Lose 15 Pounds Fast
To lose 15 pounds fast these days is different than what you were told to do, not too long ago.
15 pounds is the number I use as an example. You may replace that number by your own: The very last few pounds you have yet to lose :)
You used to simply give up bread, go on cabbage soup, grapefruit diet, eating for your blood type… and the list goes on and on.
Now, to help you stop diet-hopping, learn about the new core concepts and surprising science behind what really works for weight loss. Follow these eight laws, to lose 15 pounds, or for hitting that perfect number on the scale and STAY LEAN FOR LIFE.
#1- Carbs Don't Count... Calories do:
Fact: Every diet involves fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your current weight.
When you eliminate carbohydrates from your diet it means that you abandon bread, rice, pasta and desserts. In reality it's the calories that you ingest that count.
Therefore set a daily limit on your calories. Here's how to calculate it all: First, ballpark how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. MULTIPLY your weight in pounds by 10 (add a few hundred if you exercise much and regularly).
Example: A sedentary 140-pound woman needs about 1,400 calories per day (an active one might need 1,700).
Then, decide how fast you want to lose the weight, knowing that one pound of body equals 3,500 calories. So, if you shave 500 calories a day from your count, you'll drop a pound a week.
What should your calories consist of?: 35 to 50% carbohydrates, 25 to 35% fat and about 25 to 30% protein. According to the Journal of The American Dietetic Association.
#2- Don't Crash-Diet:
When you crash-diet, your body thinks you're starving if you lose too much too fast. then, instead of burning calories, it will conserve them in the form of fat...
In fact, as many as half of the pounds you drop during crash dieting come from muscle loss rather than fat loss. And because muscle stokes your metabolism - the speed at which your body turns food into energy - losing muscle means you'll burn even fewer calories.
The key is: AIM HIGH, GO SLOW. So if you want to lose 15 pounds fast, you'll lose the muscle and regain the weight just as fast. To keep muscle, don't try to lose more than a pound a week... That's the simple truth. Sorry:(
#3- Focus on Food Over Exercise:
Working out is essential to fitness. and feeling good, but it's not the highway to fat loss you might believe it is.
The key is: DO A LITTLE EVERY DAY
Eating less is easier than trying to jog off extra calories. That said, please don't cancel your gym membership. Physical activity along with a lower-calorie diet can ensure that most of your weight loss comes from fat - as much as 98% according to the National Institutes of Health - rather than from metabolism-fuelling muscle. Get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week and lose 15 pounds or more gradually and for life.
#4- Concentrate On What You Eat,
When You Eat:
Whenever you eat, that should be all you do! When you don't focus on what you do, you eat too fast, you eat too much. In a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women ate about 50 calories more at lunch when they listened to a book on tape than when they ate alone with no distraction.
It takes 15 to 20 minutes after you've eaten for the brain to register fullness. When you eat, rate your hunger:
- At 0 you're ravenous
- At 10 you've hit the post-Thanksgiving meal state.Eat slowly and give your body enough time to digest before deciding you're only at a 3. You should be "done" when you hit 5 or 6. This is a sure way to reach your goal to lose 15 pounds in the right manner.
#5- Know Your Serving Sizes:
Have you noticed that restaurants typically serve way too much food on your plate. And, naturally the more there is... the more you eat.
As a rule: Get used to thinking of your Chinese takeout as TWO meals, not one, and refrigerate half the moo shoo pork before you start eating. Also, serve it on a small plate, this way less food will look like more (a little mind game) and you'll have the satisfaction of scraping your plate.
#6- Diet For Life
Your work isn't finished when you finally reach your goal to lose 15 pounds (or your dream weight). The statistics tell us that 80% of people who lose weight slowly gain it back once the diet is over. At that point, exercise is the key to keeping the pounds at bay.
When you weigh less, your body doesn't have to work as hard to move around. I'm sorry to say that you burn fewer calories as a size 10 than as a size 12. In conclusion: You need to eat less to stay that smaller size (after you lose 15 pounds or your set goal). The good news is that if you add exercise, which increases the number of calories you burn, you can eat more food.
#7- Fiber Is Your Best Friend:
Foods rich in water and fiber are bulkier and less caloric. For example, a cup of strawberries has about the same calorie count as a small cookie but is far more satisfying.
A study at Pennsylvania State University demonstrated that obese women who ate foods with higher water and fiber content lost 40% more weight than women who simply limited portion size and cut back on fat.
Tip: Stock up on soup and grains. Feel more satisfied on fewer calories by starting your meals with a big bowl of broth-based soup or a large green salad (heavy on vegetables,light on fatty toppings). Eat lots of fiber-rich whole grain foods, such as roasted bell peppers stuffed with brown rice or vegetable stew with barley.
#8- Standardize Your Eating Habits
And Lose 15 Pounds As Planned:
Did you know that roughly 10% of the calories you eat are used to fuel digestion? Because of that, eating more often seems like a great way to keep your metabolism going strong. Therefore, a smart way to this approach is to eat three small meals, with a healthy snack no more than 4 hours after each.
Tip: STANDARDIZE YOUR EATING HABITS
Keep your eating schedule the same every day. A British study found that women who ate the same number of meals each day ate fewer calories than those who varied their meal consistently. Plus, when the women varied their meal schedules the handy metabolism-fueling trick didn't kick in as strongly.
Rule #7 (fiber) + slow-burning protein works too. So in order to beat the constant need to eat with meals like low-fat yogurt and fresh fruit... why don't you go for; a hard-boiled egg with whole grain toast; or peanut butter on celery sticks. This way you'll be hunger-pang-free and more able to lose 15 pounds or so that you set your goal for.
May I add #8-B which in reality should be Rule #1: See Yourself already having accomplished your goal. See How Healthier and More Beautiful You Feel for Having Succeeded. Do you know about Tapping? This is a very effective method for shifting brain patterns of unwanted thoughts (weight related issues) feelings, actions and even physical pain. I wrote a page on this, check it out here: Tapping
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