Faster weight loss appears quite an uphill task, especially if you
wish to lose more than 10 pounds. In the present scenario, there are
numerous ways to shed weight such as weight loss supplements, fitness
programs and numerous fad diets.But, the fact remains that most of us find it difficult to go through these tedious processes. Besides, they yield only short term results. To lose weight healthily and maintain it, you need to follow a healthy lifestyle incorporating a balanced diet and regular exercise.
A. Weight Loss without Dieting:
When you talk about weight loss the first thing that comes to your mind is dieting. In fact, dieting and weight loss are closely related. Often, the urge of losing weight is so strong that you tend to starve yourselves in the process, ultimately losing out the vital nutrients required by your bodies.Numerous fad diets have come into being which promise quick weight loss. But following them is not everyone’s cup of tea. Moreover, most of the weight lost is water weight which is regained as quickly as it is lost.
To say the least, you need not follow a rigorous dietary program to lose weight fast. As stated earlier, a healthy lifestyle is a pre requisite for the maintenance of a healthy weight. By following the tips given below, you can lose weight without going through the pains of a crash diet.
1. Have a Nutritious Breakfast:
Skipping breakfast is certainly not a good idea when it comes to weight loss. Breakfast is the first meal of the day which provides you the required energy for the day’s activities. Skipping breakfast not only makes you feel weak but your hunger cravings also increase, causing you to overeat at lunch. So start off the day with a nutritious breakfast. You can have a bowl of wholegrain cereal, yoghurt, fruit or low grain milk. Certain studies have shown that those who eat breakfast have lower BMIs (body mass index) than those who skip breakfast.
2. Do Not Skip Meals:
If you want to lose weight effectively, then do not stay for more than 5 hours without eating as it slows down your metabolism. Off course you don’t have to indulge yourself. But ensure to have three meals in a day with a healthy snack between lunch and dinner.3. Do Not Have Breakfast Until 10 AM:
If you do not have metabolic or blood sugar concerns, you can go without food from 8 p.m. till 10 a.m. The rationale behind this is that intermittent fasting or going for short periods without food has shown to improve the levels of Human Growth Hormone (HGH), especially above the age of 25. This helps in increasing lean muscle mass and diminishing fat.4. Have Dinner By 8 PM:
It is advisable to have your dinner before 8 p.m. and not to eat anything after that. This is because the release of our digestive enzymes and the function of our digestive tract slows down, leading to the slowing down of metabolism. So we need less energy. Thus, having dinner by 8 p.m. or within 3 hours of bedtime will prevent the bloated feeling and enable proper digestion of your food. If you find it difficult to resist, you can have some herbal tea and brush your teeth immediately to switch off your mind from the idea of eating.5. Chew Your Food Properly:
Chewing your food for longer decreases your tendency of overeating by giving the brain more time to receive signals from the stomach that it is full. Not only it ensures proper digestion but also helps in limiting your portion size. So chew your food at least 30 to 50 times before eating.6. Have Fruits Before Meals:
Having fruits on an empty stomach detoxifies your system as well as supplies you with loads of energy for losing weight. Thus, it is advisable to eat fruits at least 30 minutes before any heavy meal so that they digest quickly.7. Avoid Overcooking Your Meals:
Overcooking the food kills or reduces the nutrients in your meals. When you don’t eat enough nutrients, you do not feel satisfied and tend to have junk food cravings. To prevent this situation, ensure to eat raw foods in the form of salads and sushi. Vegetables can be steamed, baked, blanched or grilled while meat and fish can be baked. Microwaving should be avoided.8. Drink Lots Of Water:
Water is a great detoxifier that can keep you hydrated and full. Substitute sweetened drinks like juices, iced tea and soda for water to prevent loading up your body with extra calories. You can also impart some flavor to it by adding a dash of lemon or lime juice. By drinking water instead of liquid calories, you can shed at least 1 to 3 pounds in just 7 days. If you tend to feel hungry after a meal, you can have a big glass of water to keep yourself full without gorging on extra calories.9. Have Proper Sleep:
Proper sleep makes a great difference in losing weight. Ensure to get the right amount of sleep of at least 8 hours at night and 2 hours nap in the day. This gives your body enough time to kill all the fat and start over with a new portion in the body, thus making it much easier to lose weight.10. Indulge In Regular Exercise:
Besides taking care of the food that you eat, regular exercise greatly supplements your weight loss efforts. Off course you do not have to spend hours working out at a gym. But make it a point to indulge in moderate exercises at home. Workouts like squats, triceps push-ups, plank crawl, walking lunge, side plank, leaps and extensions are relatively simple and effective. These can be practiced at home in between your chores and involve minimal equipment.
11. Indulge In Sports Activities:
Sports activities are no less effective than exercise as they work all your body muscles, causing you to burn more calories. Outdoor sports such as downhill skiing, basketball, soccer, elliptical trainer, cycling, swimming etc are great calorie busters.12. Practice Yoga:
Yoga is a great way of being physically and mentally fit. Yoga and Pilates are low intensity workouts that can burn calories as well as make you feel refreshed and energized. Practicing the different yoga poses can greatly help your weight loss efforts.B. Weight Loss with Diet:
13. Burn More Calories:
To lose weight effectively, you need to burn more calories than you eat every day. This will help you lose 1 to 2 pounds in a week. Restricting your caloric intake to 1050 -1200 calories a day coupled with an hour of exercise will cause you to lose 3 to 5 pounds in the first week. So it is important to restrict the intake of high calorie foods and beverages. Low calorie diets cut the caloric intake to 15% to 25% and focus on the consumption of complex carbs like whole grains, vegetables and fruits and low fat protein like meat, fish and poultry.14. Special Diets:
Low carb diets such as the Atkins diet aim to restrict the consumption of carbs. The rationale behind these diets is that overweight people tend to consume more carbohydrates which cause the body to release insulin. The body produces glucose (sugar) to control this insulin which eventually gets converted to fat. These diets stress on the consumption of proteins, soy-products, fruits, vegetables and nuts. They do not completely eliminate carbs but restrict them.15. Balanced Diets:
To sum up, you need to minimize the consumption of starches, added sugars and animal fat from meat and dairy products. For rapid weight loss, it is advisable to consume a balanced diet incorporating fruits, vegetables, egg whites, skinless poultry breasts, fish, non-fat dairy products and 95% lean meat. Ensure to get all the vital nutrients that your body needs to maintain its ideal weight. Given below is a specimen diet chart for weight loss.| Meals | Food Items | Nutrients |
| Breakfast | Toast, banana, wholegrain cereal with skimmed milk and fruit, low fat yoghurt | Carbohydrates, fat and dairy |
| Lunch | Sandwich with wholegrain or multigrain bread, vegetable salad, lean chicken or butter fried eggs, a glass of milk | Complex carbs and protein |
| Snack | Fruits and veggies, natural yoghurt and berries, a handful of nuts, low fat dip | Protein, dairy and complex carbs |
| Dinner | Brown rice, lean meat, scrambled eggs, fish | Proteins and small amount of carbohydrates |
There are numerous diet plans meant to cause rapid weight loss. If you opt for dieting, you can choose the one which you find most suitable in terms of the choices offered and the time frame. Scarsdale diet offers the most choices. The cabbage soup diet is cheap but repetitive while the lemonade diet requires least preparation but is extremely difficult to follow. While choosing the dietary plan, make sure that you can stay on it for a longer time if you wish to lose a couple of pounds.
Source : http://www.weightlossdietideas.com