Many dieters want to know only one thing: how to find diets that work fast. However, if you start losing weight on a crash diet, you should know that in time your weight loss will cease.
This is because most crash diets work by severely limiting your caloric intake, effectively starving your body into weight loss. Over time, your weight loss will plateau as your body adjusts and goes into starvation mode.
The most sensible weight loss solution is a fundamental lifestyle shift, eliminating saturated fats and simple carbohydrates. Once you have committed to a lifestyle change, there are things you can do to jump start your weight loss. Following are the top 3 ways you can kick your weight loss journey into high gear:
Drink Water
Most Americans don’t realize it, but they exist in a mildly dehydrated state almost all of the time. Between coffees and sodas that serve as mild diuretics and take the place of water in the typical diet, most people simply don’t consume enough water.
Upping your intake of water is crucial to success on any diet, for many reasons. First, your body has a very difficult time distinguishing between hunger and thirst. It’s easy for you to think you are hungry when you are actually thirsty; so drinking more water can satisfy thirst which often registers as hunger.
Drinking water also makes you feel fuller; in fact, a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that dieters who drank water prior to meals consumed 75 fewer calories at meals than those who did not drink water. Water also flushes toxins from your body, making you feel more alert and refreshed, feelings that make it easier to stick with a diet program.
Start Exercising
Another great way to jump start your weight loss journey is to begin an exercise program. Not only does exercise reduce your body fat and increase your lean muscle tissue, it also kicks your metabolism up a notch.
Moderate aerobic exercise, like walking or cycling, speeds up your metabolism for 4-8 hours after you stop exercising. This means that even after you step off the treadmill, your body will continue to burn calories for hours after you stop.
Over time, a steady exercise program will increase the efficiency of your metabolic rate, allowing your body to convert food to energy more efficiently.
Eliminate Simple Carbohydrates
Not all carbohydrates are created equal, and diets that work fast will eliminate some carbohydrates that can slow down your weight loss. Complex carbohydrates take longer for the body to digest and contain high amounts of fiber, which contributes to feelings of fullness as well as bowel regularity.
Vegetables, particularly leafy greens, contain complex carbs and should be incorporated in every diet. Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly and found naturally in fruits, honey, and dairy products.
However, most processed foods such as cakes, cookies, candy bars, and the like are also simple carbs that give you a short-term blood sugar rise followed by a crash. You can jump-start your weight loss by eliminating all processed foods from your diet and limiting your natural simple carbohydrate consumption.
