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Step 1
Eat clean foods. Eliminate foods that are high in sugar, fat and sodium like cheeseburgers, french fires, potato chips, cookies, candy, cakes, cold cuts and processed meats. Eat more nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and low-fat dairy products.
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Step 2
Cut back on your calories to produce a deficit. In order to lower your body mass index, you must lose some weight. To lose a pound of weight, you need to burn 3500 calories. You can lose a pound a week if you reduce your daily intake by 500 calories. If you want to get more extreme and lose 2 pounds a week, ]reduce your daily intake by 1000 calories. Just make sure to not go below 1200 calories if you are female and 1800 calories if you are male.
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Step 3
Eat small, frequent meals every 2 to 3 hours. When you eat a small meal every few hours, your body will burn the calories for energy which will increase your metabolism, and there will be nothing left over to be stored as fat. This can also keep you feeling satisfied and prevent you from overeating. Have your meals consist of a combination of protein and complex carbs. A baked chicken breast with lettuce and tomato on a whole wheat bun is a midday meal example.
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Step 4
Build muscle to crank up your metabolism even more. Weight training can help increase your caloric expenditure by boosting your metabolism. Do exercises that focus on all of your major muscle groups. Push-ups, lateral raises, back rows, triceps extensions, bicep curls and squats are all examples of these. Do 12 to 15 reps and three to four sets with moderate weights. Perform weight training three days a week on alternating days.
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Step 5
Go for a run. Cardiovascular exercise strengthens your heart and lungs and it can also burn significant calories. Do cardio three times a week for 45 to 60 minutes on alternating days. Other than running, you can also do elliptical training, biking, swimming, stair stepping, rowing and rope jumping.
