The healthiest way to shed pounds in two months is by burning more calories than you consume. Lose 2 pounds per week by cutting a total of 1,000 calories per day by combining a healthy, lower-calorie diet with regular exercise. Safe and effective weight loss is a gradual process, and you can achieve a 20-pound drop in this short time frame without using any fad diet gimmicks, pills or restrictive eating plans. However, you should consult your physician before attempting weight loss to ensure safety.
Step 1
Eat smaller portions more frequently throughout the day. Reduce your main meal portions and divide them evenly among several meals per day. Incorporate healthy, lower-calorie snacks in between your meals to minimize your calorie intake. Eat every two to four hours, from breakfast to dinner, to maintain your energy level and avoid excess calorie consumption. You want to consume 500 fewer calories per day than what you normally would consume.
Step 2
Swap packaged junk snacks for fresh fruit or vegetables. Fresh produce is naturally low-calorie and nutritious. Eat a small apple, a cup of strawberries, a medium carrot or two stalks of celery as a snack. Skip the bag of potato chips, candies and cakes, which can add 120 to 350 calories per serving.
Step 3
Select lean meats low in saturated fat for your entrees instead of fatty red meat, cured meat and packaged lunch meat. Fatty meats such as steak, fried chicken and ham add hundreds of calories per serving plus saturated fat and cholesterol to your diet, which can increase your risk of arterial damage. Opt for baked, skinless chicken or turkey and grilled fish. If you choose red meat, do so sparingly and opt for lean cuts such as sirloin, which has 75 calories per 1-ounce serving.
Step 4
Cut your calories from grains and dairy by choosing whole grains and low-fat dairy foods. Refined grains such as white bread have added sugars, fat and calories. Whole dairy also has more calories and fat. Opt for whole-wheat bread or pasta, brown rice, bran cereal and low-fat dairy foods to cut your calorie intake by 50 to 100 per food serving, on average, compared with refined grains and whole dairy products.
Step 5
Burn up to 500 additional calories per day with an hour of cardiovascular exercise. Walk, jog, ride a bike, join an aerobics class or try the cardio machines at the gym to optimize your calories burned per day. Exercise not only helps you manage weight but also tones your muscles and helps strengthen your heart. If you are not used to daily exercise, start slowly with 30-minute workouts during your first week of weight loss and then add 10 minutes per workout until you exercise for one full hour.
Posted in: Lose Pounds