Lower Your Calorie Intake To Drop Pounds Fast
One of the best ways to lose weight quickly in 2 or 3 weeks is to lower your daily calorie intake.
Lowering your calorie intake helps to speed up weight loss as you will burn more energy than you consume. To lower your calorie intake in order to lose 20 pounds fast, you can swap foods for healthier options, limit your intake of saturated fats, and eat smaller portions.
Consuming fewer calories every day will help you lose 20 or even 30 pounds at a steady, healthy pace and boost your general health at the same time. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, you should reduce your daily calorie intake by 500 to 750 calories per day to lose significant weight in a couple of weeks.1
Doctors from the National Health Service recommend some healthy food swaps to help lower calorie intake and lose weight faster.29 Here are some examples to help you lose as much as 30 pounds in a month:
- Swap white breads for healthier wholegrain varieties.
- Choose leaner cuts of meat like turkey cutlets, chicken breast, and choice sirloin beef.
- Instead of creamy cheesy sauces on pasta or fish dishes, choose tomato or vegetable-based sauces.
- Drop sugar-laden sodas for green tea .
- Choose lower-fat alternatives when it comes to dairy products.
For more information on how to tweak your diet to speed up the effectiveness of your weight loss plan, please read my article on the best hacks for speedy weight loss.
Tips To Start Your : 4 Fast
As this is one of the more extreme methods of intermittent fasting, it is recommended you do your research before you start and even consult with a dietitian or a nutritionist to ensure it is right for you.
The best resource for the original Warrior Diet is Hofmeklers own book The Warrior Diet: Switch on Your Biological Powerhouse for High Energy, Explosive Strength and a Leaner, Harder Body.
To help you start your first 20:4 fast and successfully stick to it for the desired period of time, follow these tips.
Be Consistent And Stay Patient
The key to being successful with intermittent fasting is to be consistent and not to lose patience, advises Wright.
I feel like consistency is key,” she says. “In order for you to see you have to be consistent.
She says it took her many years to get to 337 lbs, so its important to understand that losing the weight will also take a long time. At 272 lbs, Wrights weight loss journey isnt over. But she says she can do things now that she wasnt able to do before like cross her legs when she sits and get down on the floor to play with her daughter.
She says it feels amazing.
This weight loss is such a blessing, and Im so excited to see where this journey is going to take me, Wright says. Her goal is to lose 100 pounds by the years end.
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Drink Water To Lose Fat Quickly
Drinking more water doesnt just help lose weight from around your waist but it prevents the symptoms of dehydration. Water is also one of the best ways to flush toxins out of your system and boost the health of your kidneys.
A study published in the Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine reported that drinking 1.5 liters of water every day helps to reduce body weight, body fat, and body mass index. The researchers concluded that drinking water can be a useful and cheap way for obese persons to lose weight quicker.9
You dont just have to stick to plain water to lose a lot of weight in a few weeks. You can easily make your own calorie-free flavored water that will help boost your weight loss plan in 2 weeks.
How To Lose 20 Pounds As Fast As Possible
Losing weight can be incredibly challenging regardless of whether youre looking to lose five pounds or 20.
Not only does it require diet and lifestyle changes, it also takes quite a bit of patience.
Fortunately, using a mix of proven strategies can simplify and expedite weight loss.
Here are 10 of the best ways to quickly and safely drop 20 pounds.
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Whats Specific To Intermittent Fasting
You might be confused here because I mostly talked about calorie deficit and the body adapting to fewer calories.
When youre intermittent fasting, of course, youre putting a calorie deficit on the body, but thats not the same as eating 3 to 5 times a day while counting calories.
Youre not effectively trying to get fewer calories, youre trying to eat less often, shortening your eating window, in order to train your body to burn fat. Youre not forcing your body to adapt to fewer calories to function.
Intermittent fasting is not about calories in, calories out, its about hormones. Youre lowering your insulin levels when eating less often, you give your body time to adapt to fat as energy, thats the whole concept.
Some of the things Ive said apply to IF too, because youre effectively getting used to fewer calories, but there could be another side-effect of intermittent fasting that could slow down weight-loss.
Its how intermittent fasting might affect your thyroid.
Intermittent fasting might be slowing down the functioning of the thyroid gland. The thyroid plays a huge part in the body and one of its roles is to regulate energy metabolism and thermogenesis.
Fasting will impact your metabolism and the way your body uses and converts energy, this means it will have an impact on your thyroid.
Thyroid hormone, called T3, is crucial for the body to use energy. But when youre fasting, your body will reduce T3, in order to preserve as much energy as possible.
Daily Walking Can Help You Shed Weight Quicker
Increasing the amount of walking you do every day will help to shed pounds from your body in no time at all.
A study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders reported that brisk walking for 30 minutes on most days of the week was an effective part of a weight-loss plan.13
How can you include walking as part of your plan to lose weight fast and start seeing results within two weeks? In my article on how walking can help lose weight, you will find out how many calories you can burn if you add 10,000 steps to your day.
Ways to increase your steps daily include:
- Getting off the bus a few stops early or parking your car further from your destination and walking.
- Take the stairs rather than the elevator.
- Include a brisk walk as part of your lunchtime routine.
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A Sample Day Of A : 4 Fast
7:00 am Wake and drink 500 mL of water with lemon
9:00 am Eat 1 boiled egg white, a handful of berries or 1 cup of green tea
1:00 pm Drink grapefruit juice, 1 cup of yoghurt or ½ cup of raw vegetables
8:00 pm Eat dinner containing protein, healthy fats and complex carbs
9:00 pm Drink 1 cup of warm milk with turmeric
10:00 pm Eat desserts such as dark chocolate or fruit custard
Find A Type Of Workout You Love
“I lost over 100 pounds in the past 3 years from CycleBar. I was looking for a way to up my fitness game to actually see results and lose some weight. I started noticing results and fell in love with the classes at CycleBar, that I quickly decided to apply to become an instructor and teach my own classes!” Amy Schuerman, who lost 100 pounds
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Males Intermittent Fasting Results After 1 Month
Ive noticed with men who use Intermittent Fasting for 30 days end up losing a little more weight than women. Of course, this is going to depend on how much weight they have to lose in the first place.
Most men result in losing 10-20+ pounds of weight and excess fat after their first month of Intermittent Fasting.
If youre watching your carb intake and keep track of your calories then your weight loss will most likely be on the farther end of the scale. Many men who use Intermittent Fasting says it helped to change their life for the better.
If youre a man then youll also notice less belly bloat and itll help to flatten out your belly in a few weeks. But make sure you also cut back on your alcohol consumption during your first month of fasting to maximize your results.
Just by cutting out breakfast youll be able to lose much more weight than you would counting calories throughout the day. But some men do find the hunger hard to fight off during their fasting window. This can be eased by drinking more water, a greens supplement, black coffee, and green tea.
Intermittent Fasting Results After 3 Months
Now if youve been fasting for a month or more but havent seen any results then youre most likely eating too much during your feeding window. Start tracking your calories and carbs in combination with Intermittent Fasting. This will help you break through your weight loss plateau.
How much weight can you lose in a month with intermittent fasting?
The Last Word
Do I Need To Eat Anything Specific
Outside of this span you can drink water or an 8-12oz cup of black coffee or tea, we know a girl has got to have her coffee!
As for food, if you are a woman, stick to a 1200 calorie intake per day. If you are moderately active, then stick to a 1500 calorie intake per day and if you are extremely active then you can stick to an 1800 calorie intake per day. Here is a link to a guide to see the exact caloric intake per day you should be eating
Of course, try to eat fresh and healthy food, but it is very important to stick to your daily caloric intake during the 8-hour span you chose.
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Sleep To Lose Weight Faster
If you are serious about losing a lot of weight in a short space of time, then getting plenty of sleep is essential.
Although a hectic work schedule and stress can make getting to sleep difficult, there are many positive health benefits of getting proper rest during the night.
Dr. Melinda Ratini on WebMD says that lack of sleep is linked to weight gain and obesity. For example, feeling well-rested reduces food cravings and gorging on high-carb snacks. Also, getting the right amount of sleep helps to balance your hormones naturally and reduce fat by increasing your metabolism.11
To help improve your sleep patterns to stop fat accumulating in your body, here are some helpful tips to lose as much as 20 pounds in 2 weeks:
- Dont work at a computer or watch TV for at least one hour before going to bed.
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekend.
- Dont take stimulants like coffee, chocolate, and alcohol before going to bed.
- Make your bedroom as dark as possible to help you sleep better.
Start A Yoga Practice
Yoga can help you enhance and maintain mobility when you’re over 50, and its calming effect can be beneficial when youre trying to lose weight, Anton says. You probably wont meet your weight loss goals with yoga alone, but it can be a helpful habit in tandem with others. Researchers in China found that older people who practiced yoga for a year shed about a centimeter off their waist circumferencea key marker of belly fat.
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What Happens To Your Body While Youre Intermittent Fasting
Fasting has been shown to impact the body in several ways.
During a fast, your hormones adjust to begin burning fat as a source of fuel.
In other words, when your body is cut off from food, it will adapt to use body fat as its primary form of energy.
This essentially means that fasting can switch your metabolism into fat-burning mode.
Some of the changes that occur during fasts include:
- Lower insulin levels Insulin is a hormone that is released by the pancreas in response to carbohydrates found in food. Its main role is to help regulate blood glucose levels. Insulin decreases during a fast, which sends signals to your cells to start using fat for energy instead of blood sugar .
- Increased human growth hormone Human growth hormone has been linked to greater fat burn and increases in muscle mass . There is evidence that HGH levels increase while intermittent fasting .
- Boost in norepinephrine levels During a fast, norepinephrine levels rise . Norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline, is a hormone released by the brain which tells the body to release fatty acids from stored body fat. These free fatty acids can then be used by your cells for energy.
How Much Can I Lose In 2 Weeks
Is there a limit to the number of pounds a person can lose in 2 weeks? It is surprising that the amount of weight a person can lose in just 2 weeks without effort. It is truly possible to lose 20 pounds and more in just two weeks. If you have a lot of excess weight, losing only twenty pounds may seem doable. It will indeed be difficult and unhealthy if you have only a few extra pounds . Keep in mind that such a fast weight loss should only be happening under strict medical supervision by a doctor.
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The Factors That Influence Your Weight Loss Potential On Keto And Intermittent Fasting
Your weight loss results on keto and intermittent fasting could be like Cindys or you could have a different experience. Maybe you lose even more weight or its slower going for you.
If youre wondering why the pounds arent coming off quite so quickly now that youre intermittent fasting on keto, here are the factors that come into play.
Cut Your Carb Consumption
Refined carbs have been stripped of their nutrient and fiber content during processing, resulting in a final product that is nutrient-poor.
Whats more, they typically have a high glycemic index, which means that they are digested and absorbed quickly. Rapid digestion leads to spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels, followed by increased hunger .
Consuming high numbers of refined carbs has also been linked to increased body fat and weight gain.
For instance, one study in 2,834 people found that a higher intake of refined carbohydrates was associated with increased belly fat while a greater intake of whole grains was associated with less belly fat .
Another small study had similar findings, reporting that a diet rich in whole grains decreased both body weight and calorie intake compared to a diet focused on refined grains .
To get started, simply swap out refined grains in pastas, white breads, cereals and pre-packaged products for healthy, whole-grain alternatives such as couscous, quinoa, brown rice or barley.
Summary Refined carbs can increase hunger levels andmay be associated with increased belly fat and weight gain compared to wholegrains.
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Avoid Junk Food And Limit Sugar Consumption To Drop Fat Quicker
You should avoid junk food and limit sugar consumption to lose weight quickly.
Junk food and foods with added sugar not only have very low nutritional value but they can make it very difficult to slim down very fast in a short period of time.
The University of Michigan reported on a study showing a correlation between fast food and increased body mass index, weight gain and obesity. The study also found that people get heavier as the number of fast food outlets increase.7
Cutting out sugary foods and sodas can also help you lose a lot of weight in two weeks. Dr. Laura Martin on WebMD says that limiting foods containing refined sugars will help a person lose weight and reduce levels of obesity.8
How To Lose 10 Pounds With Intermittent Fasting
Im coaching someone with intermittent fasting right now who reached his 3-week mark yesterday and is down 15 pounds! What a great accomplishment! Beyonce supposedly lost 20 pounds in 2 weeks through an extremely difficult style of fasting that she later mentioned to regret. Everyone has a different body type and this is not a typical result, however, its not too hard to drop a quick 10 pounds with intermittent fasting, especially if you have some extra weight on you.
If I had to drop 10 pounds right away or if I was coaching someone to do the same, heres the strategy of what to do right away
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You Are Not Drinking Enough Water
If you are reading, drink some water right now. Intermittent fasting restricts your meal times but places no restrictions on water drinking throughout the day.
Drink enough water to stay hydrated during your fast. You can also take tea or black coffee to replenish your lost fluids without breaking your fast.
Drinking water can keep you full till your next eating period. Therefore it keeps you from snacking and packing on extra calories.
Staying hydrated is important for your overall health. If you are exercising, you ought to drink even more water to replace what you lost through sweat.
You might also need to change your lifestyle to include better sleep if you are thinking of starting intermittent fasting.
