To lose half a kilo, you need to be able to burn 3,500 calories more than you normally consume. Staying more active, eating healthily, and exercising for at least 45 minutes a day will help you achieve the desired results. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, you may benefit from eliminating certain foods and some physical activity. If, on the other hand, you are already the active type, it may be useful to intensify your training and follow a more restrictive diet. Either way, the tips in this article will help you create a personalized diet that will help you lose weight.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Developing Healthy Habits
Step 1. Analyze your habitual behaviors
Being able to identify the weaknesses of your current diet and exercise routine can help you shed those extra pounds. Make a written list of everything you ate last week. Add a description of your daily routine to understand how much physical activity you have been doing. If you can't remember everything, you can also start taking note of all these details from today by postponing the diet until next week.
- How many fizzy drinks and how many fruit juices do you drink every day?
- How much sugar do you consume?
- How much bread and pasta prepared with white (refined) flour do you eat?
- How much exercise do you do each week?
- Does your job force you to sit for a long time?
- How often do you eat outside the home?
Step 2. Calculate your daily calorie needs
This way you will know how many calories you can take in each day. The ideal is that they fall in a range between 1,200 and 1,800. Small-built women should take about 1,200-1,500, while men between 1,600 and 1,800.
Step 3. Shop in advance
Buy all the food you will need during the diet week at once. The goal is to avoid having to go to the supermarket or restaurant when you are hungry so as not to risk falling into temptation. Particularly linger in the fresh food aisles and don't forget to put leafy vegetables, berries, whole grains and low-fat yogurt in the cart.
Step 4. Find a diet buddy
Whether it's your partner, your best friend, your mother or a colleague, team spirit will help you achieve better results. Doing physical activity in the company of someone helps you stay motivated and constant over time, you can encourage each other when needed or divide the cost of a personal trainer.
Step 5. Record everything you eat in a diary
Day by day, take note of every food and drink you consume. For each meal you will need to specify both the quantities and the number of calories. At the end of the week, add up the data you collected to see if you stayed within the limits.
Don't forget to also write down each time you exercise to know exactly how many calories you are burning
Step 6. Go to bed early
Set a bedtime each night to make sure you get enough rest. Sleep is one of the secret ingredients that help you lose weight. When you don't get enough sleep, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that forces you to gain weight in the form of stores.
When determining what time to go to sleep, remember that you will need to get up earlier than normal to have time to exercise
Step 7. Weigh yourself as soon as you wake up
During the day, body weight tends to fluctuate, so to have consistent results it is best to step on the scale in the morning, immediately after getting up. Try to lose a pound by Wednesday. If you can't, review your notes on what you ate, drank, and exercise to make sure you are burning more calories than you are ingesting.
Part 2 of 4: Make Healthy Meals
Step 1. Eat several small meals a day
Instead of having three large meals, it is better to eat little four or five times a day. Each meal should not exceed 300-400 calories. Eating frequently helps keep hunger in check and avoid nibbling between meals.
Step 2. Schedule meals for each day of the week
Knowing in advance what you are going to eat helps you reduce the risk of overstretching. The best thing to do is focus on fresh foods, interspersing meals with small, low-calorie snacks. Accurately weigh everything you eat, eat at least three meals a day, and never exceed the number of calories allowed daily. Below you will find some examples of menus.
Step 3. Start the day with a high protein breakfast
This meal should guarantee you around 300 calories. Proteins are an excellent source of energy and give a sense of satiety that lasts for a long time, so they are perfect to give you the right charge and make you feel good all morning. Try one of the following combinations:
- A hard-boiled egg with a slice of toasted wholemeal bread and half an apple.
- Peanut butter and honey spread on a slice of toasted wholemeal bread accompanied by an orange.
- 450 ml of a smoothie made with 120 ml of Greek yogurt, water, 120 ml of almond milk and blueberries.
Step 4. Prepare some light meals to eat throughout the day
The goal is to have energy throughout the day to counteract the fatigue that may arise naturally. Prepare lunch the night before, choosing ingredients that are easy to carry to work. Some possible options include:
- Roasted vegetables (e.g. aubergines or peppers) with sweet potatoes.
- 180 ml of yogurt with berries and almonds.
- Lentil soup.
Step 5. Fill up with dinner
The last meal of the day should make you feel full and satisfied throughout the night. You will need to prepare a meal that is both protein and high in fiber to avoid waking up during the night wanting to have a snack. Try pairing a lean cut of meat with steamed vegetables. Instead, avoid foods that contain a lot of calories, such as pasta. Here are some good examples:
- 180 g of grilled chicken with 180 g of green beans.
- 10 asparagus served with grilled aubergine slices.
- Fish such as sea bream or salmon.
Step 6. Make sure half of each meal always consists of fresh fruit or vegetables
They help you feel full for a long time, even without having to eat large quantities. The only vegetables you need to avoid are starchy ones, such as corn. The best allies of your diet week are:
- Cauliflower;
- Spinach;
- Cabbages;
- Broccoli;
- Berries;
- Apples;
- Pears.
Part 3 of 4: Eliminate Excess Calories
Step 1. Replace all drinks with water
This rule also includes coffee, alcohol and carbonated soft drinks. You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day, especially concentrating before meals to feel full by eating less.
- If you are an avid consumer of drinks that contain sugar, eliminating them can help you lose up to 2.5kg in just one week.
- You can drink a zero-calorie beverage, such as lemon water, hot or cold tea, and black coffee. the important thing is to add neither milk nor sugar.
Step 2. Eliminate the sugar
On average, people consume up to 350 excess calories each day through sugar alone. While it is impossible to completely avoid it, you can eliminate all foods that contain it in large quantities. When you are craving something sweet, try eating some dried fruit; baked apples flavored with cinnamon and berries are also healthy and tasty options. There are several ways to be able to reduce the amounts of sugar:
- For breakfast, avoid snacks and make sure your cereal is unsweetened.
- Avoid packaged foods in which sugar, honey, corn or fructose syrup are the first or second ingredient.
- Stop sugaring your tea and coffee.
- Skip the dessert.
Step 3. Avoid refined carbohydrates
If you love pasta and white bread, you can manage to lose weight simply by eliminating refined flours from your diet. These foods are high in calories, and they also make you feel hungry even with a full stomach. During your diet week, avoid refined carbohydrates altogether. If you want to eat bread, choose it wholemeal: it is rich in fiber. Products you should avoid include:
- Bread;
- Pasta;
- Bread substitutes, such as crackers and breadsticks
- Baked goods such as muffins, cakes and cookies;
- Chips.
Step 4. Reduce your salt intake
Salt forces the body to retain liquids, expelling it can help you lose even ½ to 2 kg of weight due to water stagnation in the tissues. In the supermarket, prefer fresh, low-sodium foods and unprocessed meats, avoiding cured meats, for example. Do not use salt at the table.
Part 4 of 4: Doing More Physical Activity
Step 1. Avoid activities that force you to sit for a long time
Don't sit in front of the TV and spend less time on the computer. Plan a day out in the company of friends or relatives. When you want to meet someone, plan to do some activity together instead of seeing each other for lunch or coffee. There are tons of fun activities you can do over the weekend to promote weight loss:
- Mini-golf;
- Trekking;
- Go dancing;
- Walk between shops at the mall or outdoors;
- Swim in the pool or the sea.
Step 2. Walk for 10-20 minutes after meals
Maintain this good habit throughout the week, going for up to 30 minutes if possible. Walking allows you to get some extra exercise and helps you burn the calories you just got from eating.
When you need to reach a nearby destination, go on foot or by bicycle rather than by car. Plan your trips in advance to allow time to reach your destination on foot
Step 3. Book some fitness classes
Sign up and pay for three one-hour cardio classes. The fact that you have already paid for them will encourage you to attend them even when you feel tired. Choose a discipline that allows you to increase your heart rate and challenge your body. Some possible options include:
- Zumba;
- Dance;
- Bootcamp;
- Booty Barre Method;
- Step;
- Interval training.
Step 4. Work out in the morning as soon as you wake up
Take a fitness class or do cardio for 45 minutes. Exercising in the morning helps you stay true to your plans throughout the day. Studies have shown that people who work out in the morning sleep better and are more successful in diets. Ideal activities to do in the morning include:
- Race;
- Pilates;
- I swim.
Step 5. Also trains muscle strength
During the diet week, also do two or three strength training sessions alternating with cardio exercise. In addition to developing and strengthening your muscles, you will improve your metabolism. Not least, the more muscular you are the more calories you burn when exercising.
- If you've never done weightlifting before, start with gym machines. Follow the instructions of the personal trainer or the directions on the machine. The best thing to do is to train a specific muscle group each time, for example that of the legs, arms or abdomen. For each machine, do 3 sets of 12 reps each.
- If you intend to work out with free weights, have a friend assist you.
Step 6. Do yoga
Stress is one of the factors that cause the body to produce the hormones that cause it to store fat, such as cortisol and adrenaline. Try a dynamic yoga style, you can follow a 60 or 90 minute class, in the gym or at home thanks to the many videos available online. Yoga promotes relaxation and increased body awareness, thereby helping you to lose weight.
Advice
- Going on a diet with a friend can increase your chances of being successful.
- Prefer activities that force you to move rather than those where you have to sit.
- Before making a radical change in your diet, talk to your doctor.
Warnings
- Some people have a livelier metabolism than others. If yours is slow, you may have to wait a while to see the desired results.
- If you feel sluggish, groggy, or very tired during your diet week, you are most likely not getting all the nutrients you need. Stop the diet and ask your doctor for advice.
- Diets that are too restrictive don't work in the long run. If you often feel hungry, eat more fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich whole grains. By insisting, you risk having to stop the diet altogether.
