It is possible to lose weight fast on your own without having to hire expensive personal trainers, join weight loss programs or experiment with trendy diet fads. By putting healthy diet and exercise strategies into action, you can blast body fat fast and reveal a fit physique you can take all the credit for.
Buy Healthy Groceries
Load up your grocery cart with healthy choices. Nutrient-dense superfoods recommended by Tosca Reno, author of "The Eat-Clean Diet," include oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, egg whites, turkey or chicken breast, water-packed tuna, wild salmon, beans, low-fat yogurt or cheese, green vegetables, berries, nuts and seeds.
Pair Proteins and Carbohydrates
Have egg whites with oatmeal, chicken breast with a sweet potato, fish with brown rice. Pairing lean proteins with healthy carbohydrates can speed up weight loss by slowing the carb-to-fat conversion process, according to Lee Labrada, author of "The Lean Body Promise."
Have Breakfast
Adults who skip breakfast are 460 times more likely to gain weight than those who do not, according to the American Diabetes Association. Oatmeal, high in soluble fiber, is a fast, easy-to-make breakfast choice that can help control blood sugar, reduce cholesterol levels and prevent obesity.
Eat Frequently
Eating every three to four hours can create a faster metabolic rate, facilitating weight loss. People who eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day are 45 percent more likely to avoid obesity than having those usual three meals a day, according to a study by the University of Massachusetts Medical School, published in the July 11, 2003, issue of "American Journal of Epidemiology."
Be Portion Conscious
For a fast way to determine optimal portion sizes, envision one serving of protein as the amount you can hold in the palm of your hand. One serving of starches or grains is the amount you can hold in a cupped hand. One serving of fruits or vegetables is the amount you can hold in two hands, cupped together.
Curb Your Appetite
A weight loss diet should include heart-healthy unsaturated fats that can help suppress hunger, lower cholesterol levels and create a faster metabolic rate. Unsaturated fat sources that the body can burn for fuel instead of storing as fat include wild salmon, nuts, avocados, olives and flaxseed.
Whey protein shakes provide a fast way to get needed nutrients if you are skipping a meal. Drinking one 20 minutes before lunch or dinner can also help prevent overeating, promote fat loss and preserve muscle mass, according to a study by the Minnesota Applied Research Center.
Add Fiber
Eating fruits and vegetables high in fiber is a fast way to cut calories. For every gram of fiber consumed, approximately seven calories can be eliminated, according to research conducted at Germany's University of Kiel, Department of Human Nutrition and Food Science, published in a 1990 edition of "The Journal of Nutrition."
Get Moving
Doing daily cardiovascular exercises at a moderate pace for 30 to 40 minutes can burn fat fast. Walking, jogging, stair climbing, elliptical or treadmill training, playing tennis, dancing and hiking are especially beneficial to promote weight loss and can also build bone density, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation.
Strength Train
Strength training at least two times a week can build up core muscles and make it possible to burn more calories faster throughout the day--even when resting. Women who worry about becoming bulky should note that, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, women generally have too much estrogen in their bodies to build large muscles.
Have Willpower
Your own willpower can result in losing weight fast when you choose to avoid animal fats, refined foods (especially white flour and sugar), saturated and trans fats, sugar-loaded colas and juices, alcohol and all calorie-dense foods that contain little or no nutritional value.
References
- "The Eat-Clean Diet;" Tosca Reno; 2010
- Labrada Nutrition Online
- American Diabetes Association
- University of Massachussetts Medical School News
- I Fit and Healthy
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