Five Tricks for Quick Weight Loss

Everyone who wants to lose weight would prefer quick weight loss to slow. This is why diet pills, “magic formulas” and crash diets are so popular. The truth is, you can drop a lot of weight really fast on an unhealthy diet or using diet pills, but the weight will be mostly water and muscle. Adding insult to injury, the weight will be back as quickly as you lost it. However, there are several ways to speed up a healthy weight loss. The key to quick weight loss is to use several different means to speed up the process.

Drink Lots of Water

Yes, you’ve heard this many, many times. The reason for this is that it’s true. Drinking adequate water has several benefits for those seeking quick weight loss. The first has to do with metabolism. The kidneys require a huge amount of water daily to flush the system, produce and release hormones and a host of other duties. The liver is in charge of metabolizing fat. However, if there is insufficient water for optimum kidney function, the liver will come to its aid. The problem is, while helping the kidneys, the liver slows its metabolism of fat, and so more fat goes into storage.

Another benefit of good water intake is that it decreases appetite, by making you naturally feel fuller and by helping the body to absorb nutrients efficiently. Dehydration will lead to a lack of nutrient absorption, which, in turn, will produce cravings for more nutrients. So, you eat more.

Eat Early

You’ve heard this one before, too: eat breakfast. Eating breakfast stimulates the metabolism. The majority of digestion takes place during sleep. Once the day’s food has been digested, the body slows the metabolism and burns fewer calories. In effect, it’s hedging its bets against not getting any more food for a while. Additionally, eating a breakfast that contains a combination of protein and complex carbs will keep you feeling full longer, release a slow, steady supply of energy and keep you from reaching for a candy bar or latte to pick you up later.

Eat Often

Forget about skipping meals. Please reread the above paragraph. By going more than a few hours without eating, you cause your metabolism to slow in an effort to conserve fuel. Also, going without eating for long periods (more than four hours) will cause your blood sugar to drop so low that you will either reach for a sugar or caffeine fix or overeat at the next meal. Ideally, you should eat a very small meal every two to three hours. This will keep your blood sugar steady, your metabolism active and your energy level up.

Don’t Eat Late

We’re a nation of dessert-eaters and TV-snackers. That’s part of the reason Americans struggle with their weight. Unless you’re working out shortly before bed, your body is going to store those calories for future use. In general, it’ll store them on your thighs! You can eat dessert, just eat it early and try to go for a walk afterwards. Or, you can choose things like fruit or nuts as your dessert or snack. Quick weight loss will require a bit of sacrifice and lifestyle change.

Eat Low on the Glycemic Scale

In recent years, several popular diets have advocated eating only very low-glycemic foods, cutting out even powerhouse foods like bananas or berries. While all healthy foods should be welcome in your diet, it is best to limit the number or high-glycemic (or high in sugar) foods you eat. Keep in mind that this refers to the natural sugars in foods, not added or refined sugars. Eating low on the glycemic scale enables quick weight loss by keeping your blood sugar steady and reducing issues with insulin resistance.

Using some or all of these suggestions will help you to achieve the quick weight loss you want, in a safe and relatively painless way.

Photo Credit: ninahale

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1. How Water Impacts Weight Loss
2. Five Secrets to Healthy Weight Loss