Tired of
carrying around those extra pounds? The best way to lose weight and keep it off
is to create a low-calorie eating plan that you can stick to for a long time.
If you just want to drop a few pounds fast, there are plenty of techniques and
tips you can adopt to help you reach your short-term goals, too. Scroll down to
Step 1 to learn more.
Five
Methods:
1>
Exercising to Lose Weight
2> Rapid
Weight Loss Diets
3> Making
an Eating Plan
4> Doing
Weight Loss Treatments
5> Other
Proven Diets
Let's Start:
Method #1: Exercising to Lose Weight
1> Make time for exercise. Exercising might
actually make you gain a few pounds of muscle when you first start, but it's an
essential component of any long-term, sustainable weight loss plan. Regardless
of how busy you are, it is essential that you make time to exercise each day if
you actually want to lose weight and keep it off. Even little things like walking
instead of driving to the store can affect how quickly you lose weight.
- Exercise while doing chores. Make as many trips upstairs as possible, walk the dog three times a day, and dust, sweep, and mop with vigor.
- Increase the amount of walking you do. Choose the stairs over the escalator and park as far from the store as you possibly can.
- Start a hobby that involves moving around a bit, even if it doesn't sound like "exercise." Gardening, building small projects, working on cars, or playing with animals are all great ways to burn calories.
2> Try out a circuit
training program. If you are trying to lose weight quickly for a particular event and don’t
care about keeping the weight off, you can try a condensed workout routine.
Many women’s and health magazines as well as personal trainers offer similar
condensed workout routines designed to maximize weight loss and visible physical
slimming within only a few days of beginning the regimen.
3> Be realistic about the type of
exercise you can do when starting a new program. If you are hoping to
lose weight and keep it off, you will have to do more than a condensed fitness
program. The best way to get into exercising is by picking exercises that you
are actually going to do and, hopefully, enjoy. If you hate running, don’t make
it your main form of exercise--you will need much more motivation each day than
if you picked an exercise that you actually enjoy. Instead, try out different
exercises until you find a few that you really love, like swimming, biking, or
even Zumba.
- Remember that games like volleyball, tennis, and even Frisbee can help you burn calories while having a blast, making exercise a social and fun activity you will want to enjoy everyday.
4> Take up cardio
training.
While a combination of cardio and resistance training are important for overall
body health, cardiovascular training is what will help you shed those pounds
quickly. Weight and resistance training do not lead to immediate weight loss,
but can trigger your metabolism to use energy more efficiently.
For best results, include both moderate and high
intensity aerobic exercise.
5> Keep your exercise regimen
interesting. Variety is the key to both promoting a
healthier you and keeping you motivated. When you do the same exercise day in
and day out, you put yourself at a higher risk of injuring yourself. You are
also more likely to become bored, thus making it harder to find the motivation
to keep exercising. While at the gym, switch between machines, join a fitness
class, and add some resistance training into your schedule.
- Perform low impact aerobic activities. Moderate aerobic workouts incorporating brisk walking, cycling, aerobic machines, or swimming not only burn calories they also keep your heart healthy.
Pump some iron. Resistance training,
weight training, can help both men and women
stay lean by building muscle and raising metabolism for a constant passive
benefit. Weight loss strategies that incorporate both aerobic and weight
training boost calorie burn significantly.
6> Choose workouts that require your
entire body to exert an effort. This way, you work every
muscle group and burn calories with more muscles at one time, like
multi-tasking with your exercise. For instance, combine a form of resistance
training (try raising small dumbbells overhead as you work) with your arms
while you jog or cycle with your legs
Rest at least 24 to 48 hours between
strength training sessions on the same muscle group.
Take one or two days off exercising each week.
Take one or two days off exercising each week.
7> Get enough rest. Being properly rested will
help you maintain sufficient energy throughout the day, making you less likely
to overeat and less prone to injury during physical activity. Sleep deficiency
has actually been linked to an inability to lose fat, so getting enough sleep
can really help you on your path to losing weight
Method #2: Rapid
Weight Loss Diets
1> Do a juice
cleanse. This method is also known as the Hollywood diet. There
are many different kinds of juice cleanses out there. However, the main concept
is to only consume juices made from raw fruits and vegetables. The cleanse will
remove toxins from your system, helping you lose weight while also making you
feel more alert and healthy.
- You can either buy a cleansing package from a health store or company online, or you can buy your own juicer.
- Be sure you incorporate plenty of vegetables into your juicing routine. Fruit juice contains a lot of sugar, and drinking a lot of it will cause you to gain weight instead of losing it.
- Some of the most popular cleanse brands include Cooler Cleanse, BluePrint, and Life Juice.
Most juice fasts last one or two days.
Three days is an extreme fast.
2> Consider the Master Cleanse. The master cleanse is a
liquid-only diet that consists of a “lemonade” (lemon, cayenne pepper powder,
maple syrup, and water), a salt-water drink, and herbal laxatives. The diet
lasts for 16 days—three days of easing into the diet by only eating raw fruits
and veggies, 10 days of the liquid only diet, and three more days easing back
into solid foods.
- Be aware that this diet should only be done for very short-term weight loss and is supposed to function as a detoxifying cleanse rather than a strict weight-loss routine.
This is an extreme, short-term diet. It is
not recommended for healthy, long-term weight loss.
3> Try the water
diet. This diet involves drinking a daily total
of about 64 fluid ounces (8 cups) of cold water, at regular intervals
throughout the day. Drink a glass of water before each meal to suppress your
appetite. Doing this will help you get into the habit of limiting the portions
of food you consume during each meal. By drinking water, you will feel full
before a meal, thus helping you consume less calories.
This is not a water-only diet!
Continue to eat healthy meals. A water-only diet is dangerous and can lead to
later weight gain due to a slowed metabolism.
4> Try the fasting diet. The idea behind this
diet is that our bodies were built to go through both times of feasting and
times of famine--as such, we should occasionally recreate the ‘famine’ part.
This diet requires that for two days each week, you should only eat 500 (if
you’re a woman) or 600 (if you’re a man) calories. On those fasting days,
dieters should stick to eating only vegetables, seeds, legumes, and some fruit.
- This diet requires that you continue your exercise regimen on fasting days as well as on regular days.
- Ease into it by fasting for 1/2 day and seeing how you feel before you commit to longer-term fasting.
5> Consider the HCG diet. This is a highly
controversial diet that combines injections or supplements of HCG (human
chorionic gonadotropin) with a severely restricted calorie intake.The calorie
restriction alone (only 500 to 800 calories per day) is enough to promote
weight loss in most people; it is significantly under the recommended daily
calorie allowance, even for people attempting to lose weight. People give
themselves doses of HCG via injections or in drop form.
Warning: HCG injections are not supported
by scientific evidence, and may be dangerous to your health.
3> Making
an Eating Plan
1> Count
calories. Knowing how the minimum amount of calories
your body needs to function correctly will help you make your own personalized
healthy eating plan and lose weight in a way that's quick but sustainable. Your
individual calorie needs will vary based on age, gender, height, and activity
level. There are online calculators you can use to determine the amount of
calories you should be consuming each day.
- You can also figure out how much you should be eating by scheduling a consultation with a dietitian or a physician to discuss your weight loss goals, special dietary needs, current eating habits, and potential areas for improvement.
- Develop a meal plan. Choose meals that have a healthy balance of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, good fats, and lean proteins. A typical dinner plate should be filled with half vegetables or fruits, half whole grains and lean protein.
- The DASH diet, the TLC diet, the Mayo Clinic Diet, the Weight Watchers diet and Volumetrics all provide great meal plans to help you lose weight starting today. Run an internet search on any of the diets and meal plans to find out more.
2> Eat foods that suppress your appetite. Eating balanced meals
will not only provide you with low-calorie nutrition, it will also help to suppress your
appetite so you won't overeat and foil your plans to lose weight.
There are certain foods that keep you feeling sated for hours. Try
incorporating the following foods into your diet:
- Grapefruit
- Oatmeal
- Apples
- Eggs
- Ginger
- Nuts
- Leafy greens
- Potatoes
- Dark chocolate
- Spicy foods
3> Keep a food diary. Write down every meal,
snack, and drink you consume as well as the approximate quantities for an
entire week. Writing down what you consume actually helps us to remain mindful
of what we put into our bodies and acts as a motivator to stay healthy. If you
can, write down the number of calories that go along with each meal or snack
you eat.
- Don’t forget to include coffee mix-ins, condiments, and other additions to your daily diet.
4> Identify your food triggers and plan
accordingly.
Food triggers are the activities we do that make us want to snack. For some
people, it's sitting down to watch a movie at night; for others, it's studying
late at night. If you know your food triggers, you can plan for them--fill your
house with healthy snacks or have them on hand.
- If you don’t purchase the unhealthy foods that you love to snack on, you will be less likely to sabotage your diet.
5> Watch your
portion sizes. Incorporate appropriate
portion sizes into your meal plan. For instance, a healthy snack of almonds
and dried cranberries can turn into a huge calorie source if you don’t pay
attention to quantities. Also, preparing pre-apportioned healthy snacks can
help you avoid mindless overeating and can make it convenient to grab a healthy
snack.
Stronger flavors can help you control
portion size. For example, dark chocolate or a dark beer are satisfying in
small amounts, but difficult to consume rapidly.
- Make a list of what
you'll need for these meals, and don't stray from your list when you get to the
grocery store. Looking at market circulars can also give you ideas and even cut
costs by buying weekly sale items and seasonal produce.
6> Don’t skip meals. Eating a healthy breakfast
increases your rest metabolic rate earlier in the day, keeps your energy levels
high, and may help you resist the urge of high-calorie snacks throughout the
day. Plan to eat a small snack or meal every two to four hours to keep your
metabolism active. Eating regularly also keeps your blood sugar stable and
reduces unhealthy calorie binges or deviations from your meal plan.
6> Avoid tempting
grocery aisles. Avoid the areas in the grocery store that stock sodas,
cookies, ice cream, pizzas, and other fattening and highly processed foods, so
that you are less likely to purchase unhealthy options. If you can’t see them,
you can’t be tempted by them.
8> Select smart substitutes for your
favorite high calorie foods. Most foods have healthier counterparts
that will allow you to enjoy your favorite foods without unnecessary fat,
sugar, and calories. Exchanging high-calorie processed foods and drinks for
healthier alternatives can help you lose weight faster.
- Consider eating vegetarian a few days each week. By replacing meat with nutritious foods like beans, tofu, or lentils, you can cut significant amounts of your daily calorie intake while adding many nutrients to your diet.
- Eat delicious fruit for dessert rather than a processed cookie or cake.
- Swap potato chips and candy bars for snacks that are nutrient-rich and low in calories and fat. Try combining string cheese with a handful of grapes, spreading peanut butter on a few crackers, or dipping sliced red pepper into a few tablespoons of hummus.
- Try substituting vinegar and lemon juice for your ranch or blue cheese dressing.
- Cook with a tablespoon of olive oil instead of butter.
9> Stop drinking sugary liquids. Sip on water, tea, black
coffee or seltzer instead of soft drinks, juice energy drinks, flavored
coffees, and martinis. Cutting calories with substitutions can be a lot easier
than you might think. For example, a tall latte in the morning may pack 500 calories.
Since a pound of body fat (lost or gained) is roughly equivalent to 3,500
calories, replacing that rich beverage with black coffee can help you lose a
pound per week
- Drinking water instead of soda, coffee, alcohol, juice, or milk may help you cut hundreds of calories per day. Increasing your water intake can also help your body efficiently use nutrients, keep you energized, get the most benefit from your exercise routine, and feel full longer.
- If you can handle substituting water for all other drinks for a week, you can expect faster weight loss and see dramatic improvement in energy levels and even appearance very quickly.
4>
Doing Weight Loss Treatments
1> Go to a sauna. Saunas may result in a
loss of a pint of sweat in just a quarter of an hour. Again, this, like most
very-quick-fix treatments that cause various kinds of excretion, is just a way
to drop water weight, making you slim down for a day or so. This is not a
permanent weight loss method. You should hydrate by drinking a few glasses of
water after spending time in a sauna to reduce the risk of dehydration.
People with blood pressure or heart
problems should not use saunas, nor should young children.
To prevent dehydration, limit sauna time to 15 or 20 minutes per day.
To prevent dehydration, limit sauna time to 15 or 20 minutes per day.
- If you are losing weight for a wrestling or similar weigh-in (a widespread unhealthy practice), go do that before you rehydrate.
2> Ask about a mineral
body wrap.
Some mineral wraps claim to help you slim down by literally making you “lose”
inches off of your waist, thighs, and arms. The process involves a
mineral-based cleanse that is supposed to detoxify your body, helping you shed
weight, reduce cellulite (fat near the surface of your skin), and tone and firm
your skin almost instantly.
3> Consider other kinds of wraps. While the mineral body
wrap is the most common, there are other kinds of wraps that claim to shed
inches from your waistline. Again, these are not permanent weight loss options
but they could help you slim down for that special day.
Get a lipase body wrap. Lipase body wraps are
another quick-slim beauty treatment that follow a two-step phase. First, an
enzyme wrap is applied to rid your body of fat tissue near the surface of the
skin. A second mineral wrap is then applied, designed to tighten and smooth your
skin.
Get a European body wrap. European body wraps are
another potential option for spa services aimed at dropping inches off of
trouble spots. This procedure is supposed to firm and tone skin, reduce the
appearance of cellulite or stretch marks, and temporarily promotes weight loss.
Get a hot body wrap. Heat-based body wraps are
perhaps a more well-known spa treatment, designed both to detoxify your body
and stimulate smooth, toned skin. The heat and massage involved in most heat or
steam treatments is targeted at improving circulation and helping your body
slim down quickly.
4> Get a colonic. Some spas offer colonic irrigation
treatments, which involve physically flushing your colon with large amounts of
water to remove fecal accumulation. This process may help some people who
suffer from bloating, gas, and constipation and claims to spur weight loss in
some individuals.
Colonics may be harmful if performed incorrectly, or
purely for the sake of weight loss. Talk to your doctor before you decide on
this treatment.
5> Consider
liposuction. Liposuction is a surgical option for fast, targeted weight loss, generally
only recommended for people with one or two specific areas of highly fatty
tissue but otherwise relatively healthy body weight. Because it is a surgical
procedure, it carries significant health risks and should only be performed by
a licensed professional.
Method #5: Other Proven Diets
1> Do the Mediterranean diet. While no diet out there
has been proven to work, the Mediterranean diet may come closest. It's based on
the traditional ingredients and cooking styles of people living near the
Mediterranean sea. Research has shown that people adhering to this diet have
reduced risk of heart disease - plus it helps you shed pounds and look lean and
trim. Focus on eating the following foods (and eliminate bread, dairy and processed
foods):
- Fish
- Olive oil
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Beans and other legumes
- Spices
- Nuts
- Red wine
2> Try the paleo diet. Back when cavemen still
ruled the earth, they didn't have time to bake cupcakes or fry potato chips.
The paleo diet (short for paleolithic) seeks to recreate the same diet that our
early ancestors ate, claiming that our systems are not built for modern
ingredients and cooking styles. You eat meat, vegetables, fruit, and other
foods that would have been available back then, and avoid anything paleo people
wouldn't have had.
- No artificial sweeteners or grains are allowed.
- Some people incorporate intermittent fasting into the paleo diet as well, to speed up weight loss.
3> Do the Whole30 diet. The idea behind this
diet is to eliminate all processed foods from your diet for 30 days to
cleanse your system of artificial ingredients and other processed items that
are hard on your digestive system. After 30 days, you'll notice a reduced
waistline and higher energy levels.
- Avoid grains, dairy, sugars, legumes, alcohol and all processed foods.
- Eat meat, vegetables, some fruits, and drink plenty of water.
4> Do the raw food diet. If you dislike meat and
are tired of cooking, this one's for you. The raw food diet consists entirely
of foods that have not been cooked. You lose weight by consuming loads of fresh
vegetables and fruits. Coconut milk, nuts, seeds and other uncooked foods are
also allowed on the raw food diet.
Dietitians
warn that a long term raw food diet may leave you without essential nutrients.
SourCe:Wikihow
