Thursday, January 12, 2012

How to Lose 2 Pounds a Week?


Losing weight involves a simple mathematical calculation: You have to burn more calories than you consume. To lose 1 pound of fat, you have to burn 3,500 calories. Losing 1 to 2 pounds a week is a safe and effective approach to weight loss. Revamping your diet and engaging in regular physical activity will allow you to lose 20 pounds and get lean in as little as three months. In addition to burning fat, a healthy diet and exercise decreases your risk for developing the most dreaded diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Step 1
Reduce your daily caloric intake by 500 calories a day. Avoid eating high-fat calorie-packed foods like chips, cookies, candy and doughnuts. These foods are low in nutrition and only aid in weight gain. Consume foods like fruits, vegetables, lean meats — such as chicken, fish and turkey — and whole grains like oatmeal. Drink eight to 10 glasses of water, and avoid drinks like juices, sodas and alcohol.
Step 2
Consume five or six small healthy meals a day. Eating smaller portions more frequently boosts your metabolism and keeps you feeling full. Meals like oatmeal and a bowl of fruit for breakfast, and grilled chicken or fish with steamed vegetables or a garden salad for lunch and dinner keep your calorie count in check and provide you with many essential vitamins and minerals. Stay clear of unhealthy snacking. Carrots and hummus or a banana with low-fat yogurt are good snack options.
Step 3
Perform cardiovascular exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 60 to 90 minutes of cardio five days a week to lose weight and maintain your weight loss. Running, biking, swimming, aerobics class and rowing are all effective activities that work your heart and lungs, burning calories and fat. Pick an exercise that you enjoy so you will stick with it.
Step 4
Incorporate resistance training into your workout. Resistance training builds lean muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even while you are at rest. Use dumbbells, resistance bands or your own body weight to perform eight to 10 exercises three days per week. Squats, lunges, pushups, bench presses, biceps curls, triceps dips and situps are examples of effective exercises to build and tone your muscles. Do two or three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions of each exercise.

 
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