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What's the Fastest Way to Lose Weight

The fastest way to lose weight would not matter anymore if you gain back the weight equally quickly. As anyone decide to lose weight, they must also be determined enough not to gain back those unwanted pounds.

Many a times, we get motivated by the models in the advertisements or success stories of special diets. We have also heard it all – the fanciful names of diet (from Atkin to Zone to South Beach diet) and strenuous exercise regimes which does not give you the motivation to persist. Let us discuss our next weight loss program in three important areas to give us a sure-win, fastest yet effective and lasting way to get rid of those fats.

(I) It’s a Mind Game

Above all else, you need to prepare your mind for this weight loss exercise. Draw up a weekly schedule titled “My Goals and Achievements” and have it pasted on the wall where you can see it the minute you wake up in the morning and the minute before you sleep at night. Have motivational statement on it that says “I want to lose { } pounds of weight before {date}. I should only weigh { } pounds on {date}” – printed in bold and in red.

On the weekly schedule, you should have two boxes for each week; one representing your goal and the other your achievements. The “Goal” box should all be completed with black ink at the beginning of this exercise, with targets set for the next few weeks that follows. Please be mindful here to fill in achievable and realistic targets. We all know it is impossible to lose hundreds of pounds overnight not to mention unhealthy! Remember, we want those pounds to stay away for good not just hide for a few days.

The “Achievement” box should be recorded as the weeks go by. Fix a day to record – eg. every Wednesday of the week. For every target achieve, record your achievement box in green. If you fail, record your “non-achievement” in red. This serves as a reminder that you need to work doubly hard in the coming week.

Every night before you sleep and every morning when you wake up, you should look at those numbers and read your motivational statement three times aloud. The louder you read them, the more you will convince you mind, body and soul that you want to and can achieve those targets.

(II) Rubbish in, Rubbish Out

Believe it or not, what you eat is reflected on your appearance, skin, body odour, and not to mention they show up on your weighing scales. There are two traditional Chinese sayings which are important not just in weight losing but staying healthy in life – “Have a nutritional breakfast, filling lunch and little for your dinner” and “One should not eat more than 70% full at any point in time”. I am sure you have read a lot about them on the food you should and should not eat so I will not write another boring story on it here but will just put them in quick point form for ease of reading:-

  • Drink more water than you think you should. I like to keep a 1litre water bottle by my side at work and at home. It helps me remember that drinking 2 bottles meet my daily needs. Drink throughout the day and not only when you are thirsty. Drink more after exercise. But try not to drink water during your meals (impedes digestion process); wait at least half an hour after-meal before drinking water.
  • Do not starve yourself. Starving yourself will only make you want to eat more during your next meal. Eat before you get an appetite to avoid eating a full meal. Have healthy snacks (high in protein and low in carbohydrates) in small portions with you. Have a few small meals a day instead of full meals – this will increase your metabolism when coupled with exercise and gets you on a natural way to losing weight.
  • Chew your food. This not only helps to digest your food better, it also allows more time for your stomach to send signals to your brain to not overeat when you are full. Very often, when one eats faster than can be digested in your body, by the time the brain gets signal that you are full, you have already over-eaten.
  • Fruits, vegetables, cereals, beans. Go to the supermarket, there is a whole range of variety of those. Don’t complain of getting sick of those. 
  • Meat, coffee, chocolates, sugar. What is life without them!? If you need to eat them, like me, have half the portion of meat you usually eat. 1/10 of the chocolates you usually do and cut the sugar (all of it if possible) in the coffee. There is no short of healthy substitutes for sinful foods – surf the internet for substitute recipes and you will be flooded with them.

(III) Exercise, exercise, exercise

Like food choices and substitutes, there is no short of interesting exercises. However, the key to losing weight is endurance type of exercise. If you are new to exercise, do not go right into strenuous exercises straightaway. I have listed the following exercises by exertion. Start with the breezy range (no excuses for not doing them!) and move on to the “kill those fats” range; adjust according to how much your body and heart can take. Remember, we are here for a lasting weight loss not something that will creep back. Before any exercise, remember to do some warm-up stretches. Choose at least 1 bullet point each day.

  • Do housework – clean all bathrooms, clean all windows, wash your car or vacuum the whole house.
  • Routine – 12 each of squats, pushups, lunges, and sit-ups. Repeat 5 times.
  • Brisk walk 10minutes, jog 10 minutes, brisk walk 20 minutes. Find a nice park in your neighbourhood.
  • Skip 30-45 minutes non-stop
  • Jog 30-45 minutes
  • Swim 30-50 laps
  • Cycle for 30-45 minutes
  • Aerobics for 30-45 minutes

Notice that the above exercises last for 30-45 minutes period. Increase as your stamina increases. Continuous movements in exercise will increase calorie-burning. Remember, persistence is the key to successful weight loss. Bid farewell to those extra pounds.

 

This article is also published in Helium website where you might find articles of similar topics.