The Fastest Way to Lose Weight & Tone the Body
Losing weight and toning your body requires discipline in diet and exercise. Although you want to lose weight fast, the healthiest and fastest way to lose weight is to aim for a loss of one to two pounds a week. It may not seem like a lot, but it could result in 30 to 60 pounds lost in a year, depending on your commitment.
A woman is stretching out by her baby stroller. (Image: Halfpoint/iStock/Getty Images)Change Eating Habits
Step 1
Cut unhealthy salty and sweet snacks from your diet. Avoid walking down the snack and candy aisles while grocery shopping to avoid temptations and cravings. Instead, choose healthy fruits and vegetables from the produce section.
Step 2
Avoid energy drinks, soda, smoothies and alcoholic beverages. All of these contain 100 to 200 calories that add up and won't satisfy your hunger. Instead, stick with zero-calorie water, which also doesn't have carbs, contains little to no sodium, and gets rid of excess water weight. Drink about a half a cup of water for every 100 calories you burn to help with weight loss.
Step 3
Stop eating three large meals a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eating five to six small meals throughout the day keeps your metabolism going and keeps you satisfied, which will help you avoid unhealthy cravings. Distributing your calorie intake between five and six small meals a day lowers the amount of insulin your body releases, which maintains your blood sugar level and controls hunger.
Step 4
Change the size of your dinner plate from a standard 10- to 14-inch dish to a 7- to 9-inch salad plate. Using smaller plates will help you think about realistic serving sizes. If you're not satisfied after you finish your meal, eat green, leafy vegetables or fruit. Also, if you're drinking anything besides water for dinner, switch to an 8-oz. glass, instead of a 16-oz. glass.
Exercise Evolution
Step 1
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand to perform the squat and shoulder press. This workout tones your butt, thighs and arms and involves constant movement to lose weight fast. Hold your arms straight out in front of you and bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle with your palms facing one another. Lower down into a squat. This is your starting position. Stand and press your arms up above your shoulders. Do eight to 12 reps.
Step 2
Get into a plank position with your hands extended underneath your shoulders to perform the three-step plank. This exercise tones your abs. Lower your left forearm down on the floor, then your right forearm. Push your left arm back up and then your right to complete one rep. Do as many as you can in 30 seconds. Repeat three times.
Step 3
Stand with your arms extended at shoulder level and your palms facing down to perform the crossover lunge. This exercise tones your calves, hamstrings and butt. Step your right foot out and cross it in front of your left. Lower down into a lunge and twist your torso to the right. Don't let your right knee bend past your toes. Untwist and return to the standing position. Do eight to 12 reps for each side.
Step 4
Put on your running shoes and perform 20 to 30 minutes of cardio each day. Spinning, cardio kickboxing, running, swimming, jump rope, the elliptical, stair-climber and rowing machine are fast ways to lose weight and tone your body. Each of these allow you to burn calories, while toning your arms, legs and stomach. Split your running session up into intervals of shorts bursts of sprints and steady jogs.
Step 5
Add a circuit routine to your workout plan. Circuit training includes both aerobic and anaerobic workouts done in constant repetition. Each consecutive workout targets a different muscle group, which requires minimum to no rest between each exercise. To create a circuit routine, include an upper body exercise, lower body exercise, a sprint exercise and a compound exercise -- which targets more than one muscle group at a time. An example would be pushups, calf raises, jump rope and mountain climbers. Set a time between 10 to 45 minutes for your circuit routine. If you perform five stations for each exercise mentioned for a minute, you'll have a 30-minute workout.
Things You'll Need
Fruit
Vegetables
Water
Salad plate
8-oz. glass
Dumbbells
Running shoes
Tip
Always perform a warm-up and cool-down when exercising to prevent soreness and injury.
Warning
Use the lightest weight dumbbell when performing the exercises until you have completed them several times with good technique. If you feel pain, don't push yourself through the exercise. Stop and give your body a day or two of rest.
