Don't have time to diet? People who are
busy often say that lack of time is a reason that they can't lose weight. Who
has extra hours in their day to read complicated diet advice books or surf
websites for the best weight-loss plan? That time investment may not be
necessary.
The best tips for losing weight are the
same in almost every diet and exercise plan. They are often packaged
differently, but the bottom line for almost every weight-loss program is the same.
If you can master these three basic principles, you'll be on your way to
successful weight loss.
3 Fast Weight-Loss Tips
Understand serving sizes. If you choose the
right foods, but eat too much of them, your weight-loss plan won't work. In
fact, a common mistake by dieters is to overeat organic foods and foods that
are perceived to be healthy.
Portion control is an essential skill for
effective weight loss. Chicken breast is great for you, but not if you eat too
much of it. Almonds? Yep, they're healthy, but not if you eat more than you
need. Healthy snacks? They are better for your body than junk food, but they'll
still cause weight gain if you overeat.
Stick to these portion sizes when planning
your meals:
1 serving of cereal = size of your fist
1 serving of a starch (rice, pasta, potato)
= half of a baseball
1 serving of cheese = 4 stacked dice
1 serving of fruit = baseball
1 serving of margarine or butter = 1 dice
1 serving of meat, fish, poultry = a deck
of cards
Count calories. Some weight-loss plans may
advertise that calorie counting is not necessary. But the bottom line is that
weight loss happens when a calorie deficit occurs. Nearly every diet is some
variation of calorie restriction to achieve a calorie deficit.
Calorie counting may seem like a
time-consuming skill. But with the availability of mobile apps like the one at
CalorieCount.com, it has become easier for people who are busy to track their
calories. If you have a smartphone, calorie counting will take no more than a
few seconds; your totals are stored so that you can review them at a later
time.
After you start counting calories, you'll
learn how many calories you consume in a typical day. Most people can reduce
their daily intake by 500 calories per day to see a healthy weight loss of 1
pound per week.
Move more. Sounds obvious, right? But this
doesn't necessarily mean that you have to exercise. For some people, exercise
works against them. If you complete a hard workout in the morning and then
spend the rest of day laying on the couch, you will probably end up burning
fewer calories from movement than a person who does not exercise and who makes
non-exercise activity a part of their daily habit.
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT)
is the term used by scientists to describe the calories burned from your
non-workout movement. Whether you exercise or not, be sure that your NEAT is
maximized every day. Consider some of these activities. The calorie burn for
each single item is small, but if you participate in some movement each hour,
your NEAT at the end of the day will be significant.
Putting away laundry = 26 kcals/15 mins
Moving furniture, boxes = 100 kcals/15 mins
Playing/running with your kids = 40
kcals/15 mins
Walking while carrying a light load (<15 56="" kcals="" minutes="" pounds="" span="">
Most people will achieve some results with
these three basic tips for losing weight. Of course, there are some instances
where underlying issues, such as a medical diagnosis, may make weight loss more
complicated. But for most people, weight loss boils down to a simple equation:
eat less, move more.
