Getting in shape is no easy feat.
It takes consistency, dedication, and effort.
While the journey can be challenging, there are a few extra things that you can do to speed up the process.
Below are 8 easy things you can tack on to your daily routine in order to reach your weight loss goals quicker!
If you’re consistent enough, it can even lead you to losing up to 20 pounds in just 14 days, just like it did for my friend Josie who used to weigh over 200 pounds. She lost 10 pounds in the first 7 days of consistently putting these tips to work. And ended up losing 49 pounds in that same year!
And the best part of all this is – there is no crazy or weird behavior required.
Let’s get started.
1. Eat more protein and healthy fats
Protein and dietary fat are fat-burning powerhouses.
Eating the right amount of both of these things can help you shed excess fat quickly.
Studies have shown that they both reduce appetite, boost metabolism, preserve muscle mass, and decrease the risk of belly-fat and weight gain.
2. Avoid refined carbs
Some examples of refined carbohydrates are processed food, pasta, cereal, and white bread.
These foods are not only deficient in nutrients, but also mess with blood sugar levels, often times causing you to feel hungrier.
A higher intake of refined carbohydrates has also been proven to put you at a greater risk of increased belly fat and waist size.
Instead, you should incorporate more whole grains into your daily diet.
These are foods like whole wheat, quinoa, and oats.
Whole grains have the opposite effect of refined grains, promoting lower weight, lower BMI, and a smaller waist circumference.
3. Fill up on fiber
Eating more fiber, specifically soluble fiber, will keep you fuller for longer, decreasing your appetite for snacking.
Studies have shown that adding just 10 extra grams of soluble fiber per day helped participants lose more belly fat. Furthermore, adding 14 grams daily led to a 10 percent decrease in calorie intake.
You should aim for at least 20 grams of fiber per day to get the maximum results.
4. Drink appropriately
Avoiding beverages like soda, diet soda, alcohol, fruit juices, etc. can help you lose a significant amount of body weight.
Even diet soda? Yes. While this beverage is free of calories, there is some evidence that artificial sweeteners used in diet soda actually increase sugar cravings.
Choose water, green tea, fruit-infused water, and black coffee instead of drinking high-calorie, nutrient deficient drinks.
Chug a glass of water right after waking and before every meal to keep your metabolism burning and your belly full. Drink at least 64 ounces each day.
Green tea and coffee contain caffeine. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, temporarily boosting metabolism by up to 11 percent.
It also has the ability to breakdown fat, assisting with further weight loss. Just make sure that you’re drinking coffee without cream and sugar.
5. Lift more weights
Lifting weights (or pumping iron) preserves and improves muscle mass and also boosts metabolism. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you will burn throughout the day.
Research has shown that 12 weeks of strength training and aerobic exercise combined was much more effective at burning fat than just aerobic exercise alone.
Additionally, another study has shown that after 10 weeks of strength training, participants experienced a 7 percent increase in calorie burn while at rest.
Keep in mind that heavier weights and lower reps will allow you to tone-up much more efficiently.
6. HIIT it up
Obviously any form of cardiovascular exercise (walking, jogging, running, biking, swimming, etc…) will be beneficial to fat loss, however the best choice is HIIT.
This is High-Intensity Interval Training.
This form of exercise utilizes short bursts of heart-pumping moves with even shorter rest periods. The goal is to boost your metabolism, increasing fat burn. HIIT is fast and effective so you can get it done and get on with your day.
One study has shown that HIIT burns 30 percent more calories in the same amount of time as traditional cardio.
It is recommended that you get at least 75 minutes of HIIT in each week.
7. Plan your workouts
One of the biggest excuses for not exercising is “not enough time”. By planning and scheduling your workouts, you can forget all about this excuse.
Scheduling an appointment with yourself will keep you on the path to success.
When you stay consistent, you will burn fat fast!
8. Get proper sleep
Numerous studies have shown that getting less than 5–6 hours of sleep per night is associated with increased incidence of obesity. There are several reasons behind this.
Research suggests that insufficient and poor-quality sleep slows down the process in which the body converts calories to energy, called metabolism. When metabolism is less effective, the body may store unused energy as fat. In addition, poor sleep can increase the production of insulin and cortisol, which also prompt fat storage.
How long and how deep someone sleeps also affects the regulation of the appetite-controlling hormones leptin and ghrelin. Leptin sends signals of fullness to the brain while ghrelin tells your brain you’re hungry.
Without a properly functioning leptin and ghrelin, you’re constantly hungry and nothing you eat will ever make you full – double whammy.
So, sleep more and sleep well.