3 tips for rapid weight loss

Most of us would like to have a better figure and look more attractive. Extra weight can hurt us in many ways beyond what it does to our health and appearance. It affects our lives and how people judge us. A study has shown that a large number of people think that overweight people lack self-control.

If you are on the road to shedding some pounds, you probably want to lose weight fast. Yet we know that losing weight does not happen magically overnight. Instead, it requires effort and determination.

Despite wanting to lose weight quickly, you should make sure that your method of losing weight is a healthy one. If not, you may be losing important muscle, rather than just fat. The most important thing for healthy weight loss is to be mindful of your eating habits and lifestyle.

Below are three tips that you can incorporate into your life to help you lose weight rapidly in a healthy way.

1. Eat breakfast

Breakfast is the most essential meal of the day. It fills your stomach after a long night of sleep. Eating breakfast will make you more alert and energetic at the start of the day.

Skipping breakfast will result in unexpected and, at times, uncontrollable hunger later in the day. This hunger may then lead you to unwanted snacking. Furthermore, skipping breakfast might make you eat more than usual during lunch to satisfy the hunger. This could increase your overall calorie intake.

Research has shown that if you eat breakfast every morning, you are more likely to maintain a normal weight. It is important to start off your day with a healthy breakfast to fill your stomach and prevent unexpected snacking later in the day.

A healthy breakfast should include all three main nutrients — carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The carbohydrates will give you instant energy and the fiber (which is a type of carbohydrate) will help keep you full longer. Protein and fat also prolong your satiety to minimize your hunger as the day goes on.

2. Exercise regularly

Research has shown that even 30 minutes of daily exercise can provide numerous health benefits in addition to aiding in weight loss and maintaining a healthy, desired weight.

Unfortunately, we often feel like we do not have the time for exercising. We are either too tired after work or cannot squeeze any free time from the endless piles of school assignments.

Even with a packed schedule, we can make little changes in our activities to incorporate a bit of exercise into our daily lives. For example, instead of taking the lift or the escalator, go for the stairs. If your office or your school is a stone's throw away from the MRT station or the bus stop, skip the public transport and walk to your destination.

At regular intervals, take a rest from your work. You can do some stretching exercises at your desk or take a walk outside your office or classroom. These little changes in your life will contribute significantly to your weight loss over time.

If you have a bit more time on your hands, you can sign up for an activity at the nearest community center, which have all kinds of classes available such as aerobics, swimming, and kickboxing. Having to pay for these classes will actually motivate you to attend them. This will then give you a good reason to allocate some time for regular exercise.

Of course, do keep in mind that regular exercise should be accompanied by a healthy diet.

3. Avoid deprivation diets

When we want to lose weight fast, we might think that not eating is the key. For example, a person who wants to lose five kilograms rapidly might eat as little as a carrot stick per day until the goal is achieved.

However, a deprivation diet only has a short term effect on weight loss. Your metabolism rate actually slows down when you consume so few calories per day. Additionally, losing weight so quickly and depriving yourself of a healthy diet can easily backfire, causing you to gain back the weight very quickly.

In addition to causing you to be hungry all day and night, deprivation diets usually do not provide the nutrients that the body needs to carry out its daily functions. Your body needs nutrients to keep up your metabolism, give you energy for physical activity, and to carry out general functions. Without these essential nutrients, your body will start to shut down, and weight loss may become very difficult. Therefore, it is important for you to eat regular meals and keep to a balanced diet.

As you go forward with your weight loss, remember that it is crucial to choose a healthy weight loss method, which is more likely to ensure that pounds are lost not only rapidly, but also permanently.

Eating breakfast, exercising regularly and avoiding deprivation diets can all help you lose weight rapidly. With these tips in mind and an optimistic mindset, you are a step closer to achieving your goal.

What weight loss method would you recommend or not recommend to other people?

Edited by registered dietitian Arielle Kamps, M.S., R.D, L.D. Via HealthMatters.sg, a Singapore Health and Fitness blog that aims to help you lose weight, keep fit, and live healthy. Click here to get our free guide "Eat Your Way to Health — Secrets of a Healthy Diet".

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