But, a bigger waistline means more strain on your heart, a shorter lifespan, less sex, and the simple sense that you’re not quite your best self. While your weight certainly doesn’t define you, and we’d rather you be a good person than merely a thin one, it would help to be able to feel better about the packaging. Since this is the era of instant gratification, we also want it to happen right bloody now! That’s where these 19 tips and tactics for fast (and hopefully lasting) weight loss come in. Health Advisory: Before you do anything to your body, talk to your doctor. Not every strategy is good for every person, and you can easily put your health in jeopardy by crash dieting, sudden bursts in activity, or alterations to your nutrition. Losing weight is only good if done safely.
Sleep More
Diet and exercise are always the focus of weight loss, but sleep is just as important. You eat more when tired and won’t burn calories as effectively when you exercise. Aim for 8 hours a night and stick to it before you do anything else.
Relax
Stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental ailments cause comfort eating and make your whole system less effective. Start setting aside time to unwind so that you’re in good mental shape for other rigors.
Drink Black or Green Tea
Oolong and green tea have both been tied to increased weight loss with some studies suggesting that by incorporating one of these teas into your daily diet could remove a pound a week, even if you change nothing else.
Switch to Water
Wetter truly is better. Water helps you feel full, reducing the amount you want to eat and it helps your body metabolize and flush waste. Also, by adding a lot of water (a gallon or more) each day, you can then rapidly lose weight by drinking much less.
Cool Down
Our body seeks equilibrium, which is a constant state. When we are too hot, our body sweats to cool us down. When too cool, our body burns calories to warm us up. Some ad hoc studies have revealed that by packing ice around fatty cells, or by spending time in cold temperatures, we can force our frame to shed pounds without extra energy on our part.
Burpees
A simple exercise that most people can do, burpees work a ton of muscle groups, and raise your heart rate rapidly. Both of those are key to weight loss. Best of all, no need for gym equipment.
Stop Dieting
You need to make a change to how you eat forever, not what you eat today. Starving yourself will lead to binges later. Aim at finding a way to eat that you like, which also helps you lose weight. Never stop experimenting with high protein or low fat eating programs.
Stay Natural
We burn fewer calories when consuming processed food than we do with natural ingredients. Put as few steps between you and your food as possible so you’re eating the things nature intended, not whatever Little Debbie thinks you should have.
Portion Control
We often overeat without noticing it. Don’t shovel food onto your plate. Eat a small amount and go back for more if you need to. You don’t need nearly as much food as you think you do to feel sated.
Stay Off the Sauce
Alcohol is full of empty calories and sugar. Especially if you like wine, beer, or mixed cocktails. By cutting out booze, you reduce those calories. If you must drink, stick to hard liquor straight up.
Avoid Low Fat Lies
In most things that have fat removed from them, sugar is either added or becomes more concentrated. Either way, you’re cutting out fat – which can actually help with weight loss when it’s natural – and adding sugar, which scientific studies have repeatedly linked to weight gain.
Move More
Even if it’s just a walk around the block, adding in the slightest movement tells your body to ramp up digestion and burn off calories.
Aim For Whole Grain
Oatmeal is probably the best food on the planet for losing weight, partly because it is whole grain with a lot of fiber. Anything that is less processed is good, but whole grains are especially handy for helping pass needless waste out of your glorious guts.
Go, Nuts
High in protein and in healthy fats, nuts are an easy snack that has a lot of nutritional benefits. Get them unsalted and start using those when you feel peckish to help quell cravings before they become overwhelming.
Watch What You Eat
Take this literally. When we eat while watching television or sitting on the computer, we tend to eat more. By eating mindfully and looking at your food, you are more aware of it, which leads to better eating choices than if you are distracted by our wonderful world of screens.
Pump It Up
For burning fat rapidly, picking up extremely heavy things is one of your best bets. You don’t need to schedule a lot of time to do it, just get a really heavy sandbag, put it in the kitchen, and do a few reps while the microwave is going.
Keep Track
Jumping on the scale to see if you’re progressing or falling helps you stay focused on your goal. Don’t beat yourself up over failures, learn from them, and celebrate every pound you lose with enthusiasm.
Fill Up On Fiber
Nothing in the world is as good for losing weight as fiber. Pack it into your system to fill up, then let it leave you without leaving behind any unwanted fat. It’s a magical strategy that works for nearly anyone.
Feast & Fast
This is the only thing that worked for me when I was pushing 300 lbs; because I love to eat. There’s lots of variations on intermittent fasting, so find one that works for your schedule. By gorging sometimes and then taking a lengthy break from food, you kick-start your metabolism, then make it do the work.
