By: Richard Bleuze
Do you want to lose weight quickly. Losing weight can be a daunting task. It’s important to maintain a healthy attitude towards your diet. Be realistic, and know that the best diet is one you can sustain for the rest of your life.
While there are no extremely fast ways to lose weight safely, there are some tricks you can learn to maximize your weight loss.
Tip 1: Eat Smart
If you are limiting your daily caloric intake, be sure you maximize the calories you do consume. Eliminate excess calories from your diet, usually in the form of additions. Drink your coffee black and avoid the cream and sugar. If you enjoy espresso beverages, opt for skim milk and sugar-free syrups; skip the whipped cream.
If you do consume alcohol, which tends to have a lot of calories, try a light beer or malt beverage. Be sure to drink alcohol in moderation. Practice portion control as well, using a measuring cup if necessary.
Tip 2: How Many Calories Do I Need Daily?
The number is different for everyone. Most nutritional value charts are based on a 2,000 calorie daily intake, which is indeed the average. However, you may need more or fewer calories, depending on certain factors:
- height
- weight,
- gender
- age
- activity level
There are three different aspects to calculating how many calories you will need per day:
(a) Basal metabolic rate (BMR)
This number describes how much energy your body needs to function while resting. These functions include heart beating, the lungs breathing, the eyelids blinking and the body temperature stabilized. Your BMR is responsible for 60-70% of the calories you burn in a day. Men typically have a higher BMR than women. The Harris-Benedict formula is one of the best ways to determine your BMR:
- Adult Male: 66 + (6.3 x body weight in lbs.) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
- Adult Female: 655 + (4.3 x weight in lbs.) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
(b) Physical Activity
Burning 20-30% of your body’s total calories, physical activity consists of everything from making your bed in the morning to walking your dog. Anything that puts your body in motion will burn calories; how many you burn depends on your body weight. The Metabolic Energy Method, or MET is the most reliable way to determine how many calories your body expends during physical activity.
(c) Thermic Effect of Food
The amount of energy your body uses to digest your food accounts for the third way your body burns calories. To calculate the amount of calories your body burns in this process, multiply your daily caloric intake by 10 percent.
Add these three figures together and you will have your daily calorie requirements.
An Easier Way
You can also skip those calculations for a simpler route of determining how many calories you need per day. You can get a rough estimate by using one of these simple formulas:
Sedentary lifestyle: Weight x 14 = estimated cal/day
Moderately active lifestyle: Weight x 17 = estimated cal/day
Active lifestyle: Weight x 20 = estimated cal/day
Reaching your ideal weight healthfully
If your goal is to lose weight, eat about 500 calories fewer per day to lose a pound every week. To gain weight, eat 500 more calories every day to gain a pound every week.
Food Caloric Content
If you are trying to lose weight, it will help to know the calorie content of the foods you eat.
- 1 g carbohydrates = 4 calories
- 1 g protein = 4 calories
- 1 g fat = 9 calories.
As you can see, fatty foods contain more than double the amount of calories of carb and protein foods. Make the most of your calories by reducing your fat intake and increasing your carb and protein intake.
For additional help with your weight loss goals, try HealthSlim . This safe and natural supplement has been shown to significantly reduce body fat.
Tip 3: Talk About It
Rather than hiding your diet, tell people about it. Co-workers, friends and family can be great sources of support and encouragement and may want to join you. Instead of going out to eat, you can spend your lunch break walking with a co-worker. Being public about your diet also increases your accountability.
If you announce your diet to co-workers, you will be more inclined to make smart food choices because everyone knows you are dieting. As you shed the pounds, those around you will notice and be quick to congratulate you. By making your diet choices public, you are giving others the opportunity to support you.
Tip 4: Drink Water
Drink at least 8 cups of water a day. So how do you do it? Keep water around you at all time. Begin the day by drinking a full glass of water before breakfast. Keep a glass or water bottle by your desk, and be sure to refill it at least two or three times during the work day.
Have a glass of water before dinner and one with your meal, but be careful to limit water intake in the few hours before you sleep. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself waking up at least once a night to use the bathroom. If you are exercising regularly, you’ll find you may need even more water, and may drink a lot during and after your workout.
Tip 5: Use A Pedometer/Exercise
This is an easy way to visually measure your daily physical activity and will help encourage more walking. After you track your steps for a few days, set a weekly goal for yourself. Chart your totals and celebrate when you achieve your goals. Examples of walking that can help: use the stairs, park away from everyone else at the mall, walk around the block after dinner. etc
