There is no magic bullet for how to shed pounds fast. And there is probably nothing you have not heard before about losing weight, but sometimes we have to hear something over and over again before it makes enough sense to be helpful.
As you certainly know, crash diets and fad diets don’t work. You may lose weight quickly, but you will soon gain it back, with extra pounds. Besides being ineffective, yo-yo dieting, where you are caught in a cycle of eating and dieting, is unhealthy. Bad diets can contribute to gallstones, liver damage, and other serious health problems as well as moodiness and fatigue.
There are, however, ways you can lose pounds quickly without damaging your health or ending up in a dangerous weight loss/gain cycle. You can do it without starving yourself and without making yourself miserable. Just follow these basic principles.
Your Diet for Shedding Pounds Fast
1. Eat the right type of carbohydrates. All carbohydrates break down into sugar in your body. But simple carbohydrates, like in white bread, break down too quickly, which makes your body pump more insulin with the result that your body stores the excess sugar as fat. Plus, ‘white’ carbs make your belly bloat. Your body needs carbs because they are the body’s main source of energy; your brain runs on carbohydrates. Stick with the healthy carbohydrates—the whole grains–because they break down more slowly, giving you energy and long-term weight loss.
2. Eat good fats. Fat has gotten a bad reputation, but not all fats are bad. In fact, you simply cannot lose weight without consuming fats. Fats to avoid include hydrogenated oils, canola oil, margarine, and other butter substitutes. Instead, use whole eggs, coconut oil, olive oil, avocadoes, and nuts. Good fats such as these take longer for the body to digest, leaving you more satisfied and less hungry.
3. Eat lean protein, such as fish, low fat dairy, and chicken breast.
4. Add omega-3 fats to your diet. Found in salmon, tuna, flaxseed, and certain other foods, omega-3 fats enhance the production of the naturally occurring hormone leptin, which helps regulate metabolism and appetite. In addition to being high in omega-3 fats, flaxseeds are very low in carbohydrates, nutrient-rich, high in anti-oxidants and high in fiber. When you are on a diet, flaxseeds help make you feel satisfied.
5. Drink tea. Besides having fewer calories than other beverages (tea has none unless you add cream), green tea and black tea contain important nutrients that enhance health. Green tea evens speeds metabolism. Add lemon, lime, or mint to vary the taste without adding calories.
6. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables, especially locally grown fresh ones, have nutrients the body craves. Eat nine or tea servings a day, substituting veggies for unhealthy carbs.
7. Eat food you enjoy. Very few people stick to highly restrictive diets that focus on one or two foods. Why? Because they are unhealthy, unsatisfying and boring, and you can’t eat foods you like. You are more likely to stick to a diet that includes the foods you love. Just eat less of it if it’s high in calories, or make simple substitutions to make your foods less fattening. (For example, eat one cookie instead of four or buy low fat yogurt instead of sour cream.)
8. Drink plenty of water. Water keeps your hydrated, has no calories, and makes you feel full. Water also helps flush out extra water weight and boosts your metabolism. Experts recommend eight glasses a day.
Losing Weight Is More than Diet
Set a goal you can achieve. If you expect yourself to lose too much weight too fast, you will become disappointed and may give up. Be realistic. Before you start your diet decide how much weight you want to lose and in how much time. Your goal must have a target weight and a target time for getting to that weight. This does not mean you can’t change your targets, but you need to start out with clear ones. It is always easier to reach your destination when you know where you are going.
If you want to know how to shed pounds fast, try a little attitude adjustment. Be motivated, consistent, and disciplined. Stick to your weight loss plan, and don’t give up. Enlist a weight loss buddy to encourage you when you feel discouraged and want to give up. One trick to keep you going is to visualize what you will look like once you achieve your weight loss goal and lose weight.
Get enough sleep. Make sure to get seven or eight hours of sleep a night. Or increase your sleep by 30 minutes when you are dieting. Not enough sleep makes you drowsy. Enough sleep increases leptin, which helps curb appetite and improve metabolism. Without a healthy metabolism you might not have the energy to exercise and your body will not have the energy to burn calories.
Move your body. Whether you call it exercise or physical activity, you need to get your body moving in order to burn fat. Aerobic (or cardio) activity burns more calories than strength training. It doesn’t have to be fancy or athletic; a brisk half hour walk every day is a good workout to start. Spinning, cardio-boxing, swimming, and bicycling are also excellent aerobic activities. Exercise also reduces stress, which in turn reduces the likelihood that you will break your diet to binge eat.
Stick to the Basics
Rather than looking for the perfect diet, follow these basic principles of diet and weight loss. Then you will know how to shed pounds fast.