There are many reasons why one would want to reduce some weight. Prominent among these reasons is overweight or obesity. Obesity is a significant public health problem. This is because it increases the risk of developing diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and other serious diseases. Obesity is a result of too much fat being stored in your body. In other words, your body takes in plenty of calories but burns less of them due to physical inactivity.
There are several ways to lose a lot of weight fast. There are many diet plans out there promising lots of hope but they may not be sustainable in a long term. The following 3 ways to shed weight is the foundational principle of weight management.
Eat fewer carbohydrates
Weight loss happens when you cut back on your carb.
You gain weight if you eat more food than your body can use.
When you eat less, your body now starts burning stored fat for energy as there is not enough carb to burn. You lose weight when your fat it’s being steadily burned or used up. Studies suggest that a low-carb diet can reduce appetite and make you fill full. This may lead you to eat fewer calories without thinking about it or feeling hungry. Staying under 50 grams per day of calories under supervision would likely work wonders.
When we talk about carbohydrates, we mean the following food list:
- Grains
- White bread
- Sugar-sweetened sodas and drinks
- Milk
- Starchy vegetables
- Legumes (beans, lentils, peas)
A low-carb diet is intended to cause the body to burn stored fat for energy, which leads to weight loss. A low-carb diet like the Keto diet would require more fat and fewer carbohydrates.
If you want to have an appreciable weight loss, choose unprocessed foods. The best food for weight loss includes:
- avocados
- eggs
- fish
- vegetables
- nuts
- lean meats
- healthy fats
If you want to lose weight quickly, some of these tips may help, but quick weight loss is rarely sustainable. Focusing on long-term health and habits that you can stick with over time will help improve your health and are more likely to result in lasting weight loss.
Lose weight with more protein, vegetables, and fats
As a general rule, each of your meals should include a protein source, a healthy fat source, and some vegetables. When it comes to losing weight, protein is a crucial nutrient to think about.
Protein and weight loss
Protein may be particularly effective in reducing belly fat. One study showed that people who eat more and better protein have much less abdominal fat. Another study indicated that protein was linked to a significantly reduced chance of abdominal fat gain over 5 years in women. It is the single most essential nutrient for weight loss and a better-looking body.
A high protein intake boosts metabolism, increases levels of satiety, and causes several weight-regulating hormones in the body.
In order to eat more protein-rich foods, eat more foods like:
- Legumes: Beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc.
- Meats: Chicken, turkey, lean beef, pork, etc.
- Dairy: Milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.
- Eggs: All types.
- Fish: Salmon, sardines, scumbia, trout, etc.
Non-starchy vegetables
This is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to lose weight.
Vegetables tend to be weight-loss friendly. This is because many of them are low in calories. They all offer filling fiber, which helps to decrease our urge to snack. And again, the volume of water in vegetables increases the volume of the food.
Vegetables have a lot of nutrients but less of calories. In other words, they are nutrient-dense. They have a lot of fiber. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that is a key factor for weight loss. Fiber moves through the digestive tract slowly and helps delay when we eat. In fact, it makes us feel full. It suppresses our appetite throughout the day making it easier for us to take in fewer calories. Fiber also slows the rise of blood and insulin, both of which can discourage fat storage.
To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body uses for energy. This does not mean that you have to eat less food. This is where vegetables come in.
Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling.
Some of the vegetables that are good for weight loss include:
- cucumber
- Swiss chard
- lettuce
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- Brussels sprouts
- spinach
- tomatoes
- cabbage
Healthy fats
People tend to avoid fats when they are overweight. It is not like that. Don’t be afraid to consume fats. Low carb means more fats. The following are some of the fats you can incorporate into your diet.
- butter
- avocado oil
- olive oil
- coconut oil
Lose weight through Cardio
To lose weight or maintain weight loss, you will need around 300 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, according to the Mayo Clinic. This averages about 60 minutes, five days a week.
Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, means when you do an activity “with oxygen.”
While cardio does burn calories and helps aid in weight loss, combining it with at least two to three days a week of strength training workouts can increase the rate at which you lose weight.
To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. The amount of calories you take in needs to be less than the number of calories you burn. How much weight you lose depends on the amount of exercise you’re willing to perform over the course of a week.
Lifting weights, walking, jogging, running, cycling, or swimming are some of the cardio workouts you can do. Both cardio and weightlifting can help with weight loss.
Factors that affect how quickly you can lose weight
When you agree to embark on this weight loss journey, always remember that we all differ in many aspects. We always crave quicker results. However, we should be aware that there are certain factors that may help quicken our ability to lose weight fast or otherwise.
- Age. The older you get, the fewer calories you will likely burn.
- The intensity of the workout. The more vigorous the workout, the more calories you’ll burn in one session.
- Gender. Men burn calories faster than women. Men see quicker results than women.
- Overall daily activity. The idler you are during the day, the fewer overall calories you will burn.
- Weight. The bigger you weigh, the more calories you will burn.
- Body mass. If you have a greater amount of muscle mass, you’ll burn more calories during exercise than someone who has a higher percentage of fat.