The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to create a low-calorie yet sustainable eating plan that you can stick to for a long time. Incorporating exercise every day also burn extra calories and keeps your heart, muscles, and bones healthy. If you just want to drop a few pounds fast, there are plenty of techniques and tips you can adopt to help you reach your short-term goals, too.
1 Try the Mediterranean Diet
Select smart substitutes for your favorite high calorie foods. Most foods have healthier counterparts that will allow you to enjoy your personal favorites without unnecessary fat, sugar, and calories. Exchanging high-calorie processed foods and drinks for healthier alternatives can help you lose weight faster.[5]
Consider eating vegetarian a few days each week. By replacing meat with nutritious, low-calorie, high-volume foods such as beans, tofu, or lentils, you can cut significant amounts of your daily calorie intake while adding many nutrients to your diet.
Eat delicious fruit for dessert rather than a processed cookie or cake. This alone can save hundreds of calories per day.
Swap potato chips and candy bars for snacks that are nutrient-rich and low in calories and fat. Try combining string cheese with a handful of grapes, spreading peanut butter on a few crackers, or dipping sliced red pepper into a few tablespoons of hummus.
Try substituting vinegar and lemon juice for your regular salad dressing.
Cook with a tablespoon of olive oil instead of butter. It has the same number of calories, but it is a healthier type of fat.
2 Go for the Paleo Diet
Avoid going down grocery aisles that tempt you with high calorie foods. It’s best to stay along the perimeter of the grocery store, which is where the fresh foods are typically located. However, when you need to go down the aisles to get something, try to stay away from areas where foods you crave are stocked, such as the candy or soda aisle. If you don’t see them, you’re less likely to be tempted.[6]
You don’t want to ban foods you love, but keeping them in your home makes it likely you’ll indulge. Don’t stock “junk” food in your home. Instead, make it a rare treat.
3 Try the Whole30 Diet
Stop drinking sugary drinks to save calories. Sugar-sweetened drinks can quickly add extra calories to your diet, and liquid calories aren't particularly satisfying or well compensated by decreases in energy intake later in the day. Eliminate caloric beverages such as sugary soda, sweetened tea and coffee, and juice from your diet. Instead, sip on water, tea, black coffee or seltzer.[7]
Drinking water or unsweet tea instead of soda, coffee, alcohol, juice, or milk may help you cut hundreds of calories per day.
4 Raw Food Diet
Eat more of foods that fill you up. Some foods help you feel full faster and may help you stay fuller longer; both helps prevent overeating and hunger sensations. Many of these foods contain protein, fat, or fiber. Those foods that help keep your blood sugar stable are also great options for keeping your appetite in check. Eating foods that lead to large peaks and troughs in glucose levels causes blood sugar levels to dip quickly, and your brain then interprets the low glucose levels as hunger. By contrast, foods rich in protein, fat, fiber, or slowly absorbable carbohydrates digest slowly, helping to maintain stomach fullness and stable glucose levels. Here are some great foods to incorporate if you want to feel fuller longer:[8]
Non-starchy vegetables
Fish
Meat
Nuts and seeds
Beans and legumes
Grapefruit
Oatmeal
Apples
Eggs
Ginger
Leafy greens
5 Choose Smart Substitutes
Calculate how many calories you can eat while still losing weight. Start by finding your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is how many calories you need just doing nothing all day. Then, use an online calculator to estimate how many calories you burn through activity and multiple your BMR by your physical activity level (PAL). Finally, subtract 500 calories for every pound you want to lose that week.[9]
To calculate your BMR, first get your weight in kilograms by multiplying your weight in pounds by .45. Next, get your height in centimeters by multiplying your total inches in height by 2.54. Then, use this formula to find your BMR: (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) - 161.
To estimate the calories you burn through exercise, try this calculator: https://caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit/get-moving-calculator/.
For an easy way to estimate the number of calories you can eat, use an online calculator like this one: https://www.nal.usda.gov/human-nutrition-and-food-safety/dri-calculator.
Calorie counting apps, such as My Fitness Pal, usually do this calculation for you.
Never eat fewer than 1200 calories a day, unless your doctor is supervising you. Eating fewer than 1200 calories a day is dangerous for your health, and it can actually slow down your metabolism too much by activating the body's starvation mode and by causing a loss of lean muscle mass over time.
6 Avoid Temptation in Grocery Stores
Keep a food diary. Write down every meal, snack, and drink you consume. Track the quantity of food you’re eating, as well as the estimated calories of each item. Studies show that writing down what you eat helps you stay mindful about how much you’re really eating and may help you lose more weight by keeping you accountable.[10]
You can keep a paper diary or track your food digitally. Apps are a great way to easily track what you eat. For instance, you might try MyFitnessPal, which allows you to track your meals and has an easy to use food database with the nutrition information already entered.
Don’t forget to include things such as coffee mix-ins, condiments, salad dressing, and other items you add to foods or drinks.
7 Cut Sugary Drinks
Eat regular meals or snacks every 2-4 hours. Skipping meals isn’t the answer to losing weight, and it may even derail your efforts by eventually leading to unbearable hunger and overeating at a subsequent meal. Food gives you energy, so going too long without eating can leave you feeling tired, which decreases your activity level. Additionally, it triggers your body to crave high-calorie, high-sugar snacks for a quick energy boost. Instead of starving yourself, plan frequent, healthy meals.[11]
Regular meals and snacks also keep your blood sugar stable, which helps keep your energy levels stable and helps control hunger sensations
8 Eat Filling Foods
Plan your meals around lean proteins and non-starchy vegetables. Fill your plate with 1/2 non-starchy veggies, 1/4 lean proteins, and 1/4 whole grains or starchy veggies. Additionally, incorporate healthy fats, such as olive oil, avocado, and fatty fish. For snacks, eat fruits, nuts, seeds, and cut up veggies.[12]
If you’re having trouble, meet with a dietitian to get help figuring out your ideal calorie goals, dietary needs, and potential area for improvement. A dietitian will create a plan for you that fits your preferences
9 Know Your Calorie Needs
Eat smaller portions to help you cut back on calories. You don’t need to give up your favorite foods to lose weight. Similarly, choosing healthier dishes doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want. Instead, portion out your meals using measuring cups or special spoons that measure out servings. Alternatively, make things easy by eating off smaller plates or bowls, which trick your eye into thinking your servings are bigger.[13]
To make it easier to track portions, prepare your snacks ahead of time. When you're in a hurry or you're worried or upset about something, it can be hard to think clearly and make good decisions. For instance, you might carefully weigh out 1 serving of almonds and then put it in a baggie or container for later.
Stronger flavors can help you control portion size. For example, dark chocolate or a dark beer are satisfying in small amounts and can be difficult to consume quickly.
10 Track Your Eating & Portions
Identify your food triggers and plan accordingly. Everyone has food triggers, so don’t feel bad about craving certain foods. Cut back on these foods by identifying potential triggers for your cravings, such as a certain activity, a certain time of day, or a certain emotion or thought pattern. Then, plan for better ways to handle those triggers, and don’t keep these foods around your home or workplace. This can help you avoid giving into temptation.[14]
For instance, you might crave popcorn at the movies, or may want candy in the afternoon at work. To deal with the temptation, you could replace the snack you crave with something that’s a better fit for your diet. For instance, you might bring a bag of plain popcorn to the movies, which is a healthy alternative. Similarly, you could eat a single square of dark chocolate each afternoon, which usually has less sugar than your typical candy selection.
Remember, you don’t need to stop eating your favorite foods. However, if you do want to have a high-calorie treat, it’s best to plan for how you’ll incorporate this into your total daily calorie intake, and make adjustments as necessary.
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