The fastest way to lose weight without using pills is through a combination of diet and exercise. Regardless of how much weight you hope to lose, it's really the safest and most effective method, according to both the National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic. Other methods may not provide long-term results and could even negatively affect your overall health.
Step 1
Set a goal. Though you may want to lose weight fast, you should really establish some sort of goal. Define the expected pounds of weight loss as well as the time frame in which you hope to lose it so you're better able to track your progress.
Step 2
Find out exactly how many calories you can have in your diet. Your height, weight, age and sex dictate the number of calories your body needs each day. Two different equations can reveal this number without accounting for exercise.
Males -- [(12.7 x inches) + (6.23 x pounds) - (6.8 x years) + 66] x 1.2
Females -- [(4.7 x inches) + (4.35 x pounds) - (4.7 x years) + 655] x 1.2
Step 3
Reduce the number of calories you eat each day, suggests the Mayo Clinic. Using your daily caloric need from Step 2, create a caloric deficit by eating fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its weight. The National Institutes of Health estimates that 1 lb. of weight loss requires a deficit of 3,500 cumulative calories. The time frame in which you choose to accumulate this deficit is up to you.
Step 4
Pay attention to your food groups. While you try to lose weight, the Mayo Clinic advises that you maintain certain servings of various food groups. With a 1,600-calorie diet, for instance, you should consume at least five servings of vegetables, five servings of fruits, six servings of carbs, five servings of protein or dairy and three servings of fat.
Step 5
Modify your diet slowly, urges the Mayo Clinic. It isn't necessarily wise to make a drastic dietary change, even if you're hoping to lose weight fast. Instead, consider reducing the size of your portions as you incorporate healthier foods into your diet. Continue to reduce portions of fatty or sugary foods until you're no longer eating them.
Step 6
Start drinking water. Rather than cracking a soda or pouring some juice to have with your meal, drink water. Water doesn't contain any calories, unlike sweetened sodas and juices. Drinking your calories won't fill you up, so you're really just wasting that caloric intake.
Step 7
Start an exercise program. The other facet to losing weight fast without pills is exercise. The National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic have different recommendations for the amount of physical activity to lose weight, but the minimum is about 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise three days a week. As your fitness level improves, you can expand the length as well as increase the amount and even intensity of the exercise.
Tips and Warnings
- When taking part in an exercise program, try various types of activities. Not only can this help you discover athletic pursuits that you enjoy, but it also combats exercise boredom. Much like exercise, try a variety of foods. This can nourish the body with numerous vitamins and minerals while fighting off food boredom. If you restrict your eating practice to a limited variety of foods, you'll tire of the diet quickly and may end up going back to old food habits that caused you to gain the weight.
- One health restriction set by the National Institutes of Health involves the amount of calories you consume to lose weight. For men, 1,500 calories is the lowest caloric intake recommended without the supervision of a healthcare provider. For women, this number is 1,200 calories.
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