There are plenty of fad diets and other products out there that promise to help you lose weight easily and quickly. But there's really no such thing as a fast and easy diet. Trimming pounds requires dedication and discipline, as well as proper knowledge of how the body works, how it burns calories, and what you can do to get your body burning its fatty energy reserves.
Talk To Your Doctor
Twenty pounds is a lot of weight, and two months is a short time to lose it. Health institutions such as the Mayo Clinic say a healthy weight-loss rate for most people is half a pound to two pounds a week. But it is possible to lose 20 pounds in two months safely--if you're healthy enough to do it. Check with your doctor to see whether a fast weight-loss plan is right for you.
Understanding Weight Loss
Everything you do requires energy, and your body gets energy by burning calories. Burning more calories than you consume creates something called an energy deficit. Your body makes up for that deficit by burning its reserve energy--fat.
Doing The Math
There are about 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, and there are about 30 days in a month, so developing a plan to lose 20 pounds in two months you to burn 70,000 fat calories over 60 days. This works out to a daily energy deficit of 1,166 calories.
Creating The Deficit
There are two ways to create an energy deficit--once you know how many calories your body needs to get through the day, you cut your caloric intake and increase the amount you burn. Effective weight loss often combines those two methods. Successful dieters pack their bodies full of nutritious food and exercise safely and effectively.
Cutting Calories
Out of the 1,166 daily calories you need to cut, let's say 600 of them come from what you put in your body. If you drink one can of regular soda every day, switching to a non-caloric beverage can save you 100 to 150 daily calories. Eliminating chocolate, other candy and sugary, fatty treats such as ice cream is another quick path to healthy calorie-cutting.
So is reducing your alcohol intake; in addition to piling on calories, alcohol kills a diet because your body can't store its calories--they have to be burned first. So if you have a beer or two with a steak dinner, you have to burn that off before your body can get to work on the meal you just enjoyed.
Exercise
With about 500 calories left to keep on pace to lose 20 pounds in two months, you'll need to turn to a daily workout (you can, of course, make this more or less rigorous depending on how many calories you want to cut from your diet.) Joining a gym and working with a personal trainer can be a great help in developing a plan that will be functional and fun.
The number of calories you burn during exercise depends on your size and intensity of activity, but generally speaking, a brisk half-hour jog, an hour of low-impact aerobics or moderate swimming will do the trick.
Also, weight training is key to fat loss. Every pound of muscle you have burns 50 calories a day just by being there--and that's saying nothing of the calories you will burn by developing and maintaining it. Muscle will add weight, but if you're losing weight to look better, you probably will enjoy the appearance of lean muscle.
Good Nutrition
All the activity you'll be doing requires good nutrition; your body needs fuel. Protein is essential to building muscle mass. You'll also want plenty of calcium to keep your bones strong, and heart-healthy unsaturated fat is a necessary part of any diet. In general, eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of lean meat or soy for protein, and avoid foods that you know are bad for you--those that are deep-fried, processed and high in sugar. Drinking water regularly will keep your body's calorie-burning mechanisms working properly, and will help you avoid dehydration during your workouts.
Rest
If you're new to working out, you'll need to ease into exercise. Your doctor or trainer can give you a good idea of how much you can handle safely. For that matter, so can you: if at any point during exercise you feel faint, dizzy or exhausted, stop. You're probably doing too much.
Also, good diets require proper rest; you will need to take a day or two off of exercise every week, especially if you're feeling sore or worn out. You'll also need a good night's sleep.
Be Safe And Realistic
It is possible to lose 20 pounds in two months, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should. Though weight loss is based in mathematics, it's also different for every person. Your doctor, dietitian and personal trainer all specialize in helping people make individualized plans for health and weight loss, and following their advice will help you tremendously.
0 comments:
Post a Comment