You know the drill if you want to lose weight: consume fewer calories, and burn more calories. You are also aware that most quick weight loss plans and diets don’t work as promised. At times, regardless of your efforts, fat does not evacuate from your body as quickly as you would like. The first instinct may be to significantly increase calorie deficit and caloric expenditure, which is not a good idea since it might have detrimental long-term effects on the body.
Some of these tips might help to lose weight fast…
1. Set a goal
Whether you want to save for a dress, lose weight or put down a house deposit, you ought to work backward from the goal. The favorable way of doing this is by writing down the steps that you will need to get there. The initial step is the definition of the life you want. If you are able to do that, you are halfway to getting it.
2. Write down what you eat for a week and you’ll lose weight
Studies indicate that individuals who keep food diaries end up eating around 15 percent less food compared to those who don’t. You should watch out during weekends: A study at the University of North Carolina found that people tend to take an extra 115 calories during weekends, primarily from fat and alcohol. Then cut down calories from sauces, spreads, condiments, dressings, snacks and drinks since they can make the difference between weight loss and gain.
3. Focus on intense cardio
Indulging in intense 45-minute cardio sessions a handful times a week will boost your metabolism. A study found in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise postulated that each intense cardio session has the ability to elevate metabolism even after you stop sweating hence burning extra calories post-workout. Some intense cardio workouts that you can try include indoor cycling, interval training or running.
4. Make your meal plan mindless
You ought to ditch the habit of weighing your food on the scale and crunching numbers all day. The less you stress with regards to eating, the better chances you have of sticking to your eating plan and avoiding decisions that would set you back. In spite of everything, it only takes one giant spree to erase a week’s worth of effort. Therefore, you should make every bite count.
Take one day of the week and spend it in the kitchen preparing and portioning all your food among the towers of Tupperware. While your family and friends may snort at the sight, you are aware that a week’s worth of fat-bashing, muscle-fueling food will be within arm’s reach.
5. Stop eating Junk food
It might seem obvious, but junk food is a huge weight-loss enemy. Even worse is that consuming foods with lots of fat and sugar make you feel sluggish and irritable. To remove all the junk from your system, you should consider undertaking a two-week elimination diet that entails cutting out refined sugars, gluten, dairy, alcohol and caffeine.
6. After breakfast, stick to water
During breakfast you can go ahead and drink orange juice. However, throughout the rest of the day you should focus on water instead of soda or juice. The average person consumes an extra 245 calories per day from soft drinks. That is nearly 90,000 calories every year.
7. Watch one less hour of TV
A study involving 76 undergraduate students found that the more the students watched television, the more they ate. Sacrifice one program (there is probably one you do not actually want to watch anyway) and take a walk instead.