Lose Weight Naturally – 4 Steps

Posted by admin under Diet & Weight Loss

Using an elliptical everyday and eating fewer calories is great, but how can you really lose weight quickly, and naturally?  Getting on a crash diet (only eating fruits, vegetables, no carbs, etc) is not the answer.  Restricting what you eat is not the right way to handle things either.  When it comes to trimming fat, and keeping it off, eating whatever you want is truly possible; as long as you exercise, drink lots of water, and understand the dynamics of calorie intake for weight maintenance.  I have broken this article down so that you can simple follow these 4 steps to lose weight.

1.)    For starters, you’ll need to find out what your “maintain weight” calorie intake is, then consume 500 calories less than this on a daily basis.  For years, it has been believed that taking in 2,000 calories a day was the standard for healthy a American.  This is not the case!  Based on your age, level of activity, and weight, taking in 2,000 calories a day may be too little or even a little too much to maintain your current weight.  You can easily find caloric intake calculators on the Internet that will ask you questions about your weight, activity level, etc.  Once you input this information, these calculators will compute a “maintain weight” calorie count; the amount of calories that you need to take in on a daily basis just to maintain your current weight.  For example, my “maintain weight” number based on my stats is about 3,200 calories – meaning than if I take in less than 3,200 calories on any given day, I will be burning more calories than “just enough” to maintain my current weight (and thus burning enough calories to lose weight).  Anything under 3,200, for me, is the correct calorie intake to lose weight.  Do a quick search and find out what your maintain weight calorie number is.  The number is likely between 2,000 and 4,000 calories, but it can be more or less.  Also, note that this number will lessen as you begin to drop pounds.  It is best to check back up every two weeks or so.

2.)    Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3-4 times weekly.  I know you’re busy…  but so am I.  The fact is, we’re all busy.  But, we all have those lax periods each week, each day, and even in the lazy evenings when we spend our time doing nothing of substance (this includes watching TV, using Facebook, etc).  Thirty minutes is not a long time, and 3-4 times weekly doesn’t even cover an entire workweek of days!  Get out and get exercising.  If you haven’t been active for a while, start out just walking and slowly build your way up to the exercise bike, elliptical or stepper machine, and eventually full on running.  Even if you never reach the point where you’re running on a treadmill or jogging outside, the elliptical is great for burning calories and increasing energy.  Exercising 3 or 4 times per week increases your metabolism, temporarily decreases your appetite, and releases “feel good” chemicals in your brain that will help keep you motivated.

3.)    Drink water!  Take your weight, and divide it by two.  Then, drink that number, in ounces of water, every day.  For example:

I weight 190 lbs.  My water equation would be… 190/2 = 95.  Thus, 95 ounces daily is the amount of water that I should be taking in if I want to stay healthy and lose weight.  Drinking bottles of water is probably your best bet as measuring in bottles makes things easier.  My 90 ounce water requirement, divided by 16 ounces (standard size of a bottle of water,) equals about 6 or so bottles daily.  Drinking out of bottle, purchased or filled, helps you in keeping track of your water intake.

4.)    When it comes to eating, make healthy choices.  As I mentioned before, eating what you want is not a problem, so long as you aren’t eating too much.  Breaking your meals down into 3 or 4, 400-500 calorie portions is a great option.  I would also include a couple of snacks each day, ranging from 100-200 calories each.  Try not to intake calories from liquids, either (stick with water, sugarless drinks).  Remember, everything is based on your “maintain weight” calorie number, and you’ll want to take in 500 calories per day less than this.  You can still eat the things that you like, but you really have to be calorie conscious.  Just because it’s healthy, good for your heart, organic, or anything else in the book, does not mean that it’s low in calories.  Juices may be “good for you,” but they’re packed with sugars and calories.  Making good choices can also mean choosing something grilled over something fried, not using sugar and or in your coffee, and even eating a bagel with cream cheese instead of butter (better yet, try eating in dry, as you’ll be just as full and you’ll feel a lot better about it in the end).

Weight loss is very black and white, even if it is a mental process.  You should take in fewer calories, and burn more calories – that’s really it.  If you take in less calories and burn more calories than your current lifestyle dictates, it is impossible not to lost weight.  Weight loss is a slow and steady process, but with exercise, water, and making the right choices, you will have no problem reaching your goals.  Making good decisions, becoming active, and eating healthier will make you feel better all around, even before the pounds start falling off.

Visit Health Suppelements for more information!