How to Lose Six Pounds

Do not lose six pounds by going on a crash diet that promises you speedy weight loss if you reduce your calorie intake drastically. Not only do you risk falling into a yo-yo dieting cycle, you are also teaching yourself bad eating habits. Go the healthy way and reduce your weight by adjusting your lifestyle to include plenty of exercise and healthy food choices.

Instructions

• 1

  Give yourself at least three weeks to lose six pounds. Healthy weight loss is when you lose weight at the rate of one pound to two pounds per week.

• 2

  Replace unhealthy foods with healthier alternatives. Broil, bake and grill your food instead of frying it. Eat nonfat and low-fat foods instead of full-fat foods. Fill up on fiber-rich foods such as vegetables and fruits. Replace fatty meats with lean meats such as chicken and fish. Eat carbohydrates early in the day and make them complex, slow-digesting carbs such as brown rice and whole grain bread.

• 3

  Divide six small meals over the course of the day and consume one every three hours. Eating often will keep your metabolism going and will make you feel satiated so you are less likely to have cravings during the day.

• 4

  Increase your metabolism by doing up to 45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. Run, walk, swim or ride a bicycle to get your heart rate up. Cardio will burn calories and fat and trigger weight loss.

• 5

  Tone your muscles by lifting weights. Increase muscle tissue because muscle burns more calories than fat does. The more muscles you have, the more calories you burn.

• 6

  Rest your body at night so it can restore itself from the day and replenish itself. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website recommends you get at least seven hours of sleep every night. Lack of sleep stimulates hormones in the body that increase your appetite.

• 7

  Drink eight 8-ounce. glasses of water per day to promote digestive health, help carry nutrients to cells and metabolize fat. The MayoClinic website states that dehydration can lead to drainage of energy and feeling fatigued.