You can lose 5 pounds in one month by reducing daily calories and increasing physical activity. To do this, aim to lose around 1.5 pounds per week for 4 weeks. Before starting the diet, consult your doctor and make sure you are healthy enough to lose weight and that you actually need it.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Set a Goal
Step 1. First, you need to understand how weight loss works
In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume each day. You can achieve your goal by decreasing the calories in your diet and burning as much of them as you can through exercise.
Half a kilo contains about 3,500 calories; so, to lose 1.5 pounds per week, you'd have to cut your calorie intake to 10,500 per week (or 1,500 per day)
Step 2. Make a realistic picture of the calories you consume each day
To actually figure out how many calories to cut from your diet, you can calculate how many you currently consume.
- You may think you are eating 2000 calories when it is 2200 a day. If you want to lose weight quickly, you need to know how many calories you need to eliminate from your diet.
- You can calculate your daily calorie intake by eating as you normally do, but noting everything you eat. You will need to specify exactly how much you eat (for example: half a cup of salted peanuts, 2 liters of whole milk, etc.). At this point, you can use a calorie table to calculate how many you are consuming.
Step 3. Use WebMD to calculate your fat mass index
While many fitness websites offer the ability to calculate weight loss by goals by subscribing to their newsletter, this particular site also gives you great advice on what to do based on your weight, height and waist size..
Step 4. Enter the required measures and weight loss goals into the calculator
Scroll through the BMI and Weight table until you find "Calories". This chart will tell you how many calories you should take in to reach your goals in a healthy way.
Step 5. Never eat less than 1200 calories per day
Based on your height and weight, it is advisable to set this limit to 1500 until you lose some weight, in order to prevent your body from accumulating fat rather than burning it.
- This calculator is based on the assumption that you should not lose more than 500g / 1kg per week.
- Never skip breakfast. This meal, in particular, is the one that gets your metabolism going. Avoiding breakfast tells your body to conserve calories throughout the day rather than burn them.
Step 6. Adapt the weight loss program to your personal situation
Every person is different, so it goes without saying that the same diet plan doesn't work for everyone. In particular, it is important to establish your starting weight and daily calorie intake to set up a diet that works (and is healthy). For instance:
- If you are overweight and consume over 3,000 calories per day, it should be relatively easy to cut 1,500 from your daily diet.
- On the other hand, if you eat around 2,000 calories a day, it may be difficult to eliminate 1,500 without suffering hunger and fatigue.
- In the latter case, aim to reduce your daily intake to around 1,050 / 1,200 calories; is the minimum daily amount to keep energy levels high. Then you can burn the remaining calories through exercise.
Step 7. Keep a diary of your meals
Since you've started the new diet, you can keep a journal where you can write down everything you eat each day.
- List every single bite that goes through your mouth; don't forget to count that chocolate bar or handful of peanuts. If you don't mark your eating habits carefully, you're only lying to yourself.
- If you keep track of what you eat, you will become responsible. In fact, studies show that if you feel like eating something between meals, you will immediately stop wanting to do it, thinking that you will have to write it down in your notebook.
- In addition to writing down what you ate, also try to write down how you felt while you ate. Were you angry, upset, bored, tired? Writing down your feelings will help you understand your attitude towards food and is the first step to changing it.
Step 8. Weigh yourself once a week
To best follow your diet plan, you need to track your progress by weighing yourself every week.
- Do not weigh yourself every day as your weight may vary from day to day and seeing that the number on the scale always stays the same (or worse, increases) you could get down and lose motivation.
- Weigh yourself on the same day each week; do it first thing in the morning, before breakfast. It is the time when your body weighs the least.
- It might help to have someone as a witness; it would motivate you to work harder during the week because you would know someone else would be berating you if you didn't achieve your goals.
Part 2 of 3: Changing the Diet
Step 1. Eat three meals a day
Many people think that skipping meals helps them lose weight; this is wrong for several reasons:
- For one thing, skipping meals will make you hungry and deprived even more, making you crave a snack during the day or making you lose the urge to lose weight.
- Secondly, it will make you feel tired and without energy, which will affect your work performance, your stress levels and your desire to exercise.
- It is important to eat frequently to keep blood sugar and energy levels in check. It is very important to have breakfast (the most skipped meal) to kickstart your metabolism and give you the right energy to face the day.
- To stay within the 1,200 calorie limit, eat three 400-calorie meals a day. In terms of quantity, you should have a large breakfast, a medium meal and a light dinner (this simple change can already make you lose weight).
Step 2. Get used to eating lean proteins and vegetables
As much as possible you should try to eat protein (chicken, turkey, fish, lean red meats) and vegetables (spinach, broccoli, kale, asparagus and lettuce) when trying to lose weight.
- Avoid simple carbohydrates (found in foods like bread, pasta, and white rice) as they tend to make you hungry even more, causing you to eat more.
- According to experts, if you continue to eat vegetables and lean proteins in most meals, you can lose up to 14 ounces per week.
Step 3. Eliminate high calorie drinks
Avoid sugary drinks, like juices and cola, and only drink plain water to lose weight quickly. You don't realize it, but you can get an extra 250 calories a day with these drinks.
- If plain water tires you, try flavoring it or drinking unsweetened tea. Herbal teas are the best option if you are craving something hot, but coffee and black tea can work as well. Avoid drinking processed milk, cappuccinos and coffee, as they contain a lot of calories.
- You should also eliminate alcohol from your diet; a single glass of wine can contain up to 150 calories. Plus, drinking alcohol distorts your judgment, making you want to throw yourself on that bag of chips you've been avoiding all week.
Step 4. Think about replacing instead of eliminating; you don't have to starve to lose weight, you just have to make better choices
- Prefer the sweet potato to the classic one, as it has more fiber and vitamins; eat fish or chicken instead of red meat; choose lentils or quinoa instead of pasta and rice.
- Instead of cookies or a piece of cake, eat some berries or a sliced apple for dessert. Fruit contains the natural sugars that satisfy your sweet tooth without the weight of calories.
Step 5. You can use several very simple tricks when trying to lose weight by reducing food intake:
- Drink a glass of water before each meal; many times, when you think you are hungry, in reality you are just thirsty. Drinking a glass of water before eating will make you feel less hungry and will also keep you hydrated!
- Use a smaller plate. It will look full of food but will definitely have less of it than a normal serving dish.
- Put everything you need to eat on a plate or bowl. When you eat chips or other snacks straight out of the bag, it's easy to overdo it because you can't get an idea of how much you're eating.
- Don't eat after six in the afternoon. Having a late dinner or munching on something before going to sleep is not recommended if you want to lose weight, as metabolism tends to slow down during the evening. Having an early dinner, and not snacking before 6 (or at least four hours before bed) can help you with weight loss.
Part 3 of 3: Exercise to Lose Weight
Step 1. Add physical activity to your daily routine
While changing your eating habits is the first step in losing weight, exercise still plays an important role.
- Since you are trying to lose a lot of weight in a short period, you would not be able to eliminate all the calories you need simply by changing your diet (or you would starve); you need to burn the remaining ones through exercise.
- The actual number of extra calories you need to burn each day to lose weight depends on how many calories you cut from your diet. If you go from 2200 steps to 1200, you will need to burn 500.
- The number of calories you burn from exercising depends on your weight and metabolism. On average, a person can burn 731 calories in an hour by running at a speed of 15 km per hour.
Step 2. Exercise cardio at least four times a week; it is the best way to lose weight as it burns excess calories and works on heart rate
- You should do half an hour to an hour of moderate or intense cardiovascular exercise every day.
- The intensity of the exercise will vary according to your physical preparation; in any case, you should start sweating after the first few minutes of training and continue throughout the session.
- Some great cardio activities can be: walking, jogging or running (depending on your physical preparation), swimming, rowing and cycling.
- A one-hour dance lesson or a game of Frisbee in the afternoon are also fine; plus, they are a lot of fun!
Step 3. Try interval training:
is an exercise technique that allows you to alternate between intense and more moderate training, so that you burn more calories than you could with a normal workout.
- For example: running two minutes at full speed and then running two minutes slower will burn more calories than you would if you run fast all the time.
- You can use interval training with different varieties of cardiovascular exercises; to learn more read a specific article.
Step 4. Do power training; this type of training or weight training are not as effective for losing weight, but they still bring benefits
- Power training serves to develop muscles and speed up metabolism. This allows you to burn calories naturally, even at rest. It also helps tone, making you look leaner, even if the weight stays the same.
- Power exercises such as squats, lunges, or deadlifts are for the whole body and are good for both genders. If you've never done them before, it's best to start with a personal trainer who teaches you how to do them right, without hurting yourself.
- Try doing this type of training three times a week; it will give you a break from cardiovascular exercise and still help you lose weight.
Step 5. Train early in the day; the more you postpone your exercises, the less you will want to do them
It may seem like a great idea to hit the gym in the evening after work, but in reality you will just feel tired and hungry and it will be the last thing you want to do.
- If possible, go to the gym in the morning when you feel fresh and motivated. You will perform at your best and the endorphins released will help you feel active throughout the day.
- If you are not a morning person, work out during your lunch break; it will help you relax after a hard morning and you will return to work full of energy.
Step 6. Make choices that involve fast weight loss activities
In addition to the workouts you do, small tricks in your daily routine can help you lose weight; for instance:
- Choose the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farther from a shop entrance to take an extra walk. Go to work by bike instead of using the car.
- Even these small tricks, if done every day, can make you burn extra calories.
