If you have tried losing weight in the past with no luck, there are several steps you can take to achieve maximum results. Be aware that this takes discipline. While dieting is important, it doesn't mean you have to starve yourself. A balanced diet with plenty of the right kinds of foods will keep you feeling full. Add a good workout plan to your diet, stick with it, and you're on the road to weight-loss success.
Step 1
Stick to your diet and avoid the foods that are high in saturated fat, sodium and sugar. Eat nothing but nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, lean meats, fish, low-fat dairy, beans and whole grains. Skip the potato chips, ice cream, doughnuts, pastries, deep fried foods and fast food.
Step 2
Start your day with a nutritious breakfast. This can help get your metabolism up and running, and it can also help prevent you from overeating later in the morning. Have a bowl of whole grain cereal with skim milk, a cup of yogurt with granola or an egg white scramble with whole wheat toast.
Step 3
Have small, balanced meals the rest of the day to keep your metabolism racing and to keep satisfied. Create meals that have high-fiber, carbohydrates and protein. A tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomato is a mid-afternoon meal example.
Step 4
Reach for a glass of water instead of a glass of soda. Cut out all the beverages in your diet that have high calories, such as beer, lattes, milk shakes, fruit drinks and sugar-sweetened teas. Consume 10 or more cups of water a day instead.
Step 5
Perform circuit training to build lean muscle mass and to burn some calories. Do exercises that target your whole body, like push-ups, shoulder presses, back rows, triceps dips, biceps curls, squats and ab crunches. Perform the exercises one right after the other with 20- to 30-second rests in between each one. Perform 12 to 15 reps with moderate weights and do four to five total circuits. Do this workout three times a week, on alternating days.
Step 6
Incorporate cardio interval training into your routine to crank up your caloric expenditure. Start out with a 5-minute warm-up at a low intensity. Increase your intensity so you are going about 80 percent of your maximum effort. Go for 30 seconds, then come down to about 50 percent max for 60 seconds. Alternate going back and forth for 30 minutes and finish with a 5-minute cool-down at a low intensity. Apply interval training to any form of cardio that you enjoy, such as running, spinning, cross country skiing, swimming, jumping rope or stair climbing. Do your interval training three times a week on the opposing days of your weight training.
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