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Easiest Way to Lose Weight & Firm Up

There are many actions you can take to lose weight quickly. Two standard rules apply: Moderate what you eat and exercise. However, for most people, simply acknowledging that you should eat well and exercise isn't enough. By taking a diligent and mathematical approach to diet and exercise, you can easily lose weight and firm up.

  1. Cutting Calories

    • The way to lose a lot of weight is to cut a lot of calories from your diet. This is the hard part for everyone who wants to begin a diet. A lot of calories that people consume are empty calories, meaning they offer little if any nutritional value.  For example, it is estimated that 15% of peoples' daily calories come from alcohol, soft drinks and dessert-like coffee beverages.

      You may want to consider eating about six small meals every day. Eating small meals throughout the day keeps your metabolism at an even keel, which also helps burn calories. Instead of potato chips and ice cream, select whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Water is also an important part of dieting as it helps regulate many of the body's functions. Water can also make you feel full, which will keep you from overeating.

    Building Muscle

    • Getting exercise and firming up does not have to mean waking at four in the morning to spend 3 hrs. at the gym. Begin by making an effort to move more. Walk or ride a bicycle instead of taking the bus. Walk the dog for 10 mins. more than you normally would, or ride an extra mile on your bike with your children.

      Along with increasing the amount of cardio you do every day, it's important to build muscle via a weight-lifting program. To build muscle, work with the heaviest amount of weight you can and do fewer repetitions. To tone your body, lift less weight but do more reps. It is important that you do not work the same set of muscles every day. For instance, work the arms, shoulders and back one day, then your legs and abdominal muscles the next. When your muscles are at rest, they are able to grow.

      Do not assume that the more you work out, the more muscle you will build. It is all about how productive your workout time is.

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