Losing Weight Fast
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009Let’s look at the possibility that you can lose more than 2 pounds a week on a weight loss plan. To lose real fat – not water, not muscle – you should eat 3500 fewer calories for each pound you want to lose. You would have to eat 17,500 fewer calories a week to lose 5 pounds, that is 2,500 calories less calories a day.
To be safe you should not reduce your calorie intake below 1200 calories a day. If you usually burn 2500 calories a day and decrease your calories to 1200 a day, you will only have a calorie deficit of 1300. You will have to burn 1200 more calories each day in exercise to make a 2500 calorie deficit.
Eating 1200 calories daily and burning the same amount in exercise a day is possible, but how long could you do it? Probably not long enough to lose the amount of weight you want to lose.
It will be easier to stay on a diet that is less strict and an exercise program you could stick to and aim to lose 2 pounds a week. You could easily be 40 pounds lighter in only 5 months. Long term weight control can be acheived by eating fewer calories – eat lean proteins, healthy fats (nuts, avacados, olive oil), and natural carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables). Build muscle with resistence exercises and build your heart and lung capacity with cardio exercises. Read this article for a good fat burning diet and the article Body Toning Exercises for some exercise ideas.
Eating more lean proteins will help keep you from losing muscle and it will also keep you full longer. Green vegetables and lower calorie fruits increase your nutrient intake and help with digestion. Starchy carbohydrates and simple sugars should be seldom eaten, but healthy fats should be eaten daily in small amounts. Muscle is built when at rest, so resistence training offers a calorie burn not only while you are exercising, but also during the day when you are not exercising. Of course getting lean and strong from resistence training is the best advantage. You can also burn more calories each day and improve your stamina with cardio training. See this article that has reviews of various programs that include all three elements.
So, make up your mind that 2 pounds each week is a lot of fat to lose and that you can reach your goal without killing yourself with programs that are too strict and you cannot stick to!