Making a plan to lose weight is an intelligent approach to beginning a more healthy lifestyle and feeling better in your day-to-day life. A weight loss plan involves a healthy diet, but that is just one step in the process. To lose weight and keep it off, you need to do cardiovascular exercise to get your heart rate up and strength training to build muscle and cut fat.
Step 1
Engage in cardiovascular exercise to get your heart rate up and increase your metabolism. Interval training is one of the best forms of cardiovascular training. It involves short bursts of explosive energy. Go to the local high school or college track and mark off distances of 90, 80, 75 and 70 yards. Sprint all four distances in descending order, taking no more than a 15-second break between sprints. After you have completed all four, take a two-minute break and then repeat the set. Do one more double set before you leave the track. Do this three times a week.
Step 2
Employ a weight training program to build strength and cut fat. Circuit training on Nautilus or Bowflex machines can help you build up your neck, back, shoulders, arms, chest, abs, glutes, hamstrings and calf muscles. If you don't have access to circuit training machines, do push-ups and pull-ups and attend a Pilates class to build strength and burn fat. Do this three times a week.
Step 3
Do additional cardiovascular exercise to help get the weight off. Start a power walking program to get your heart rate up and burn calories. You need to walk quickly and engage your full body by swinging your arms. For this to be effective, power walk for at least 25 minutes. Do this on the days you don't do interval training.
Step 4
Engage in a healthy eating plan. Your diet should include fish and white-meat chicken for protein, and you should limit red meat. Eat two to three portions of fresh vegetables and the same amount of fresh fruit every day. Stay away from fried foods, fast foods, junk foods and desserts. Eat complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, spaghetti and whole-grain cereal to give you the energy you need for your exercise program.
Step 5
Drink 64 oz. of water every day to help you lose weight. Don't drink sports drinks that promise to "re-energize" you. Those drinks have too much sugar and sodium. Water will help ready your muscles, joints and tendons for a serious workout. It will also help flush the toxins out of your body.
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