Whether you’re a few pounds overweight or want to drop a few sizes, you want results fast. After all, you are on a diet, which means you have to change your eating habits, perhaps drastically. And without results you won’t have the incentive to continue.
Why do you need to lose weight?
Losing weight is essential not only to look more attractive and get rid of unsightly bulges, but more importantly for health. This is because obesity has an important role to play in
• Reduced mobility
• Sleep disorders
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Depression
• Hypertension
• Joint disorders
• Cancer
• Respiratory problems
Any or all of these can further fuel weight gain, making losing weight an even more uphill task.
How to lose weight fast?
When you start a diet or weight loss plan, you should have goals in place and these should be attainable goals. If you ask yourself how to lose 10 pounds and you have a time frame for it, then it becomes a goal that you set for yourself and you can have the joy of achieving it once you have reached the number.
The first thing you have to do is make a meal plan or follow a diet. The plan you follow should be one that works for you and takes into account your eating habits, daily routine, job, and other variables that are unique to you.
When you have a set plan or diet, it becomes easier to follow and leaves less room for mistakes. Popular diets include:
Paleo Diet – When you follow the Paleo diet, you eat more whole grains and unprocessed foods, more fruits and vegetables, and more lean meats. This was the diet followed by hunter-gatherers in a time when food was natural. Since you eat healthy, natural foods with unrefined and natural fats, you will lose weight without counting calories.
Mediterranean Diet: Unlike the Paleo diet, this one does not restrict dairy or vegetables. You can eat more fruits and vegetables, lean proteins like fish, olive oil, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, and unprocessed grains along with wine. Because this diet encompasses a wide variety of foods, it may be easier to follow.
Whole30 – A 30 day plan, aims to reset your system. The diet is very restrictive because it eliminates dairy, vegetables and legumes, including soy and its derivatives, sugar and sugar substitutes. There is a wide range of forbidden foods in this diet, so you will lose weight for sure.
Raw Food Diet – Since you only eat raw food on this diet, it is relatively simple to follow as no cooking is required. However, it involves juicing, blending, and even sprouting as an alternative to cooking.
What about exercise to lose weight?
Many people think that exercise is not effective for weight loss. You can be sweating for hours without any noticeable results. This is because many activities don’t actually burn many calories. To give you an example, running or swimming for an hour will burn between 300 and 400 calories.
However, exercise has an important role to play in weight loss. For one thing, even the smallest amounts of calories burned add up, so with just one hour of swimming a day, you could lose a pound in 10 days. Exercise also helps build muscle and keep you fit, so you’ll be healthier.
More significantly, exercise increases your metabolism. When your metabolism is fueled, you burn calories faster for up to 24 hours after exercise. Of course, this means regular and sustained exercise for the results to show.
When exercise is combined with a slimming diet, you will get the best results as you will burn fat and reduce weight. With the right kind of exercise, whether it’s rumba, dancing, strength training, sit-ups, or whatever, you can achieve the kind of figure you want. You can improve muscle tone, get rid of unattractive bulges, get a flatter stomach and more toned buttocks.
How important is sleep for weight loss?
Getting enough sleep is very important for weight loss. What is the connection between weight loss and sleep? The thing is, if you don’t wake up refreshed and well, if you’re groggy, it’ll be hard to get going. You may feel lethargic and tired and then not exercise.
At the same time, when you’re tired, you’re more likely to reach for foods high in facts, sugar, and calories because of the comfort factor. If you can’t stick to your diet or exercise, your metabolism slows down and you may actually end up putting on more weight.
What should you not do to lose weight?
You can go on a strict diet in an effort to lose weight quickly, but there are a few facts to keep in mind.
You certainly shouldn’t fast to lose weight. While fasting gives quick results, it has a rebound effect. Since your body doesn’t get the food it needs to sustain itself, it slows down your metabolism to keep burning calories. This results in you actually gaining weight when you start eating, even if you eat smaller amounts of food.
Even when you restrict your food intake in an effort to lose weight, it’s important to eat little or no salt and sugar. You should also limit your intake of starch, whether in the form of grains or high-carbohydrate foods. You must eat the right kinds of foods that have more nutritional value but fewer calories.
So how do you actually manage to lose weight?
You must have the determination to stick to your goals, follow the type of diet that is right for your lifestyle and eating habits, while eating healthy foods. You should also get the right amount of physical activity and sleep that will help you lose weight and stay fit. Once you have lost the desired amount of weight, it is best to follow your diet with some modifications so that you maintain your weight loss. There is no short cut to losing weight – it is achieved safely and securely by following a diet and exercise regimen.