How to Lose 50 Lbs

Setting out to lose 50 pounds is an enormous task and the potential for failure is extremely high. The reason that many people don't achieve their weight loss goals is that they concentrate on a single approach. They either exercise without changing eating habits, or they starve themselves without any physical activity. While either of these methods is likely to produce some nominal results, the odds of long-term weight loss, especially in the realm of 50 pounds, is unlikely. It takes a complete lifestyle change in order to lose that much weight.

Things You'll Need

• Weights
• Proper food
• Cardio machine

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Instructions

• 1

  Prepare yourself mentally. You have to be 100 percent committed to your goal if you plan on losing 50 pounds. You may love sweets and potato chips and foods loaded with carbohydrates, but you have to be ready to give them up if you are going to succeed.

• 2

  Change your eating habits. Consume six small meals a day, eating every two-to-three hours. Each meal should consist of lean protein (chicken, fish, turkey, etc.) and complex carbohydrates (fruits, whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, etc.). Be sure to portion correctly. Each serving of protein should be about the size of your open palm, while each serving of carbohydrates should be no larger than your closed fist. Complement at least two or three meals with a serving of green vegetables. This style of eating speeds up your metabolism and helps you build lean muscle, both of which accelerate weight loss.

• 3

  Perform cardiovascular exercise. Running is the most effective version, but you can also use an exercise bike, elliptical, stair machine or any other method of your preference. Employ interval training to burn three times as much fat as regular cardio. This method is performed by starting out slow (about 50 percent of your maximum effort) for one minute before really kicking it into high gear at your max effort for another minute. Alternate between 50 and 100 percent effort every other minutes and your results will come significantly quicker.

• 4

  Train with weights. The best way to burn fat is to build muscle. You are not going for bulk so use lighter weights and perform more repetitions. Work for quality over quantity, training different body parts on different days. Take each set to failure. This is when you can not perform another repetition without sacrificing your form. To build lean muscle, aim for failure at around 12 to 15 reps. If you can do more than 15, increase the weight.

• 5

  Maintain the program until you meet your goals. There comes a time in every weight loss program where results slow down, or even stop completely. This is highly discouraging because people, especially those with 50 or more pounds to lose, often lose a portion of weight very quickly at the outset. Typically, this is water weight. The lasting results do not show until seven or eight weeks in to a program. Persevere and the weight will come off.