The most elementary rule of dieting is that if you burn more calories than you consume, you’ll lose weight. Consult with a nutritionist, keep a food journal or use a calorie-counting app like MyFitnessPal to track the nutritional value of the food you eat and calculate how many calories you need to keep making progress. [3] X Research source
The food you eat should be grilled, baked, broiled or steamed. Stay away from fatty additives like butter and oil. One simple way to drastically reduce the number of calories you’re getting is to stop eating fast food and drinking soda. This allows most people to lose an additional 2-3 pounds a week. [5] X Research source
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean meats are all low-calorie dense foods that will help you lose weight. Fruits and veggies are mostly water-based and contain very few calories and very little fat–on the other hand, 1 g of fat is nine calories in itself. So stay away from processed goods and go green. And red, orange, blue, and yellow. Fiber is great for you, too, and only has 1. 5-2. 5 calories per gram. Most legumes, nuts, and seeds are excellent sources of this.
Fiber is great for you, too, and only has 1. 5-2. 5 calories per gram. Most legumes, nuts, and seeds are excellent sources of this.
When preparing meat, take the skin off and trim the fat. And don’t coat it in bread crumbs or other unnecessary additives. Don’t deep fry any food. Even if it’s a vegetable; it loses its nutritional value when fried. Steam your food instead and add lots of spice. Steaming your food instead of frying it will cut down on fat and calories, and spices will spike your metabolism.
Fatty fish high in omega-3s help reduce the levels of leptin in your body. And that guy keeps hunger at bay and ups your metabolism. If you’re not a seafood fan, talk to your doctor about taking fish oil supplements. Not as good as the natural thing, but still beneficial. [8] X Research source An apple a day keeps the fat at bay. Apples are full of pectin, which reduces the amount of fat your body absorbs. They’re also fiber-full and calorie-low, so they’re really the perfect snack. Did we mention delicious? Add ginger and garlic to your meals. Ginger widens your blood vessels, garlic lowers your insulin levels, and both increase your metabolic rate. Use olive oil as your primary cooking oil. Even though oil is fat, olive oil is full of the good kind (monounsaturated) that helps lower cholesterol levels, and has many other health benefits, too. [9] X Research source
Drink two glasses of water before every meal. You will feel fuller faster (say that three times fast) and not have room for more calories. While each person’s hydration needs are different, the Institute of Medicine advises that men and women try to consume about 3. 7 and 2. 7 liters of water a day, respectively, including water found in food and other beverages. [10] X Research source . Green tea is a good idea, too. It’s loaded with antioxidants and may help increase your metabolic rate. [11] X Research source Whatever you do, cut out the sodas and alcohol. They’re just empty calories that pack on the pounds silently without even making you feel full.
Keep your snacks healthy. Measure out portions of your favorite healthy snacks (carrots, grapes, nuts, or yogurt) and package them for easy access throughout the week. Instead of working all day, you’ll be working and snacking, keeping your metabolism up. Don’t skip breakfast! Your body needs that kick in the morning to get reminded to get going. Not only will you be more likely to lose weight, you’ll probably keep it off too. [12] X Expert Source Pouya Shafipour, MD, MSBoard Certified Family Medicine Specialist Expert Interview. 8 May 2020.
Running, biking, swimming, boxing, tennis, dancing, and myriad other activities count as cardio. So if your knees aren’t too thrilled about pounding the pavement, turn to other options. Running, tae kwon do, aerobics, and rope jumping are some of the highest calorie-burning activities out there[13] X Research source . Look into high-intensity-interval-training. The Journal of Physiology released a new study that stated “HIT means doing a number of short bursts of intense exercise with short recovery breaks in between. The authors have already shown with young healthy college students that this produces the same physical benefits as conventional long duration endurance training despite taking much less time (and amazingly, actually doing less exercise!)” Not only will you burn more calories, but you’ll do it in a shorter amount of time.
Cardio can be done every day while weight-training cannot. Your muscles need time to heal. Aim for a cardio workout as often as possible, but limit your weight-training to a few times per week.
Take a couple days off to rest throughout the week. You’ll be in a reduced calorie state, so your recovery time will be even more important than usual. You’re much more likely to exercise consistently if you can make things fun for yourself. If you’re not the treadmill type, try yoga, swimming, kickboxing, mountain biking, climbing or CrossFit. Anything that keeps you active will benefit your weight loss efforts. [16] X Research source
Even adding short walks, taking the stairs, and washing the car count towards your calorie expenditure. If you can’t run a 5k right now, relax. Be a little stricter on your diet and walk that 5k in the morning. Every little bit adds up.
The best time to get in a fasted cardio session is after you first wake up, before you’ve eaten breakfast. Your blood sugar will already be sufficiently low from not having eaten overnight. [18] X Research source For fasted workouts, keep the intensity low and the duration short. A 20-30 minute jog at a moderate pace or even a brisk walk will be more than enough to reap the benefits.
Choose simple movements, like lunges or squat thrusts, that can be repeated multiple times per round. [20] X Research source To simplify things when you’re first starting out, only do each round for 10 seconds, with a 20 second rest. Switch to full rounds when you’re ready. Don’t push yourself too hard. Tabatas are one of the most intense forms of exercise there is and should only be attempted by those who are fit enough to handle it. [21] X Research source
BMR calculation formula for women: 655 + (4. 35 x your current weight in pounds) + (4. 7 x your height in inches) minus (4. 7 x your current age in years). BMR calculation formula for men: 66 + (6. 23 x your weight in pounds) + (12. 7 x your height in inches) minus (6. 8 x your age in years).
Little or no exercise = 1. 2 Light exercise (up to 3 days per week) = 1. 375 Moderate exercise (3 to 5 days per week) = 1. 55 Heavy exercise (6 to 7 days per week) = 1. 725 Very heavy exercise (intense workouts daily) = 1. 9
This is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). It may seem like a high number; don’t forget: You burn calories even while sleeping. For example, if your BMR is 3,500 and you currently get moderate exercise, all you have to do is multiply 3,500 by 1. 55 to get 5425 – aka the number of calories burned to maintain your weight. For a goal of 20 pounds in a single month, you’ll have to cut at least 2,000 calories a day using both diet and exercise. A steep goal, indeed.
Make sure you’re drinking a moderate amount of water to cycle fresh fluids into your system and prevent dehydration. [23] X Research source Sweating has long been used by boxers, wrestlers and other combat athletes to make weight at pre-bout weigh-ins.
Due to overwork, insomnia, stress and other issues, many people don’t get adequate sleep and find it impossible to lose weight as a result. If you can’t find the time to sleep in one long block at night, try taking a couple short naps (10-15 minutes) throughout the day. [25] X Research source
