Everyone always finds different ways to lose weight fast. That is possible, but if you have never been in the cutting stage before (losing body fat while maintaining muscle mass) you will find that it is very difficult to lose weight. You find that the pizza in the fridge is very tempting – you know you don’t have to reach it, but you grab it and eat it. Oops – here it is diet. It takes practice like all the other things in life. We as humans are made lazy, and are very tempted by the easy way out, and we have to change it!
Now a lot lately you’ve heard that you have to change your ‘lifestyle’ rather than go on a diet. If you want to lose weight fast, you have to do both. Yes, change your lifestyle and include a diet to lose weight.
Change your lifestyle
Changing your lifestyle includes not being tempted to go eat with your friends for pizza. This means putting weight training into your day, and cardio activity 3-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes each session. That means eating all natural food – chicken, beef, eggs, broccoli, beans, asparagus, rice, potatoes, green beans … You know the healthy things that your mother always tells you to eat. If you really want to lose your body fat low enough so that you can get a sculpted look, changing your lifestyle won’t be enough. You must enter a diet to burn fat.
Diet for weight loss
The best way to find out how much you need to eat in a day to lose weight is to experiment. Now, why is there no magic number? Because everyone’s body is different, so their needs are different. There is a starting point that you must start:
body weight in lb x 12 = calorie level to start
Eat at that level for the first week. You might see a big loss during the first week – it’s okay. Continue at that level for another week.
If you lose 1-2lb – stay on that level of calories
If you lose more than £ 2 – Increase your calorie intake to 500 calories
If you don’t lose anything or gain weight – reduce your calorie intake to 500 calories
Eat 5-6 meals a day
This is number one reason why I believe people fail to lose fat. I admit it’s difficult to eat 5-6 times a day, but it’s important to keep your metabolism efficiently burning calories. We are always taught to eat 3 times a day, but what happens is too much space between meals. Your body starts thinking that you are starving. Your body’s metabolism will begin to slow down.
You want to keep your portion of food in proportion to 40% protein, 40% carbohydrate, and 20% fat.
Perform Intense Weight Training At Least 3 Times A Week
Having a solid weight training routine will help you burn fat in the future. Adding muscle to your body requires you to spend more energy – thereby burning more calories to maintain that muscle. The more muscle tissue without your fat the more calories you will burn at rest.
Perform Cardio 3-5 Times A Week
Do you have 20 minutes a day to do cardio or if you have 40 minutes, you must enter cardio. Cardio makes you lose fat faster while you can eat more. Yes – eat more. You can choose to do short intensity sessions (20-30 minutes) or moderate intensity sessions (40-1 hours). I would recommend a long moderate intensity session.
When I try to reduce my body fat, I like to do fast cardio in the morning, moderate intensity for 40-60 minutes, 4-5 times a week. Doing this helped me switch from 13.8% (186.6 lb) to 11% (172lb) of body fat within one month.
Get Motivated
Always set goals. If you try to lose weight aimlessly, you are on a journey without a map. You will get lost in the forest with your tires stuck in the mud. Until you set a target of how much body fat you want to lose, you will not see the results. Set practical real goals. More specific, and write it down. As humans we need reason. When written, you will do anything to reach your goal. When you don’t write it down, you will give your own reasons for not eating healthy or going to the gym.
Don’t Stop Drinking
Water is very important for losing weight. This is used in every physiological process in your body. You want to drink at least 1 gallon of water a day. Try shooting 2 gallons. If you don’t make 2 gallons and drink 1.5 gallons than you drink more than most of the population. What is the best way to do this? Bring water wherever you go – next to the tv, to the gym, at your desk, in your car, next to your bed at night, everywhere.
By using these simple tips you will be able to maximize your fat loss while maintaining muscle.
