How to Lose Weight Pronto

Reality shows such as "The Biggest Loser" plant the bug in your ear that you can lose massive amounts of weight in a very short period of time. Problem is, you're likely not going to be working out seven hours a day with a strict eating plan like those contestants. Fad diets make big promises to get you slim quickly, but they can be harmful by denying you proper nutrition, which results in muscle loss and other problems. You will be able to lose weight quickly for some minor goals, however -- if you adhere to a few simple rules to keep you healthy, sated and properly nourished.

Instructions

1

Drink the proper amount of water. This will keep you hydrated, which can stave off those signals often misread as hunger. Drinking water right before you eat, whenever you eat, also helps you feel fuller. There are several theories on how much water is the right amount. The Mayo Clinic suggests that there is no one-size-fits-all formula for everyone. The key is to not feel thirsty and produce a near-colorless urine of about 1.5 liters per day.

2

Eat smaller, more frequent meals. The idea of eating may seem counterproductive to weight loss, but if you go without eating for a significant period of time you run the risk of binge-eating once you do finally eat. Eating on a schedule, often before you are really hungry, can curb your appetite and ensure you eat less per day. Low-calorie snacks, including fruits and vegetables, can appease your need to chew or eat without all the calories.

3

Eat breakfast. This will not only curb your food intake over the course of a day, it will give you energy for physical activity. This goes hand in hand with your goal to lose weight quickly. Eating a good breakfast will also set the tone for your day to make healthier food choices.

4

Choose the proper foods. Foods rich in fiber will help you feel full so that you will not need to overeat. Good fats like the fat found in fish provide essential fatty acids, which can actually make your body burn fat more efficiently. Good carbohydrates such as beans, whole grains, fruits and vegetables also keep those hunger pangs at bay.

5

Burn more calories than you take in. These numbers can vary based on several different factors, and many online calculators exist to provide you this information for free. Simply input your height, weight and activity level, and the tool will calculate how many calories you must burn through exercise and take in through your diet in order to lose weight. No matter how quickly you need to lose weight, do not go under 1,050 to 1,200 calories in your diet per day, as this can be unsafe.

6

Limit foods with additives and chemicals. These can stimulate your appetite or cause you to retain fluids, which is counterproductive to your quick-weight-loss goal. Detox your body from excess sugar, sodium and caffeine. Limit or completely eliminate alcohol, because this can lower your inhibitions causing you to overeat. Some drinks, particularly mixed, sugary drinks, can add hundreds of unnecessary calories to your daily intake.

7

Exercise at least an hour a day, seven days a week. If you're already exercising, bump up your regimen a notch or two. Aim for more cardio activity, which burns the most calories. Break a sweat after you warm up, and keep it at that activity level for an entire hour. Make sure you hydrate yourself properly.

8

Step it up. Buy a pedometer to keep track of the steps you take daily. The average person should aim for 10,000 steps a day, but for those losing weight, you should have a 12,000 or 15,000 step target. If you are starting from a completely sedentary lifestyle, you will need to ease into this routine. The best way to do this quickly is add steps wherever possible. Park farther from your destination, or walk there instead of driving at all. Use your work breaks to walk just a few extra steps around your area, and take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.

9

Weigh yourself daily. This will keep you from being tempted to veer off course from your specific goals. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that weighing daily helps you maintain a weight loss because you can alter your eating and exercise goals accordingly. But be aware that your weight is naturally going to fluctuate, and be patient with your body as it goes through these changes. Measuring yourself in several key areas such as waist and hips with a measuring tape, whether weekly or monthly, will help give you a more definite picture of the positive changes you are undergoing.