The best way for you to lose weight fast will depend on your starting point, your end goal, and your lifestyle.
In this article we lay out some doable and effective strategies that are applicable to everyone—whether you’re a fitness novice looking to shed several pounds, or you simply require motivation to keep going.
Generally speaking the best way to lose weight quickly, and maintain that weight loss, is to follow a steady, manageable eating plan.
The NHS recommends that you aim to lose no more than 2 lbs per week; anymore than that and you risk burning out and giving up.
With that in mind, here are 13 nutrition and fitness strategies to get you losing weight quickly and safely.
1. Eat more vegetables, all of the time.
It’s that simple, I promise!
If you think about making any meal mostly veggies (at least 50% of anything that you’re having), you’re on the right track to better health and weight loss.
2. Eat a better breakfast.
All meals are important, but breakfast is what helps you start your day on the right track.
The best, heartiest breakfasts are ones that will fill you up, keep you satisfied, and stave off cravings later in the day.
Aim to eat anywhere between 400 and 500 calories for your morning meal, and make sure you’re including a source of lean protein plus filling fat (e.g., eggs, unsweetened Greek yogurt, nuts, or nut butters) and fiber (veggies, fruit, or 100% whole grains).
Starting your day with a blood sugar-stabilizing blend of nutrients will help you slim down without sacrifice.
3. Limit your salt intake
Since salt is a preservative, packaged and processed foods are often highest in sodium — something to keep in mind when planning your meals.
When it comes by buying snacks, a “low sodium” product has to be 140 mg or less per serving — so if you’re REALLY in a bind, you can follow that guideline for what to put in your cart.
4. Drink more coffee.
Start your day with a cup of joe. Caffeine is a natural diuretic and an excellent source of antioxidants, which protect your cells from damage. You can have up to 400 mg — about a venti Starbucks coffee — daily, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Not much of a coffee drinker? Tea is also a natural diuretic, and types of herbal tea such as dandelion or fennel root can also lend a hand.
In fact: When a recent study compared the metabolic effect of green tea (in extract) with that of a placebo, researchers found that the green-tea drinkers burned about 70 additional calories in a 24-hour period.
5. Skip sugary beverages
We just don’t feel full by liquid calories in quite the same way as we do real food.
Drinking a juice or caramel coffee drink just isn’t as satisfying as eating a bowl of veggie- and protein-packed stir-fry.
So monitor your intake of juice, soda, sweetened coffee and tea, and alcoholic beverages.
If you consume each of those beverages during the day, you’ll have taken in at least 800 extra calories by nighttime — and you’ll still be hungry. (Incidentally, alcohol may suppress the metabolism of fat, making it tougher for you to burn those calories.)
6. Buy a set of 5-pounds weights
It’s a one-time investment you’ll never regret.
Here’s why: Strength training builds lean muscle tissue, which burns more calories — at work or at rest — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The more lean muscle you have, the faster you’ll slim down. How do you start strength training? Try some push-ups or a few squats or lunges.
Use your free weights to perform simple bicep curls or tricep pulls right in your home or office. Do these exercises three to four times per week, and you’ll soon see a rapid improvement.
7. Eat spicy food
It can actually help you cut back on calories. That’s because capsaicin, a compound found in jalapeño and cayenne peppers, may (slightly) increase your body’s release of stress hormones such as adrenaline, which can speed up your ability to burn calories.
What’s more, eating hot peppers may help slow you down. You’re less likely to wolfed down that plate of spicy spaghetti — and therefore stay more mindful of when you’re full. Some great adds besides hot peppers: ginger and turmeric.
8. Keep a food journal
Loads of research demonstrates people who log everything they eat — especially those who log while they’re eating — are more likely to lose weight and keep it off for the long haul. The habit also takes less than 15 minutes per day on average when you do it regularly, according to a 2019 study published in Obesity.
Start tracking on an app like MyFitnessPal or use a regular notebook. It’ll help you stay accountable for what you’ve eaten. Plus, you can easily identify some other areas of your daily eats that could use a little improvement when it’s written out in front of you.
9. Take a walk
Don’t get me wrong — exercising at any time is good for you.
But evening activity may be particularly beneficial because many people’s metabolism slows down toward the end of the day.
Thirty minutes of aerobic activity before dinner increases your metabolic rate and may keep it elevated for another two or three hours, even after you’ve stopped moving.
Plus, it’ll help you relax post-meal so you won’t be tempted by stress-induced grazing that can rack up calories.
10. Don’t skip meals
Skipping meals will not make you lose weight faster. If a hectic day makes a sit-down meal impossible, stash a piece of fruit and pack of nut butter in your car or purse and keep snacks in your office desk drawer — anything that will keep you from going hungry!
Going long periods of time without food does double-duty harm on our healthy eating efforts by both slowing down your metabolism, and priming you for another binge later in the day.
Think: You’ve skipped breakfast and lunch, so you’re ready to takedown a whole turkey by dinner! Make it your mission to eat three meals and two snacks every day, and don’t wait longer than three to four hours without eating. Set a “snack alarm” on your phone if needed.
11. Eat high water content foods
You certainly need to drink plenty of water to help combat bloating. You can (and should!) also consume high-water content foods.
Reach for cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, asparagus, grapes, celery, artichokes, pineapple, and cranberries — all of which contain diuretic properties that will also help you stay full due to their higher fiber content.
12. Munch on mineral-rich foods
Potassium, magnesium, and calcium can help to serve as a counter-balance for sodium. Foods that are rich in potassium include leafy greens, most “orange” foods (oranges, sweet potatoes, carrots, melon), bananas, tomatoes, and cruciferous veggies — especially cauliflower.
Low-fat dairy, plus nuts, and seeds can also help give you a bloat-busting boost. They’ve also been linked to a whole host of additional health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, controlling blood sugar, and reducing risk of chronic disease overall.
13. One last thing… you should try this 2-minute “after-dinner ritual” that
burns up to 2 pounds of belly fat per day…
“All
this by a 2-minute “after-dinner ritual?” I asked.
I
met an old friend for lunch last month and I was super impressed with how good
she looked.
She
said, “It’s not so much about the “after-dinner ritual”, but more about how it
gives you a regenerative form of deep sleep that is responsible for everything
we need to dramatically increase our fat burning metabolism and improve our
health and appearance.”
Even
though I was skeptical, I’ve been struggling with my weight over the last few
years, so I gave it a shot and watched the same video she did.
Well,
it’s only a couple weeks later and you know what they say about how “you can’t
transform your body overnight”…
They’re
right – it actually took me 16 days to lose 22 pounds.
Now
it’s my girlfriends asking ME what I’M doing differently 💅
Post A Comment: