There are many ways to lose weight, but not all are equally effective for every person, which is why you should try to incorporate healthy habits into your life and see which yield the best results.
We all know what are vices are, so the best step is to look for tips that help you cut out the bad habits you struggle with and replace them with weight-loss techniques.
Do the Math
Rather than just raiding your pantry and throwing out every high-carb or high-fat food you find, the first step should be to determine a few things.
To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. So if your goal is to lose 20 pounds, you need to burn 70,000 calories. That is not something that can be done in a week, even if you run a marathon every day.
You need to calculate your BMR, which is the amount of calories your body needs to maintain basic bodily functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimal amount of calories you need to survive.
The average BMR for women is about 1500 and for men, around 1700.
Next, you need to determine your activity level. You can keep an activity journal and use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day.
Another, easier option is to wear a heart rate monitor that calculates calories burned. After a week, add your totals for each day and average them out to get a general idea of how many calories you burn each day.
Then, keep track of how many calories you eat. This is tedious, but necessary. Write down everything you eat and how many calories it contains. Make sure to write down not just how many calories are in the food, but how many were in your serving size. Many of us eat much more than the suggested serving size.
Make the Change
Based on this information, here is an example of what you might have learned:
Sue’s BMR is 1400 calories and she burns 900 calories with regular exercise, walking around and doing household chores. To maintain her weight, she should be eating 2300 calories (1400 + 900= 2300).
However, after keeping a food journal, Sue finds that she’s eating 2550 calories every day. By eating 250 more calories than her body needs, Sue will gain about a pound every 2-3 weeks.
If you are overweight or gaining weight, it is most likely because you, like Sue, are consuming more calories than you are burning.
Get creative. Find little ways to replace your indulgences with more healthy options. If you struggle with overeating, there are ways to trick your body into feeling full. You can drink more water, eat small, healthy snacks throughout the day to avoid hunger, or you can try taking an appetite suppressant. Many weight loss supplements have hunger-curbing elements, so you can find one that is right for you.