How Women Can Lose Weight in One Month

Maintaining a reasonable weight is essential to longevity and good health. Without a balance of proper nutrition and exercise, you cannot maintain a healthy body. Making small dietary changes and being more active are keys to losing weight in any time frame, but results are also seen rapidly after beginning a program for better health. Crash and fad diets are not the answer, but healthy lifestyle choices will help you lose extra pounds, and maintain a proper weight.

Things You'll Need

• Notebook
• Pencil
• Non-processed protein foods
• Fresh vegetables
• Fresh fruits
• Water

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Use your notebook. Write the date at the top of the page. You will need one page for each day of the month. This will serve as your food diary, and keep you accountable for what you eat. Anytime you eat, drink or exercise, you'll write it in your food diary.

• 2

  Eliminate empty calories from beverages. For the next month, drink only water. Juices, sodas, and alcoholic beverages contain little nutritional value, and are mostly sugar. The average woman should drink six to eight 8-oz. glasses of water each day. Two quarts of water is the minimum when not exposed to excessive heat or exercising. When in those conditions, always drink the recommended water.

• 3

  Create your own food pyramid. MyPyramid.gov lets you establish on online pyramid to determine how much of each food group you individually need and eat. Use this as an immediate guideline to monitor what and how much you are eating each day.

• 4

  Eliminate processed foods. For the grain requirement established by your MyPyramid Plan, eat only whole grains such as bread with whole wheat flour (not wheat flour, be sure it says whole), quinoa, brown rice, i.e. complex carbs.

• 5

  Choose lean meats such as chicken, beef or fish for your protein requirement. Do not bread or fry them, but steam or bake them. Flavor is improved with pepper, sea salt in moderation, and spices. Non-meat proteins include almonds, beans, and salt and sugar-free peanut butter.

• 6

  For your vegetable requirement, vary vegetables. Be sure to consume a variety of colors such as green romaine lettuce or spinach, carrots, yellow peppers and tomatoes. Do not cover salads in pre-made dressings, instead use fresh ground pepper and balsamic vinegar with olive oil. Try to eat as many vegetables raw as possible, steam them if necessary, but do not boil them, as they lose nutrients in boiling.

• 7

  Eat fruits suggested when desiring something sweet. Fruits are a better choice than candy or a cookie, and can satisfy the desire while providing vital nutrients and minerals.

• 8

  Milk requirements are best met by skim or low-fat milks and cheeses. Use these to complement other foods such as proteins or vegetables, remembering that milk is an excellent source of Vitamin D.

• 9

  Find a comfortable exercise that you enjoy. Speed walking is a good option for burning fat. Whatever exercise you choose, you'll want to find a level of activity where you cannot comfortably talk while doing it, but you are not out of breath.