Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Week 1: Get off to a flying start
• Method 2 of 4: Week Two: Exercise
• Method 3 of 4: Week 3: Rise above your ceiling
• Method 4 of 4: Week 4: Evaluate progress
• Tips
• Warnings

Looking for a great way to get a handle on your diet? Here are some general guidelines to get you started.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Week 1: Get off to a flying start

1. Set yourself a clear goal. Remember that dramatic weight loss is risky and often ineffective; the faster you lose weight, the faster it will come back. Only a lifestyle change is effective."Diet fads," such as diet pills or a juice diet can help you lose water weight, but in most cases, you're just starving yourself. The body adapts to the sudden food shortage, by slowing down the metabolism to such an extent that as soon as you start eating again you start to store fat because your metabolism has not yet started, so you immediately gain weight again.
   • 3500-8750 calories per week is considered healthy. More is possible in those cases where you suffer from severe obesity, but is generally uncommon and unhealthy.
   • What does this mean? That you can lose about 10 pounds per month. This means that you can lose enough weight to fit a trouser or clothing size smaller, but it is not enough to significantly change the shape of your body.
2. Measuring is knowing. Measuring how much you lose is the most effective way to track your progress, because your body weight fluctuates widely and does not tell you where the pounds are going. Measure your shoulders, chest, waist and thighs every week, not every day.
3. Diet is all about change and persistence. Of course, if you want to change your body, you will have to adjust your diet and exercise. Sure, there are many methods of doing this, but they all have the following in common: eat less carbohydrates, more protein, less salt, more water, more fruits and vegetables, and exercise more. Read in and talk to your doctor; Depending on your current body weight, activity level, and diet, several things can be effective.
   • 1 pound of fat is approximately 3000 calories. So, to lose those pounds, you will have to eat 3000 calories less than usual, or you will have to exercise more. Unfortunately, there is no other way. The best way to do this is to eat nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods like fruits and vegetables, which will keep you feeling full and full.
   • Starving yourself is pointless and ineffective. Hunger doesn't just happen between the ears; you need food and the body produces hormones and other signals to make you eat. It has been found that hungry people become more focused on food and neglect many other needs. When you are hungry, you keep thinking about food.
   • Don't overestimate yourself. If you know that you like pasta and grains, it is very difficult to suddenly adopt a low-carbohydrate diet. Decide which foods are irreplaceable and keep them on hand, but in smaller quantities.
4. Keep track of times when you tend to overeat. If you're an evening eater, try snacking on low-calorie snacks. Most of the calories you take in just before going to sleep are immediately converted into fat, because you use less energy during sleep. So try to avoid this as much as possible.
5. Avoid unhealthy food. It is nice to enjoy it every now and then, but to lose weight in a month you will have to omit unhealthy food from your daily diet. Here are a few known culprits to avoid:
   • Soft drink
   • Potato chips
   • Candy
   • White pasta, white rice and white bread
   • Food with a lot of refined sugar, cane sugar, or corn syrup
   • Energy drinks and sugary / creamy coffee
   • General rule of thumb: the more something has been edited, the more to avoid. The human body did not evolve to get used to chemical additives or Xxtra Flamin 'Hot Cheetos.
6. People are easily discouraged, especially when it comes to food. For example, you might have a sudden desire to eat a plate of chips, but you are unlikely to venture out if there are no chips in the house. Keep unhealthy foods out of your house so that you are less likely to eat them.
   • Just throw away the food jar as a clear signal to yourself.
   • You may be living with others who are not dieting. This is the point where you really have to set your own limits. Set up restricted zones and let your roommates store their factory food there.
7. Try the classic conditioning! Reward yourself with small gifts if you manage to stick with it for several days without breaking your own rules. For example: you receive a Euro for every day you keep it up. Do not punish yourself, not getting a reward is punishment enough. This gives you a strong incentive to eat healthy.
   • Starving yourself is not a good idea. You harm your body by ignoring the signals it gives you.
8. Go shopping and buy healthy foods, such as:
   • Vegetables. Stock up on a collection of various vegetables so as not to make your diet too boring; even the biggest fan of spinach doesn't want to eat this all day, every day. Make sure you eat at least 1 serving of green leafy vegetables per day. If you want a dressing with it, try making it with olive oil or without oil.
   • Fruit: Foods high in fiber such as apples, pears, oranges, and bananas.
   • Lean protein, such as 95% lean red meat or skinless poultry. Other good sources of protein are nuts, soy, tofu and egg.
   • Skim milk. If you really want to make bigger changes, try some dairy substitutes like soy milk or rice milk.
   • Fiber-rich carbohydrates. Your body needs carbohydrates to function, but the form in which you eat them is up to you. In general, the most fiber-rich and healthiest carbohydrates, those that are least processed, that is, brown rice instead of white rice, are whole wheat flour instead of white flour. Try experimenting with different grains such as couscous, quinoa, buckwheat, chia seeds, and hemp (if you can find it). Also swap the grains you are used to eating for healthier ones: multigrain bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta.
9. Don't expect yourself to be able to comply with all the new rules. Changing your diet is a complete lifestyle change and is something you and your body will have to get used to.

Method 2 of 4: Week Two: Exercise

1. If you want to lose weight, you will have to move. It is the best way to burn the fat that is already in your body. Exercise does not have to be painful and everyday, and can be approached in different ways.
   • Make time to exercise. Be creative! Go for a walk to work, or to the gym after work or school. Cycle to work and start planning more weekend activities. Instead of going to the movies with a friend, go out; the view can be fantastic and the effort is not nearly as distracting when you have company.
   • Make an appointment with others to exercise. This makes it more difficult to get out of it.
2. Do cardio. Cardiovascular exercise is so called because it puts your heart to work. This increases the metabolism and provides an overall, more effective workout for your body, compared to many forms of strength training, which build muscle but are often quite static.
3. Try to find an activity that you enjoy. Exercising is a lot less awful if you are having fun while you're exhausting yourself.
   • Running and swimming are popular choices because they make it clear right away.
   • Swimming is also a good choice to start with, because you are working on your fitness, but without the heavy load on your joints and muscles. Especially for people who are overweight, the elderly or people who have never exercised.
   • Join a sports club! In many cases, you have as much fun as you are busy exhausting yourself.
   • Dancing / Zumba! Many local gyms offer dance / exercise combinations, and can be great fun, especially if you enjoy pounding music and dancing.
   • Yoga / Pilates. These are also offered by many gyms. Focused on strength and endurance, these can be challenging at first, but will become very relaxing along the way.
   • Training videos. Many weight loss programs on video combine short bursts of high-intensity cardio with other extensive aerobic exercises. This will make your heart pump, but you can still keep going for a long time. Popular videos are P90X and Insanity.
   • Mix your machines and methods. When you train in the gym, don't spend hours on the treadmill - you just train the same muscles, at the same pace. Try machines that exercise different parts of your body. For example, go for a run, then on the elliptical, and finish with the rowing machine, all in 30 minutes. The more different exercises you do and the different ways your body exercise, the more effective your workout will be.
4. Training may not be fun at first. That is almost a fact. Until your muscles are more accustomed to solid training, it won't be easy. However, there are ways to get around this.
   • Start slow and short and then build up stamina. Start by walking 1.5 km a day, then 3 km and build up. Don't try to run 15 km straight away if you haven't done this for a long time.
5. Just because you're exercising now doesn't mean you can eat as much as you want! Try to maintain the same diet as the week before, with maybe a little more to recharge yourself. If you want to reward yourself with dessert, try yogurt with fruit parfait, or some delicious fruit. Many dieters also manage to get through the training because of the endorphins that comes afterwards. It's your body's way of saying thank you!
   • If possible, work out on a treadmill or a device that keeps track of how many calories you have burned. It shows you exactly how hard it is to burn 300 calories.

Method 3 of 4: Week 3: Rise above your ceiling

1. Keep pushing yourself. If you can train without being out of breath, then you are not working hard enough. Increase the intensity of your workout so you can keep melting the pounds. For example, increase the incline or speed on the treadmill, or add more resistance when using the rowing machine.
   • Take it up a notch - practice power yoga instead of regular yoga, endurance runs instead of sprints, more intensive Zumba classes. If your heart is not pumping, then it is not cardio and you are not burning fat optimally.
   • You don't see immediate results. However, you can enjoy the benefits you have right after the workout. You can bathe in the endorphin rush, and you'll find yourself sleeping much better and waking up refreshed after your body has worked so hard.
2. Start measuring immediately. Compare your results with the Week 1 measurements, and you will notice progress. Keep track of your results and let the small wins propel you.
3. Keep eating healthy. If you are getting tired of your diet, look for new recipes and variations online. See your limitations as a challenge: how delicious can I make this cabbage / skinless chicken / couscous with what I have available? Experiment with spices, herbs and new recipes - you'll be surprised how much flavor you can get without salt and unhealthy fats.
4. Drinking water! Not only can water make you feel full, but it can also clean your system. And it is by far the healthiest way to get your fluids.
   • Always carry a bottle of water with you. You will find that with a bottle of water as a reminder, you drink a lot more water just because it is there. There are different kinds:
   • Glass bottles are beautiful and almost never make your water taste strange. Unfortunately they are heavy and fragile.
   • Aluminum bottles give your water a somewhat strange taste, but they are light and keep the water cool.
   • Thermos flasks are also good if you plan on bringing hot drinks with you.
   • Bottles with a filter are great if you plan to refill the bottle with tap water on the go. If you have filtered water at home, this is not necessarily necessary.
   • There are several ways to give your water some extra flavor, without extra calories. Try adding citrus juices such as lemon, lime and orange, herbal tea or by adding chia seeds, which expand in water and have a nice gelatinous texture.

Method 4 of 4: Week 4: Evaluate progress

1. The home stretch. You've committed yourself to a month, so try to keep your morale high until you cross the finish line. You spent the last week figuring out fun ways to experiment with nutrition and exercise. Continue with this! The more fun you have, the less tiring it is.
2. Throw a dinner for your friends to let you taste new recipes. They will be amazed how delicious low-calorie food can be.
   • Give yourself a reward after a month; you kept your word and lost weight. Get that new top you've been thinking about all the time, or spend a day at the beach with a friend. You've earned it.
3. Take your last measurements. You will likely see amazing progress.
4. Decide if you want to continue. Who knows, you might have had a great time. Maybe losing weight has yielded more than you thought. If you still want to lose weight, continue with the same diet routine, exercise, and fun that you have been maintaining.
   • If you've lost all the weight you wanted to lose, congratulations! Now you want it to stay away. Unfortunately, if you fall back into your old routine, it will come back. Decide which parts of your diet you want to keep and permanently incorporate into your new lifestyle, and stick to the same promises as you strive for a healthier lifestyle. Maybe you liked the taste of healthier proteins, or you want to keep doing yoga. Regardless, it's a good idea to keep up with at least some of these changes.
   • If you want to lose more weight and this diet plan works for you, keep going! Try new things, experiment with food and other sports, and share your experiences with others. Signing up to diet clubs or just experiencing all of this with a friend is a great way to maintain or lose weight.

Tips

• There are a number of diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, that make weight loss difficult. It is always a good idea to get these medical conditions under control before starting any diet and have your progress closely monitored by a doctor to make sure everything is done safely and healthily.
• Everyone is different, and weight loss schedules will vary depending on body type. Make sure to consult with a doctor before starting any overly ambitious plans.

Warnings

• Consult with a doctor before starting a new sport or diet.