How to Lose Weight Fast: 3 Simple Steps, Based on Science
How to Lose Weight Fast: 3 Simple Steps, Based on Science
However,
most of them will make you hungry and unsatisfied.
If you
don't have iron willpower, then hunger will cause you to give up on these plans
quickly.
The plan
outlined here will:
- Reduce your appetite
significantly.
- Make you lose
weight quickly, without hunger.
- Improve your
metabolic health at the same time.
Here is a
simple 3-step plan to lose weight fast.
1. Cut Back on Sugars and Starches
The most
important part is to cut back on sugars and starches (carbs).
When you
do that, your hunger levels go down and you end up eating much fewer calories.
Now instead
of burning carbs for energy, your body starts feeding off of stored fat.
Another
benefit of cutting carbs is that it lowers insulin levels,
causing your kidneys to shed excess sodium and water out of your body. This
reduces bloat and unnecessary water weight.
It is not
uncommon to lose up to 10
pounds (sometimes more) in the first week of eating this
way, both body fat and water weight.
This is a
graph from a study comparing low-carb and low-fat diets in overweight or obese
women.
The
low-carb group is eating until fullness, while the low-fat group is calorie-restricted and hungry.
Cut the
carbs and you will start to eat fewer calories automatically and without hunger
.
Put
simply, cutting carbs puts fat loss on autopilot.
SUMMARYRemoving sugars and starches
(carbs) from your diet will reduce your appetite, lower your insulin levels and
make you lose weight without hunger.
2. Eat Protein, Fat and Vegetables
Each one
of your meals should include a protein source, a fat source and low-carb
vegetables.
Constructing
your meals in this way will automatically bring your carb intake into the recommended range of
20–50 grams per day.
Protein
Sources
- Meat: Beef,
chicken, pork, lamb, etc.
- Fish and Seafood: Salmon,
trout, shrimp, etc.
- Eggs: Whole eggs
with the yolk are best.
The
importance of eating plenty of protein cannot
be overstated.
This has
been shown to boost metabolism by 80 to 100 calories per day.
High-protein
diets can also reduce cravings and obsessive thoughts about food by 60%, reduce
the desire for late-night snacking by half, and make you so full that you
automatically eat 441 fewer calories per day — just by adding protein to
your diet.
When it
comes to losing weight, protein is the king of nutrients.
Period.
Low-Carb
Vegetables
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
- Kale
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Swiss chard
- Lettuce
- Cucumber
- Full list here.
Don’t be
afraid to load your plate with these low-carb vegetables. You can eat massive
amounts of them without going over 20–50 net carbs per day.
A diet
based mostly on meat and vegetables contains all the fiber, vitamins and
minerals you need to be healthy.
Fat
Sources
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Avocado oil
- Butter
Eat 2–3
meals per day. If you find yourself hungry in the afternoon, add a 4th meal.
Don’t be
afraid of eating fat, as trying to do both low-carb AND low-fat at the same
time is a recipe for failure. It will make you feel miserable and abandon the
plan.
To see
how you can assemble your meals, check out this low-carb meal plan and
this list of 101 healthy low-carb
recipes.
SUMMARYAssemble each meal out of a
protein source, a fat source and low-carb vegetables. This will put you in the
20–50 gram carb range and significantly lower your hunger levels.
3. Lift Weights 3 Times Per Week
You don't need to exercise to
lose weight on this plan, but it is recommended.
The best
option is to go to the gym 3–4 times a week. Do a warm-up and lift some
weights.
If you're
new to the gym, ask a trainer for some advice.
By
lifting weights, you will burn lots of calories and prevent your metabolism
from slowing down, which is a common side effect of losing weight.
Studies
on low-carb diets show that you can even gain a bit of muscle while losing
significant amounts of body fat.
If lifting weights is
not an option for you, then doing some cardio workouts like walking, jogging,
running, cycling or swimming will suffice.
SUMMARYIt is best to do some sort of resistance
training like weight lifting. If that is not an option, cardio workouts are
also effective.
You can
take one day off per week where you eat more carbs. Many people prefer
Saturday.
It is
important to stick to healthy carb sources like oats, rice, quinoa, potatoes,
sweet potatoes, fruit, etc.
But only
this one higher carb day — if you start doing it more often than once per week
you're not going to see much success on this plan.
If you
must have a cheat meal and eat something unhealthy, then do it on this day.
Be aware
that cheat meals or carb refeeds are NOT necessary, but they can boost some fat-burning hormones like
leptin and thyroid hormones.
You will
gain some weight during your refeed day, but most of it will be water weight and
you will lose it again in the next 1–2 days.
SUMMARYHaving one day each week where
you eat more carbs is perfectly acceptable, although not necessary.
What
About Calories and Portion Control?
It is NOT
necessary to count calories as long as you keep the carbs very low and stick to
protein, fat and low-carb vegetables.
However,
if you really want to count them, use this calculator.
Enter
your details, and then pick the number from either the "Lose Weight"
or the "Lose Weight Fast" section — depending on how fast you want to
lose weight.
There are
many great tools you can use to track the number of calories you are eating.
Here is a list of 5 calorie
counters that are free and easy to use.
The main
goal of this plan is to keep carbs under 20–50 grams per day and get the rest
of your calories from protein and fat.
SUMMARYIt is not necessary to count
calories to lose weight on this plan. It is most important to strictly keep
your carbs in the 20–50 gram range.
10 Weight Loss Tips to Make Things Easier (and Faster)
Here are
10 more tips to lose weight even faster:
1.
Eat a high-protein breakfast. Eating
a high-protein breakfast has
been shown to reduce cravings and calorie intake throughout the day.
2.
Avoid sugary drinks and fruit juice. These
are the most fattening things you can put into your body, and avoiding them can
help you lose weight.
3.
Drink water a half hour before meals. One
study showed that drinking water a half hour before meals increased weight loss
by 44% over 3 months.
4.
Choose weight loss-friendly foods (see list). Certain
foods are very useful for losing fat. Here is a list of the 20 most weight
loss-friendly foods on earth.q
5.
Eat soluble fiber. Studies show that soluble
fibers may reduce fat, especially in the belly area.
Fiber supplements like glucomannan can also help.
6.
Drink coffee or tea. If you're a coffee or tea
drinker, then drink as much as you want as the caffeine can in them boost your metabolism by
3–11%.
7.
Eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods. Base
most of your diet on whole foods. They are healthier, more filling and much
less likely to cause overeating.
8.
Eat your food slowly. Fast eaters gain
more weight over time. Eating slowly makes
you feel more full and boosts weight-reducing hormones.
9.
Weigh yourself every day. Studies show that
people who weigh themselves every day are much more likely to lose weight and
keep it off for a long time.
10.
Get a good night's sleep, every night. Poor
sleep is one of the strongest risk factors for weight gain, so taking care of
your sleep is important .
.
SUMMARYIt is most important to stick to
the three rules, but there are a few other things you can do to speed things
up.
How Fast You Will Lose (and Other Benefits)
You can
expect to lose 5–10 pounds of weight (sometimes more) in the first week, then
consistent weight loss after that.
I can
personally lose 3–4 pounds per week for a few weeks when I do this strictly.
If you're
new to dieting, then things will probably happen quickly. The more weight you
have to lose, the faster you will lose it.
For the
first few days, you might feel a bit strange. Your body has been burning carbs
for all these years, so it can take time for it to get used to burning fat
instead.
This is
called the "low-carb flu" or “keto flu” and
is usually over within a few days. For me it takes three. Adding some extra
salt to your diet can help with this.
After the
first few days, most people report feeling very good, with even more energy
than before.
Despite
many decades of anti-fat hysteria, the low-carb diet also improves your health
in many other ways:
- Blood sugar tends to go
way down on low-carb diets.
- Triglycerides tend to go
down.
- Small, dense LDL (the bad)
cholesterol goes down.
- HDL (the good)
cholesterol goes up.
- Blood pressure improves
significantly.
- To top it all off,
low-carb diets appear to be just as easy to follow as low-fat diets.
SUMMARYYou can
expect to lose a lot of weight, but it depends on the person how quickly it
will happen. Low-carb diets also improve your health in many other ways.
You Don't Need to Starve Yourself to Lose Weight
If you
have a medical condition, talk to your doctor before making changes because
this plan can reduce your need for medication.
By
reducing carbs and lowering insulin levels, you change the hormonal environment
and make your body and brain "want" to lose weight.
This
leads to drastically reduced appetite and hunger, eliminating the main reason
that most people fail with conventional weight loss methods.
This is
proven to make you lose up to 2–3 times as much weight
as a typical low-fat, calorie-restricted diet.
Another
great benefit for the impatient folks is that the initial drop in water weight
can lead to a big difference on the scale as early as the next morning.
Here are
a few examples of low-carb meals that are simple, delicious and can be prepared
in under 10 minutes: 7 Healthy Low-Carb Meals
in 10 Minutes or Less.
On this
plan, you can eat good food until you’re full and still lose a ton of fat.
Welcome to paradise.
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