These strategies include exercising, keeping track of calorie intake, intermittent fasting, and reducing the number of carbohydrates in the diet.
In this article, we consider nine effective methods of weight loss.
Set a Goal to Lose 2 Pounds per Week
Clinically trained dietitians and accredited nutrition experts agree, you don’t want to lose more than 2 pounds in a week. “Any more aggressive than that, and you start compromising your metabolism,” Morris confirms. So take a look at the calendar, and set a realistic goal for the time you have. If you have 2 to 3 weeks before the big day, awesome! Aim to lose 5 pounds and feel better in your clothes. Just a week before the date? Don’t despair. You can still de-bloat a bit and drop a couple of pounds.Cut Your Calories by 500 to 750 per Day
Next, crunch the numbers. Figure out how many calories you really need, and reduce that number by 500 to 750 calories per day, in order to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. The food logging feature in the Fitbit app makes it extra easy. Just don’t dip below the bare minimum your body needs—1200 calories per day for women, or 1500 for men.Eat Fresh and Clean to Lose Weight Fast
But of course, where those calories come from makes a big difference. Morris recommends a natural detox—no pills, no shakes, just fresh, whole foods. Here’s how to do it the healthy way:
- Cut alcohol. Alcohol is a toxin, and it undermines weight loss in several ways. Give your liver a break, save the calories, and sip on sparkling water.
- Cut added sugar. Sugar isn’t just high in calories, it causes inflammation. Nearly half of added sugars come from drinks, so put down the soda, as well as the cookies and candy.
- Cut salt. Sodium helps your body hang onto water, which is why it makes you bloat. Ditch processed foods, which contribute 75 percent of the sodium in an average diet.
- Eat lots of colorful fruits and veggies. Morris recommends making a big veggie soup, loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and water—to fill you up.
- Drink lots and lots of water! Aim for 2 to 3 liters per day. Once you stop eating those processed foods and salt, water will flush out your system naturally.
Start weight training.
Building muscle is essential for your body for many reasons, but it also aids in achieving a healthy weight. In general, regular exercise can help you manage your weight, but “the more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate,” says Sassos, who is also a personal trainer.
Strength training can be done with weights, resistance bands or using your own body weight in activities like yoga and Pilates. Don’t worry if you’re a weight-lifting beginner: Just know that because muscle is denser than fat, you might be losing body fat even if the number on the scale doesn’t reflect weight loss. “You can get a better glimpse at the benefits of strength training when looking specifically at your body composition including metrics such as body fat,” says Sassos.
Skip sugary beverages.
Liquid calories simply don’t fill you up in quite the same way as real food. Skipping sugary beverages is often the easiest way to lose weight faster, and as a bonus, it’s good for heart health and diabetes prevention, too.
So monitor your intake of juice, soda, sweetened coffee and tea and alcoholic beverages. If you consume one of each of those beverages during the day, you’ll have taken in at least 800 extra calories by nighttime — and you’ll still be hungry. (Incidentally, alcohol may even suppress the metabolism of fat, making it tougher for you to burn those calories.)
Get moving.
Consider walking for weight loss and better overall health. Movement of any type can be a very useful weight management tool, but walking is a great, inexpensive option that doesn’t require any extra gym equipment except for a good pair of walking shoes. While any amount of walking is good for you, one study showed that people who walked 8,200 steps per day were less likely to become obese, suffer from major depressive disorder and other chronic health related conditions.
