Do you need to quickly drop more than a few pounds?
Perhaps for a wedding or beach holiday?
Losing weight quickly might seem an insurmountable task, but if you follow the tips below, you can achieve your goals–not only with speed–but easily as well.
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Cut Out Carbs
Carbs taste good. Who doesn’t love bread? What tastes better with chicken than rice? Unfortunately, carbs aren’t very filling and are often more calorie dense than other foods. When looking at the nutrition label on food, try to pick out food with high protein content. Protein is much more filling, and often is not very calories dense. For instance, while you might be able to easily snack through a bowl of potato chips, you’d have a significantly harder time working through an equally sized bowl of chicken.
That being said, there are some sources of carbs you should keep in your diet. Vegetables may be high in carbs, but most of their carbs are fibrous carbs, providing much needed fiber while not actually counting for calories. Things like celery, lettuce, and squash will fill you up just a well as high-protein food.
Sleep More
Now, you might be wondering how more sleep will speed up your weight loss. In truth, the act of sleeping won’t directly make you lose weight, but instead provides some extremely helpful–and often overlooked–benefits.
Have you ever stayed up late and then woken up the next morning starving? When you deprive yourself of sleep, your body will start to crave calories, especially sugar and bread–which your body knows it can quickly convert into energy. This is why donut shops have flourished so long. Lack of sleep can lead to overeating.
Additionally, and this might go without saying, being rested makes it easier to stick to your exercise goals. For many who are trying to start a workout habit, it can be torturous getting up early to hit the gym. And what happens if you’ve only slept four hours the night before? Lack of sleep can sabotage not only your diet, but your workout goals as well. Keep your sleep regular, and you will be able to maintain your weight loss journey.
Create an Exercise Goal
While exercise isn’t the only key to losing weight, it can definitely play a large role. But it can be difficult forming the habit. Going to the gym regularly is a big chunk of your schedule, and you might find yourself getting bored during your workouts. You need to set yourself more concrete goals.
These goals might be losing a pound every week or adding an extra half-mile to your run every month. Whatever you decide, make it a goal that you can easily measure your success against. When you have something you’re working towards, working out becomes less of a grind, and more of a journey.
Losing weight quickly is not impossible, but you have to create the best possible environment for yourself to succeed. Remember, stagnation is the enemy. Keep moving forward and chasing your goals. By incorporating these tips into your life, you can transform your body and become a healthier you.
Ryan is a former college wrestler and fitness fanatic who specializes in supplements for building muscle. He has written for online publications like TheAthleticBuild.com and FitnessTopFives. He is also an expert lawn mower and has been known to slay apple pie with little regard for his own safety. Hit him up on Linkedin below so he feels the love.