Natural Rapid Weight Loss

For the millions of overweight Americans, the desperation to lose their excess pounds rapidly can result in the use of dietary supplements that can have serious health repercussions or fad diets which only result in short-term weight loss. There are ways to lose weight naturally and rapidly, you simply need to know how to go about it.

Increase Your Water Intake

• Your liver plays a large role in metabolizing your stored fat; if it is clogged with toxins, it is unable to do so effectively. One way to cleanse your body of these toxins is to increase your water intake.

  You also need to be properly hydrated if you want a metabolism that runs on high-speed. To ensure your body contains the amount of water it needs, you should aim to drink at least 8 8 oz. glasses of water each day.

  Finally, drinking water between meals helps prevent cravings by providing you with a feeling of satiety. Also, drinking a glass of water before each meal and snack helps fill you up, preventing you from overeating.

Reduce Your Calories

• Reducing your calories is essential when trying to lose weight and lose it fast. However you need to be careful how much you reduce them by. A drastic reduction can cause your body to feel as though it is not getting enough to eat and it will automatically protect itself by slowing down its metabolism, thus holding onto stored fat.

  To determine the right amount of daily calories for you, multiply your current weight by 11; the answer is the number of calories you need each day. As you begin losing weight, repeat the formula and adjust accordingly.

Exercise

• Exercise is essential when you are trying to lose weight, but to lose weight rapidly, you want to incorporate both aerobic and strength training into your daily routine.

  Aerobic exercise should be done four to five times a week and can include anything from a brisk walk to dancing in your living room; if it raises your heart rate, it's burning fat and calories. When just beginning, 30 minutes each day is a good amount of time to spend working out. As you become stronger, increase your time until you can work out for 45 to 60 minutes each time. As a rule of thumb, your target heart rate should be between 120 and 140 beats per minute. To take your heart rate, place your forefinger either on your wrist or your neck and count the number of pulses felt in these areas. To determine your specific target heart rate, see the resource link below.

  Strength training will help build lean muscle; the more lean muscle you have, the more fat and calories you will burn, even while at rest. Simply lifting moderate weights for 15 minutes, three times a week is sufficient to get you the results you need. When you no longer feel challenged, increase the amount of weight rather than the time or repetitions. You can also tone your larger muscle groups such as your thighs and abdominals; this will tone and shape your body while focusing on areas that contain muscles which burn more fat. Remember, every pound of muscle built is a pound of fat lost. See the resource link below for weight lifting exercises.

Stop Late Night Snacking

• As the night wears on, your metabolism automatically begins to slow down. This means everything you eat after 6 or 7 o'clock will stay on you rather than burn off you; this will only hinder your attempts at rapid weight loss.

  Another trick is to eat all carbohydrates by 3 p.m. This gives your body time to use them for energy, allowing your metabolism to burn fat stores the remainder of the day.

  Your last snack of the day could be something like a protein shake made with low or non-fat milk, yogurt, whey protein powder and a banana. Not only is it healthy, it also tastes like a milkshake.

Increase Your Protein

• To increase the rate at which you lose weight, increase the amount of protein you eat throughout the day. Protein not only helps rebuild muscles you have worked during exercise, they contain essential amino acids needed for new cell growth. Protein also helps speed up your metabolism; the faster your metabolism, the faster the pounds will fall off.

  Protein can be found in a variety of foods, the most common being lean cuts of red meat, chicken and fish. Eggs are also a great protein source, as is cheese and low-fat yogurt. For those who are vegetarians, tofu and soy can provide you with the protein you need, as can legumes.

Increase Your Fiber

• Fiber helps you lose weight quickly in a variety of ways.

  First it helps fill you up faster and keeps you feeling this way for a longer period of time. This prevents overeating and snacking on foods high in calories and sugar.

  Next it keeps things moving through your bowels on a regular basis. As it does so, it binds with the protein and fats you have consumed through the day, eliminating them as well, which eliminates your overall caloric intake.

  Foods high in fiber include whole grain breads, pastas and rice, and fruits and vegetables such as apples, broccoli, cauliflower and citrus fruits.

Eat, Eat, Eat

• This may seem unbelievable, but it's true. Eating five or six times a day not only keeps you feeling satisfied, it also keeps your metabolism working at its maximum capacity, allowing it to burn more fat and calories. In addition, the constant flow of food every two to three hours keeps your body busy, causing the digestive system to work harder; all this work results in more calories and fat burned throughout the day.