How to Lose 40 Pounds in 100 Days

Losing 40 pounds in 100 days is big goal to set yourself. This would work out at around 12 pounds every month and around three pounds a week. Weight Watchers and Change 4 Life, the leading weight-loss and health schemes in the UK, estimate that you can lose this amount of weight per week, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services only recommends losing one or two pounds per week. If you lose weight gradually and control weight loss, you will keep the body healthier and lessen the risk of damage to your internal organs as is common with some crash diets. You will also lose weight easier because the body will not go into "shock mode" and store the fat.

Instructions

• 1

  Avoid big changes in your diet and eating habits. Dr. Tanya Zilberter suggests that by cutting out foods that you normally eat or reducing your calorie intake severely will send the body into starvation mode and will hold on to fat you already have longer.

• 2

  Assess your dietary requirements. Dietitian Juliette Kellow notes that The Food Standards Agency for Nutrients and Foods recommends that your diet should consist of around: 50 percent carbohydrate, 30 to 35 percent protein and 15 to 20 percent fat.

• 3

  Devise a meal plan with the above figures as a starting point. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates the average daily calorie requirement is 2,500 calories if you are a man and 2,000 if you are a woman. Never exceed this amount. If you do, you will not lose weight. You can also try recording your calorie intake in a notebook so that you don't go over your recommended daily allowance.

• 4

  Regularly eat steamed fish, chicken and vegetables as your main evening meal. These foods contain very few calories and have a low fat content. The protein that is naturally in fish will keep you feeling fuller longer. The natural oils in fish will also make you feel healthier and make your skin and nails appear shinier.

• 5

  Avoid taking elevators. Experts at Discover Walking, a new scheme aimed at getting people to walk frequently throughout the day,suggest that swapping the elevator for the stairs can allow you burn additional calories every day.

• 6

  Exercise three or four times a week. You should carry out high-intensity exercises such as running, rowing, swimming or dancing for around an hour at a time. You could burn off up to 500 calories each time.

• 7

  Swap any unhealthy snacks for healthier ones. If you tend to eat chips and chocolate as a snack, Men's Health Magazine suggest exchanging these for fruit or nuts. Fruit and nuts contain slow-release energy sources which keep you feeling fuller for longer.

• 8

  Cut out alcohol. Most alcoholic drinks contain a very high calorie count. Drinks such as beer and wine contain many calories and will prevent you from losing weight. Weight Loss Resource suggests avoiding canned bitter, which carries 182 calories per pint, and lager, which contains 221 calories per pint.

• 9

  Drink water throughout the day. Drinking water rids the body of toxins that build up in the body but also keeps you feeling fuller in between meals.