When it comes to losing weight in a hurry, people often turn to unhealthy means, such as crash diets, pills, supplements and abstaining from food altogether. All these plans might reward you with weight loss, but they are difficult to stick with and they can lead to harmful side effects. The fastest and easiest ways to lose weight are the most natural.
Substitution
Your selection of foods is an important aspect of losing weight. You should avoid anything high in sodium, saturated fat and simple sugars. Foods, such as french fries, pizza, wings, white bread, doughnuts, ice cream, candy and canned soups are all examples of these empty calorie foods. Have your diet consist of nothing but nutrient-dense options, like lean meats, low-fat dairy, fish, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans.
Breakfast
Skipping breakfast every day can keep your metabolism low, and it can cause you to become ravenous later in the morning. The end result is a binge on junk food and more weight gain. An easy way to stop this is by eating something before going to work. High-fiber cereal with low-fat milk or an egg white omelet with whole wheat toast are a few healthy options. The fiber can help fill you up and hold you over until your next meal.
Meal Timing
Every time you eat a meal, your body uses some calories for energy and the excess is stored as fat. When you eat a big meal and do not eat again for several hours, your metabolism will slow down and hold on to stored fat. To break this cycle, consume a meal every two to three hours throughout the day that is balanced with protein and complex carbs. Salmon with steamed broccoli and couscous is an example of a well-balanced meal. Not only can this help boost your metabolism, but it can also give you sustained energy levels and prevent you from overeating.
Water
Water is a nutrient that cannot only save you calories, but it can also hydrate your body. An easy way to boost your weight loss is to replace the soda, fruit drinks, sweetened teas, lattes, flavored coffee drinks, milk shakes and alcohol in your diet with water. Aim for eight to 10 cups a day. To help give you a full feeling, include a full glass of water with your meals.
Pacing
When you eat fast, you can end up consuming too many calories. It takes approximately 20 minutes for a signal to be sent from your stomach to your brain saying that you are full. To prevent overeating, chew your food at a slow pace. Take a bite, chew thoroughly and swallow before taking another bite.
Weight Lifting
Weight lifting can build metabolically active muscle which can assist your weight loss goal by burning calories when you are at rest. Do exercises that target your whole body like bench presses, shoulder presses, back rows, triceps extensions, biceps curls and step-ups. Work out three times a week on alternating days. Aim for 10 to 12 reps and three to four sets of each exercise.
Cardiovascular Training
Cardiovascular training is pivotal when it comes to weight loss. But if you want to turn it up a notch, resort to interval training. This is characterized by going back and forth from high to low intensity. According to the Mayo Clinic, the more vigorously you exercise, the more calories you will burn. To do interval training, start with a light five-minute warm-up. Increase your intensity and go almost all out for 30 seconds. Come back down to a moderate intensity for 60 seconds, and continue going back and forth for 20 minutes. Finish with a light five-minute cool-down. Do this type of cardio three times a week on the opposite days of your weight training.
Added Activity
Adding extra activity into your day is easy, and it can also burn you some additional calories. To do this, always use the stairs instead of elevators, park at the far end of parking lots, exercise during commercials, play a league sport and walk during your lunch breaks.
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