Quick Tips to Lose Weight Fast

Quick weight-loss tips may yield rapid results, but they often leave you susceptible to detrimental side effects. These diets usually break the rules of eating a nutritionally balanced meal. The American Heart Association warns, "Nutrition experts recommend adopting healthy eating habits permanently, rather than impatiently pursuing crash diets in hopes of losing unwanted pounds in a few days."



Quick-weight-loss diets rarely provide plans you can follow long-term. While choosing a nutritionally sound diet may require lifestyle changes, you reap the benefit of weight loss and improved health.

Natural Appetite Suppressant

Your thirst isn't the only thing water will quench.

Not only will water fill you up, and possibly silence your appetite, it causes the body to metabolize fat more efficiently. According to Virginia Tech's Brenda Davy, Ph.D., "We found that over the course of 12 weeks, dieters who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about 5 pounds more than dieters who did not increase their water intake."

One weight loss tip is to replace sugary soft drinks and juice with water to decrease your caloric intake further. Enhance the flavor of your water by adding a few drops of lemon juice, or sweeten it with stevia extract.

Meal Replacement

Don't skip dessert, replace it.

Do not skip meals; instead, have a meal replacement drink or bar. Reports from the National Center for Biotechnology Information concluded the greater benefit came from consuming replacement bars. Their report states, "Although the meal replacement bars contained 30 additional calories than liquids, they provided an additional two hours of hunger suppression that may have an impact on overall weight loss success. These results support superior short-term hunger control with solid meal replacements." Participants consumed one glass of water with the bar. Each 250-calorie bar contained 4 g of dietary fiber, 14 g of protein and 8 g of fat. The average participant found their appetite suppressed for approximately five hours.

Portion Control

Start with a small portion; you can always add more.

Use portion control as a weight loss tool. According to KidsHealth, "Serving sizes have increased over the past 10 years, and these extra calories contribute to obesity."

Most people consume far more food then they realize. One serving of protein equals the size of a bar of soap, or a deck of cards. One cup of diced raw vegetables or fruit equals the size of a baseball. One ounce of cheese equals the size of four dice. You may have to weigh your foods until you can "eye" the proper portion size.

Eliminate "Stress" Eating

Avoid fattening foods during periods of extreme stress.

Side effects from prescription medication can cause weight gain. Unfortunately, many people self-medicate with a non-narcotic substance called food. HelpGuide asserts, "Stress eating is a common problem. Instead of self-medicating with food, you can learn other ways to relieve stress and anxiety."

Though certain foods you consume actually boost serotonin levels, causing you to "feel good," refrain from eating by replacing food with a stress-reducing activity. Go for a walk or take a drive instead of reaching for the ice cream. Call a friend you enjoy talking with, or sip a calming cup of tea until the urge to eat subsides.