Losing weight is a common goal among many around the country. They may want to drop a few pounds after the holiday season or they might want to do it for health reasons. It might be time to lose some weight before hitting the swimsuit for a warm vacation. Regardless of the reason for which people want to shed pounds, everyone wants to find a fast, easy and safe way to do it. Fortunately, with exercise and the right diet, it is easy to find a way to lose 20 pounds in just a few months.
Step 1
Keep a record of all the foods that you eat as well as what you drink. When you have several days worth of records for your food and drink intake, visit a calorie-counting website such as Diet Bites to find out just how many calories you are ingesting. You might be surprised at the amount of calories you eat. You want to burn more calories than you eat. (See Resources for link.)
Step 2
Determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR) to find out how many calories you need to maintain your current body weight. You want to ingest fewer calories than this each day in order to lose weight. Try to lower your intake by at least 25 to 35 percent each day to see weight loss results quickly. This doesn’t mean you have to go hungry; you simply need to eat healthier foods.
Step 3
Abolish processed foods and fatty foods such as potato chips, candy and soda from your diet. This will reduce the amount of calories that you take in each day, and you will be healthier you are ingesting fewer chemicals, sugars, and fats. Don’t eat fast food. The meals at fast food restaurants will often contain several thousand calories as you can see at Shape Fit. See Resources for a link.
Step 4
Add whole grains to your diet as well as fruits and nuts. Breakfast should be the largest meal of the day, as it fuels your body. Oatmeal with banana or other fruit is a good option. Have a salad for lunch and mix in some tuna fish with a squeeze of lemon as a dressing. Dinner can consist of a skinless chicken breast and fresh vegetables.
Step 5
Eliminate your intake of alcoholic beverages and soft drinks. Alcohol contains a high number of calories, and the calories are in the form of carbohydrates that will store in your body as fat. Soft drinks are full of sugar as well. Even diet drinks, which have zero calories, contain aspartame and other chemicals that can cause your body to store excess fat. Eliminating these drinks can help you lose weight quickly. Instead, drink water with a squeeze of lemon juice for flavoring.
Step 6
Buy healthy food. Lean cuts of meat, tuna, and chicken and turkey breast will provide you with plenty of protein. Buy whole wheat bread, fresh fruits and vegetables. You can make a variety of meals with these food items and ensure that you never get bored. Sites such as Food Network can provide many healthy recipes.
Step 7
Exercise to make sure that your diet plan works. You need to exercise several times a week for at least 30 to 40 minutes per session in addition to eating healthier. This will help you lose 20 pounds much easier and more quickly than with diet alone.
