How to Lose Weight Fast the Old-fashioned Way

Fad diets and new weight-loss gimmicks abound. From infomercials to companies selling special pre-packaged foods or the latest drop-weight-quick diet in magazines, you are bombarded with different ways to lose weight. If it's all confusing and somewhat questionable, you might prefer to do it the way your parents and grandparents did by making smart choices, using self-control and eating healthy foods. Remember that "fast" weight loss means a pound or two a week.

Things You'll Need

• calorie reference book
• kitchen scale
• measuring cups

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Instructions

• 1

  Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Do something aerobic to elevate your heart rate. If high-impact exercises aren't safe for you, walking and swimming are both beneficial activities. Check with your doctor before beginning an exercise routine to make sure your choices are safe and healthy for you.

• 2

  Determine your ideal number of calories per day for healthy and effective weight loss. Ask your doctor or a nutritionist or look it up in a calorie-counting diet book. The magic number is based on your height, weight, gender and age. Your goal is to take in fewer calories than your body needs each day. This creates a calorie deficit that causes your body to burn fat. Find a deficit that meets your need for speedy weight loss while keeping you healthy and safe. Always run your plan by your physician before proceeding.

• 3

  Buy a calorie guide or find a favorite caloric content reference website. You need help to figure out the calories in foods you don't make yourself.

• 4

  Strategize your daily food intake. Figure in advance what amounts of which foods you want to eat for each meal, keeping their caloric values in mind. If you enjoy eating big meals or more frequently, vegetables and certain fruits have low-caloric values that allow you to eat more of them. High-fat and starchy foods are typically high in calories.

• 5

  Measure your food and ingredients using a kitchen scale and measuring cups. This will help ensure that you accurately count the calories in your food -- particularly when making multi-ingredient recipes.

• 6

  Read food and drink package and container labels for caloric content and individual serving sizes. Foods that come with calories listed make your calorie counting easier and also make you more aware of proper portions and nutritional content.

• 7

  Keep a journal of your daily food intake, listing everything you eat and its caloric value. If you do this, you can better decide how to apportion your calories. If you have eaten extra calories during the day, for example, you'll know to keep remaining meals extra-lean. Or if you have gone light on calories throughout the day, you can allow yourself a treat.