This should be 24/7, apart from right before a workout. Then you can feel free to chug a cup of black coffee (or with a splash of skim milk). The caffeine blast is reported to give you a kick, making you work out a little bit harder. [1] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source It turns out drinking water can up your metabolism, too, in addition to making you feel full. Recent studies show that drinking two glasses of cold water can up your metabolism about 40% for 15-20 minutes. Participants in these weight loss studies reportedly lost 15 pounds in three months, largely by drinking only water. [2] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
Stay away from greasy, fatty foods as well as those with a high sugar content. Anything battered, fried, covered in chocolate, packaged, or loaded up and preserved with sugar is a no-go. [3] X Expert Source Pouya Shafipour, MD, MSBoard Certified Family Medicine Specialist Expert Interview. 8 May 2020. Be sure to read your labels. Even things like yogurt and granola bars can be powerhouses of sugar. While many people think of these as healthy, they’re actually not.
You may be better off cutting out carbs in general. Let’s face it: 20 pounds in 2 weeks is a tall order. To put your body in ketosis, where it’s feeding off your fat stores and not your glycogen stores (because those have been depleted), you’ll have to go completely low or no carb. In addition to no sweets, you’ll have to cut out starchy vegetables (potatoes, squash, carrots), whole grains (including quinoa and brown rice) and sugary fruits, like bananas, oranges, and apples. What’s more, being hungry makes the temptation to cave to your old habits all the more powerful. Consistently eating good-for-you, healthy foods keeps the other cravings at bay. When you’re more full, you make better decisions.
In the way of vegetables, eat more asparagus, beet root, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, garlic, green beans, lettuce, onion, radish, spinach, turnip, and zucchini. As for fruits, gravitate toward blueberries, cantaloupe, cranberries, grapefruit, honeydew, lemons, limes, oranges, mangoes, papayas, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, tangerines, and watermelon.
And as for vegetables, go for it. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner – pile ’em on. They’re nutritious, generally not full of calories or sugars (again, no potatoes), and keep you full. They’re the shortest track to losing weight there is.
One of the most common fad diets right now is juicing. Another contender is the Master Cleanse diet – both of which are liquid-based diets. These offer quick results, but are hard to adhere to and are not wise to stay on for long. If you’re desperate, look into them, but take their advice with a grain of salt.
The exception to this is if you’re on a highly-regimented intermittent fasting plan. This is where you don’t eat anywhere from eight to twenty-four hours and then eat planned amounts of calories (often more) thereafter. While this can be effective, do this only with the approval of your physician. If you don’t do it correctly, you could actually increase your body’s tendency to store fat. [9] X Trustworthy Source Johns Hopkins Medicine Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital Go to source
You may need to be reasonable with yourself. Have this rule for only five or six days out of the week. Give yourself some wiggle room to go out with friends – but that doesn’t mean you can go crazy. Stick to a glass of red wine and a few bites – don’t eat the entire buffet.
You’ll want to balance the calories you burn with the calories you consume. In other words, the more you work out, the more you can eat. Weight loss generally occurs when you burn more calories than you consume. On average (again, on average), a person needs to burn 3,500 calories more than he or she consumes to lose 1 lb (450 g). [11] X Research source To lose 20 pounds (9 kg) in two weeks, you will need to lose a little under 1. 5 lbs (675 g) every day. That means burning a little over 5,000 calories more than you consume each day. Yep, a very, very tall order.
Snacking is where portion control gets iffy. To avoid that handful of nuts turning into the entire bag, measure out your snacks beforehand. Then when you’re hungry, you grab a little baggie or container that’s the right serving size and that’s that. You know exactly how much you’re eating.
If this diet were to last longer, you might want to devote an entire day to eating, eating whatever the heck you want. However, it may be best to limit yourself to an hour or two during this fourteen-day period. So for 60 minutes one day this week, go to town. But beyond that, you have to get back to your plan.
Many healthy diets advocate snacking and for good reason – it keeps your metabolism up and it prevents you from gorging yourself later. Make your meals smaller so you can fit in a few extra calories for snack time. In two weeks, your body and your motivation will thank you for it.
This way you can use healthier oils, like olive oil, less butter, less sugar, less salt (a big culprit when it comes to bloating) and control your portion sizes, too. And what’s even better? It stretches your wallet further, too.
This can be done with an old school pen and paper like with a food diary, or you could get technological and download one of the plethora of weight loss apps available. Many help you count calories, carbs, fats, and protein and take into account exercise, too.
It’ll be easier if you tell other people about your plan, or if you have other people to do it with you. They can hold you accountable, you can eat healthy and exercise together, and you can complain about it together, too.
Vigorous activity burns between 400 and 600 calories per hour, and examples include running, bicycling, swimming, aerobics, basketball, and heavy weightlifting or yard work. Moderate activity burns between 200 and 400 calories per hour and includes hiking, light yard work, dancing, golf, slow bicycling, and slow walking. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise 2-3 times a week.
Even if your schedule is ridiculous, find ways to kill two birds with one stone. Take the dog for a walk the long way around the block, park far away from the shopping center doors, clean your house vigorously, or wash your car yourself. Life in general is an opportunity for exercise.
It’s more than just good sense, it actually regulates your hormones and can prevent hunger. [16] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source So not only does it burn calories and keep you from eating, but it can keep you from eating even while you’re awake.
