How to Lose 40 Lbs With a Diet Plan

If you are trying to lose 40 lbs you should give current lifestyle a make-over. Going on a fad diet that tells you to drastically lower your caloric intake or to avoid eating certain food groups, might help you lose weight quickly, but this is weight from muscle tissue and water; not from fat. You will gain the weight back the moment you start eating normal again. To lose a significant amount of weight its easiest to adjust your current diet by including healthier foods. You have to create a diet you can maintain for the long run. Better yet, it should become a lifestyle.

Instructions

• 1

  Give yourself 20 weeks to lose 40 lbs in a healthy manner. Reduce your daily calories by 1,000 through diet and exercise. Since 1 lb of fat has 3,500 calories you will lose 2 lbs per week which is a healthy rate for weight loss.

• 2

  Remove all unhealthy foods from your home so you are less likely to get tempted into eating them. Get rid of things like cookies, candy, cakes, fatty meats, alcohol, processed foods and white bread and white rice. Stock up on healthier fare including lean protein such as chicken, fish and turkey. Purchase complex slow-digesting carbohydrates found in fiber-rich, whole-grain products such as whole wheat bread and brown rice. Load up on fruits and vegetables and use healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil for cooking. Replace full-fat products with low-fat, low-calorie alternatives.

• 3

  Keep your blood sugar levels in tact by eating often. Consume five or six small meals throughout the day so you don't get hungry. Cut lunch, breakfast and dinner in half for an easy way to get six meals.

• 4

  Make regular exercise part of your diet plan because it helps burn calories so you can ease up on the calories you restrict from food. Perform 30 to 45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, three to five days of the week. The more cardio you do, the quicker you will get results. Add variety to your routine by switching from jogging to swimming or biking. Participate in group sports or take an aerobics class to keep from getting bored.

• 5

  Add resistance training into your exercise routing, three days of the week. Build muscle tissue to tighten up and tone your muscles and to accelerate your metabolism. Perform compound exercises that train multiple muscles at the same time. Include push-ups, lunges, squats, dead lifts and bench dips.

• 6

  Drink three to five cups of green tea daily because it speeds up your metabolism.