Losing weight in one month or less requires a commitment to changing your training and dietary strategies. Traditionally, many people have focused on decreasing caloric intake; however, not all calories are created equally. For example, protein has a thermic effect on the body, meaning that it takes a lot of calories just to digest it. Moreover, not all carbohydrates and fats are created equally; some can contribute to developing heart disease and diabetes, while others can prevent these terrible diseases. Follow a few simple guidelines to lose weight in one month or less.
Step 1
Start your one-month diet with a one- to three-day fast. "The Miracle of Fasting" recommends this practice for cleansing the body and losing weight. Mix 2 tbsp. of organic apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp. of honey and 8 oz. of distilled water, and drink the mixture three to five times per day to prevent hunger and speed cleansing.
Step 2
Perform resistance-training workouts three to five days per week. "The Abs Diet" book recommends training every other day, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, for example. Since weight-training burns fat for up to 48 hours, this strategy will keep you burning fat all week long.
Step 3
Do 30 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise immediately following your resistance-training workout. Examples of good cardio activities are swimming, biking, jogging, walking on the treadmill or hiking. The "Muscle Nerd" Jeff Anderson call this "super cardio," because it burns body fat as fuel almost exclusively. Add extra cardio days in the morning upon waking if you have a lot of body fat to lose.
Step 4
Eat six small meals per day. According to "The Fat Burning Bible," this dietary strategy controls production of the stress hormone cortisol, balances blood sugar and keeps metabolism elevated. Aim for three main meals, such as breakfast, lunch and dinner, and two or three snacks.
Step 5
Choose "clean" foods to keep from storing excess body fat. For protein, select lean meats such as chicken, turkey and fish. Clean carbohydrates include oatmeal, brown rice, whole grains and most fresh fruits. Healthy fats include olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocados and natural peanut butter.
Step 6
Have one cheat meal per week. Eat whatever you want for just one meal on one day out of the week. Besides alleviating the stress and pressures of dieting, this technique actually keeps metabolism accelerated. The body can react to lower caloric intake by reducing metabolic rate, which manifests as a dieting plateau or sticking point. Enjoy a cheat meal and keep the fat melting off.
References
- "Combat the Fat"; Jeff Anderson; CQC LLC, 2008
- "The Abs Diet"; David Zinczenko; Rodale, 2004
- "The Fat Burning Bible"; Mackie Shilstone; John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2005
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