How to Lose Twenty Pounds

When it comes to losing weight, the general idea is incredibly simple. You must burn more calories than you take in. The mechanism for doing this is the manipulation of your body's metabolism. Your metabolism is the rate at which you body burns energy (calories). If you want to lose twenty pounds, then you have to understand how to increase your own metabolism. This can be achieved through the combination of a variety of methods.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pedometer Weight Lifting Belt Notebook

Lose Twenty Pounds

1. Eat a good breakfast. Breakfast is necessary to boost your metabolism after your night of sleep. Your metabolism slows down during sleep and will remain lowered if you do not eat something when you wake. A piece of fruit and a bowl of cereal that offers whole grains and low sugar is both healthy and promotes weight loss.

2. Eat more meals per day, but make them smaller and at consistent times throughout the day. By eating smaller meals more often throughout the day, you increase your metabolism and keep your body from storing excess calories as fat. You should shoot for 5 to 6 meals per day with about 3 hours between each meal.

3. Get involved in weight training. A weight training routine can do wonders for helping you lose 20 pounds fast. Not only will you be burning calories while you train, you will increase your muscle mass, which will then increase your metabolism. One pound of muscle burns 35 calories per day, even while at rest.

4. Stick with a consistent cardio routine. A consistent cardio routine means 30 to 45 minutes of exercise that elevates your heart rate and is performed at least three times per week. This will help to burn off excess calories and fat stores as well as increase your metabolism and muscle tone. The importance of cardiovascular exercise cannot be overstated as part of a weight-loss program.

5. Keep a food diary. Count and record the calories of everything you eat or drink throughout the day. This will also require you to measure your food in order to make the calorie count accurate and to keep a notebook to record your daily food intake. This does not mean that you cannot cheat on occasion, but that you are aware at all times of your eating habits. The discipline will keep you organized and your diet in line to promote weight loss.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to do your cardio routine first thing in the morning. This way you will be burning stored fat during your workout rather than the calories that you have consumed throughout the day. This is a way to speed up your weight loss. To keep things interesting, vary the cardio exercises you perform. Running on treadmill can get boring fast, so try running outside, take an aerobics class, or play basketball once in a while. When running or fast walking, use a pedometer to help measure your progress. A pedometer is cheap and not intrusive to your workout. Try each day to top what you did the previous workout and you will lose fat. Cheating on your diet occasionally can actually be more helpful than harmful. Many people give up on a diet because they give in to the cravings. Have day that you can cheat a little and it will help you to stay on your diet the other days of the week.
• Before beginning an exercise regimen of any type, it is a good idea to get a check up from your physician. This will ensure that your health is good enough for you to handle the stress of starting an exercise program. Use your weight lifting belt when working with weights to protect your lower back from strain.

References

• Bodybuilding For You; 4 Tips to Fat Loss--Lose Fat; Greg Gillies
• WebMD; Make the Most of Your Metabolism; Colette Bouchez; Feb. 24, 2006

Resources

• Ygoy.com gives you further insight on weight training for women.
• Find a variety of workout routines from Intense Workout.com.

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