In order to lose weight and reduce inches in areas you love to hate, you will have to burn more calories than you take in during the day. The best way is through diet and exercise. Since your body sheds layers of fat equally over the entire body, you will often notice weight loss first in your thinnest areas such as your face and chest. With patience, persistence and a fit lifestyle, weight and inches will be lost.
Go on a Fact Finding Mission
To begin your quest to lose weight and inches, equip yourself with the facts. One pound of fat equals 3500 calories. So if you want to lose one pound in one week, you will have to have a caloric deficit of 500 calories a day. Start a food diary and write down everything you eat over two to three days. There are literally hundreds of calorie counters available online you can use to assess your daily intake. Once you are equipped with the knowledge of how many calories you consume in a day, you can execute a plan of action. Measure your waist, hips and thighs with a measuring tape and write it down in your journal along with your starting weight.
Quick and Easy Calorie Cuts
Now you know you only have to shave off 500 calories a day to lose one pound of fat in one week. The good news is adding daily aerobic activity such as walking, cycling or taking a step class is going to reduce the amount of calories you have to cut from your diet. So, you are actually looking at a difference of 100 to 300 calories that will come off of your daily food intake. That means, if you exchange one sugar-filled can of soda for the diet version, you will cut 150 calories. In fact, eliminating one Coke a day from your diet adds up to a 10-lb. weight loss in a year. Exchange the daily grande frappucino for a cup of coffee with splenda and a dash of cinnamon and save more than 300 calories.
Move It and Lose It
While targeted exercises such as crunches for your abs and lunges for your butt and thighs are effective for toning and sculpting muscle, they will not directly reduce stored fat. In order to burn stubborn fat and in turn lose inches, you have to work out aerobically, meaning with oxygen. There is no such thing as "spot reduction," and the more dense areas of stored fat will be the last area of your body to show noticeable changes. You need to pick an exercise option that is convenient and enjoyable. One hour of step class, salsa, indoor cycling or cardio interval, depending on your weight and size, may burn anywhere from 300 to 500 calories. If going to a fitness facility is difficult for you, walking is probably one of the most convenient ways you can burn off excess calories, and it only requires a good pair of walking shoes and maybe an iPod to keep you entertained. Whatever activity you choose, when you are trying to lose weight, you need to shoot for at least five days a week. Once you have reached your goal weight, three to five days a week is considered a maintenance program.
Increase Muscle for More Melt Factor
In addition to cutting back calories and engaging in aerobic activity, targeting your muscles with weights and machines will greatly assist your weight loss efforts. The more muscle you have, the more you burn calories even when you are sleeping. Muscle helps your body burn fat more efficiently. If you haven't ever lifted weights before, try taking a basic sculpt class that uses light dumbbells to get started. The equation of less calories, more movement and more muscle will ensure your success in losing weight and taking inches off in the right places.
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