To lose weight, and keep it off, you need to change your lifestyle. There are no shortcuts to weight loss – it takes dedication and hard work. You need to eat healthy and exercise. A loss of 50lbs will not happen overnight and could take 6 months to a year to accomplish. However, if you stick with the new habits you develop to lose the weight, you will be able to keep it off as opposed to having it come back, like after a crash diet.
Start slowly by making small changes. Trying to change too much at once usually leads to failure because it is more difficult to accept a large amount of change at once. Develop a week by week plan that introduces small changes each week. Each week follow your changes from the previous week plus the new changes you’ve added.
Above all, make sure you consult a doctor before starting exercise or calorie reducing to make sure there are no hidden concerns.
For example –
Week 1:
- Drink an extra glass or two of water each meal.
- Reduce calorie consumption by 100 calories daily.
- Eat 5 or 6 small meals (spaced out) instead of 3 large meals.
- Perform moderate duty exercise 3 days a week (go for a brisk walk, light weight training) for 30 minutes.
Week 2:
- Drink an extra glass or two of water each meal.
- Reduce calories by another 100 daily.
- Perform moderate duty exercise 4 days per week for 45 minutes a day.
Week 3:
- Drink an extra glass or two of water each meal.
- Perform moderate duty exercise 4 days per week for 60 minutes a day.
- if you can, reduce calories consumption by another 50 cals.
Week 4:
- Drink an extra glass or two of water each meal.
- Perform moderate duty exercise 5 days per week for 60 minutes a day.
- If you can, reduce calorie consumption by another 50 cals.
For each week after Week 4, continue at Week 4. If the intensity level of the work out is high enough, there won’t be a need for further calorie reductions. If you are unsure what exercises to do or what exactly the intensity level is, consult a personal trainer.
