At some point we’ve all had things come up in life where we need to lose a pound or two, or more, quickly! Unfortunately, we don’t always choose the best ways to get the job done. Whether you are looking to lose a lot of weight, or want to get those stubborn last 5 lbs off, we have found a great list of tips to losing weight quickly that are healthy --and if done regularly, can help in maintaining the weight loss. Because everyone’s body and daily regime is different, we recommend you pick the ones that work best for you, but if you can, try incorporating them all!

1) Keep an accurate scale in the house:

Make sure to start your plan by weighing yourself, and then give yourself a reasonable goal within a certain time span. You can check once a week, every other week, or longer if you’d like. This is because sometimes, weight loss is more affirming when we can actually see calculated proof- seeing that proof will only motivate you to keep progressing forward!

 2) Prepare Your Own Meals:

We know, it’s always easier and more efficient to grab something on the go or eat out on your lunch break. However, by preparing your own meals, you become more aware of what exactly you are putting in your body and you have the portion control power.

Tip: Start with a filling and low calorie breakfast like oatmeal or hardboiled eggs. The fiber and protein will help to keep you full and the calorie count is low!

3) Healthy Foods:

Preparing your own meals is one thing, but making sure the sustenance you are consuming is healthy is even more vital. Fiber, protein, raw veggies, and lots and lots of colorful fruits are the perfect ingredients to helping you shed pounds quickly and a combination of all will help you to maintain a balanced diet.

4) 3 Larger or 5 Smaller:

DO NOT SKIP MEALS! We cannot stress this enough! In order to keep your metabolism moving quickly, your body needs energy for it to run on. When you are not eating meals regularly your body can go into starvation mode, which will slow down your metabolism. Once you start eating regularly again (we all have to at some point or another) you’ll notice that the pounds will come back quickly and in abundance. It's important to eat either 3 larger  or 5 smaller meals a day (depending on how you normally eat).

5) Stick to H2O:

Sports drinks, any light fruit drinks or beers contain at least 100 calories that you can easily avoid or put towards your meals instead. Water will not only help flush out extra water weight, it can keep you fuller longer.

Tips: Drink an 8 oz glass of water before and after eating a meal. By doing this, you’ll get full quicker which will help in preventing you from reaching for things to snack on after you eat. If tasteless water sounds too monotonous to keep drinking time after time again, add some lemon or mint leaves to give it a little extra taste.

 

6) 30-Minutes of cardio daily:

Instead of doing long work outs a few times a week, get cardio into your daily schedule for just 30 minutes. This could be through brisk walking, jogging, or even those half hour classes at your gym (Interval training has been known to do wonders!). By doing this daily, you can burn an extra 200-300 calories or more! Wake up early and get it out of the way- it will benefit you in more ways than one and you will notice you have more energy to start your day.

Tip: If you choose to take classes try mixing it up by taking a few different kinds. This will help you to constantly work different muscles and prevent your body from getting comfortable with a repetitive work out routine.

As always, consult with your physician before taking on any diet or exercise regimen.