by swapping out your morning doughnuts with a healthy bowl of whole-grain cereal and skim milk, passing on happy hour or cutting out one snack during the day.
Step 4
Burn an extra 250 calories each day with cardio exercise or weight lifting. Get your heart rate pumping with cardio exercise for 30 to 60 minutes per day at least four days a week. For cardio, you can swim, take a dance class, jump rope or anything else that elevates your heart rate. You should also lift weights two to three times a week for 45 to 60 minutes. The lean muscle mass that is created from lifting weights will help burn more fat and calories.
Step 5
Reward yourself in other ways than food. Most cultures celebrate successes, holidays and special events with food. Start training yourself to reward yourself with something else that won't pack on pounds and leave you feeling guilty. After each week, if you've lost over a pound, enjoy a movie with a friend, go get a manicure or spend your morning in your favorite coffee shop reading a good book.
Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Pen
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