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Truth be told, 2020 has been a year when we haven’t had to keep tabs on how much we weigh, and that’s just a simple way to look at it. With all the emotional and physical stress of living through a pandemic, the last thing you want to do is to blame your body for changing. However, we are only human, and it is perfectly normal to be worried about those extra pounds you seem to have accumulated over the past year. The good thing is that you are not alone. Many people are constantly looking for tips on how to get skinny fast, and luckily for you, this piece has some surefire tips that will kickstart your weight loss journey.
Before getting into any details about how to get skinny fast and easy, there are a few things that you need to note:
Now, onto the nitty-gritty of it all.
Here are some tips on how to get skinny and lose weight fast:
As we have mentioned before, the best way to lose weight is in a gradual manner, that is 1-2 pounds or 0.5 to 1 kg per week. Therefore, if you want to lose, let’s say, 30 kgs, you will have to give yourself about 30 weeks to do it. Committing yourself to losing weight for this long may be tough, and this is why you need to find out if you are ready to do this for the long run. Ask yourself if you are willing to change your eating habits, increase physical activity throughout the day, minimize or even stop drinking, etc.
If you are willing to go the mile, then you can actually begin your weight loss journey.
The point here is that you need to set yourself up for success. Find out if you are willing to drop the things or activities that have been causing weight gain, and once you establish that you are ready for that, you can begin your weight loss journey.
Furthermore, you should also ask your doctor or dietitian if it would be okay for you to begin the journey in the first place. For example, if you choose to go on a Keto diet, you need to find out from your doctor or dietitian if such a low-carb diet is ideal for you or if it will cause more problems than what you bargained for.
Was it Benjamin Franklin who said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”?
Before you begin counting your calories and exercising until you drop, you should first identify your goals. How much weight do you want to lose? In what time period? How do you wish to achieve this weight loss? What are some of the things that you are avoiding in light of losing weight? These are some of the questions that will help you when setting goals. Answer them and write them down somewhere to serve as a reminder.
And that’s not the end of it. You also need to set achievable goals. Saying that you want to lose, let’s say, 10 kgs in a week is rather unachievable. Setting such an achievable goal will only demotivate you.
Read More: Realistic Weight Loss Goals: A Reality Check You Need
Very few things are as personal as weight loss. You are the one who will have to exercise, you are the one who will make changes to your diet, and you are the one who will eventually enjoy seeing your body change. For this reason, your motivation to lose weight should definitely be internal.
Losing weight because someone wants you to look a certain way just won’t cut it. You need to find that inner motivation to lose weight. Otherwise, it will be so easy to lose the willpower to continue with the journey.
Find out what is giving you the burning drive to lose weight. Do you want to get skinny so you can fit into those skinny jeans you bought three months ago? Or do you want to shed off a few pounds so you can feel more confident in your body? Whatever the reasons are, make sure that they are internal and enough to fuel you into success.
In the same vein, to keep yourself motivated, find a way to ensure that your motivating factors are enough to get you back in line in terms of temptation. You could write them down and post them on your wall, or even have a simple reminder on your phone.
You could also use the help of a friend to stay motivated (10, 11).
Forget everything you have heard about detoxing for weight loss or working out endlessly to shed off those extra pounds. The only tried and proven way to lose weight is through a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit basically occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body expends.
To ensure that you are at a calorie deficit, you can either control the number of calories you eat in a day or exercise more. For example, if you intend to lose 1-2 pounds a week, you will need to burn about 5000-1000 calories each day, either through cutting calories or adding more physical activity to your routine.
If you decide to cut your net calories in order to maintain a calorie deficit, you need to ensure that you still get enough nutrients and vitamins from your diet. You can do this by involving a dietician in your weight loss journey.
Furthermore, even if you really want to lose weight fast, ensure that you do not cut out too many calories from your diet. Consuming fewer than 1,200 calories a day is not recommended.
Protein has a good reputation when it comes to losing weight. Consuming lean protein will help you stay full and resist the urge to snack in between meals.
Furthermore, protein has also proven to help boost metabolism, as it takes more calories to metabolize proteins compared to fats and carbohydrates.
It is recommended that you eat approximately 0.8 grams of protein for each kilogram of your body weight for weight loss. For example, if you weigh 68 kg, you need to consume at least 55 grams of protein each day.
Some high-quality protein sources include lean beef, chicken breast, fatty fish, lentils, beans, and Greek yoghurt.
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Consuming sugary drinks or alcohol could stall your weight loss (3). These drinks contain hidden calories that you may not even pay attention to. The next time you pick up that soft drink, read the nutritional valueand ask yourself if it’s really worth it. Furthermore, these drinks pack a lot of sugar and sodium, which could potentially sabotage your weight loss in the long run.
When you find yourself craving for a sugary drink, try drinking water instead. Water will not only help curb your cravings for the drink, but it will help to keep you hydrated. Dehydration is one of the major reasons we crave certain foods, and once you kick it out of the park, you are in the right direction.
If you are not a fan of drinking plain water, try adding a slice of fruit into your water bottle.
Writing down what you consume will keep you accountable. You can log your meals through an app or even do it manually, using a food journal.
Raise your hand if you have never found yourself snacking after a meal? See, everyone does it. However, this is extremely detrimental to weight loss, especially when done late at night.
While sleeping, our bodies need to burn fat, and if you snack right before you sleep, you will be forcing your body to digest the snack instead of burning fat, and who wants this?
Sure, it might take extra willpower to avoid eating popcorn while watching that late-night movie, but trust me, it’s worth it.
HIIT, high-intensity interval training, has proven to be rather effective when it comes to fat loss. In fact, HIIT has proven to be more effective in burning more fat per calorie than low-intensity exercises.
HIIT helps get your heart rate to above 75% of its maximum rate, which helps increase metabolism and burn calories.
Strength training will help define and shape your muscles, and it also goes a long way in boosting your metabolism.
For the best results, try strength training three to four times per week for at least 30 minutes each.
While setting some time each day for working out is great; another thing that you will want to do is ensure that you remain active throughout the day as well.
Regular physical activity throughout the day, coupled with a calorie deficit, will push your weight loss in the right direction.
Furthermore, staying active throughout the day will also boost your mood, reduce your blood pressure, and strengthen your cardiovascular system as well.
Staying active will also help in the maintenance of weight loss.
Steady aerobic exercise, such as walking briskly for at least 30 minutes, will help you lose body fat.
If you can’t dedicate 30 minutes each day to taking a brisk walk, think of other ways to increase physical activity, maybe by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or walking to the bus stop instead of taking a cab, etc.
A low carb diet is a diet that is exactly that – low in carbohydrates. It is defined as a diet that limits carbohydrates, such as the ones found in starchy vegetables, fruits, and grains. Instead, the diet leans more towards consuming more foods that are high in protein and fat (26).
There are many low carb diets out there, such as the keto diet. Many of them are geared towards weight loss, while others are meant for people with certain health conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy.
Before you begin following a low-carb diet, you need to check with your doctor to ensure that the diet will not bring more dire consequences to your health, especially if you have any health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or any other heart disease (5).
While the diet will limit your carb intake, it emphasizes the intake of proteins and non-starchy vegetables.
Some foods that the diet will not allow you to consume include pasta, bread, legumes, grains, fruits, nuts and seeds, and starchy vegetables.
In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that carbohydrates make up 45% to 65% of a person’s total daily calorie intake. So, if you consume 2,000 calories a day, carbohydrates should account for 900-1,300 calories a day.
Following a low-carb diet has many benefits, the biggest one yet is the fact that it is helpful in weight loss and weight maintenance. These diets help to cut calories and carbs, which will initiate weight loss in the long run. Furthermore, consuming more fat and protein, as the diet insists, will help you feel full longer, which will help you eat less.
Low-carb diets also help to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease as they emphasize on healthy sources of carbs.
Despite the glaring advantages of low-carb diets, these diets also have side effects, such as headaches, muscle cramps, and constipation. Severe carb restriction can also force your body to break down fat into ketones for energy, in a process called ketosis. Ketosis can cause undesirable side effects such as bad breath, headaches, malaise, and weakness. Furthermore, restricting carbs may also result in vitamin or mineral deficiencies. It is also to be noted that experts believe that consuming too much fat and protein from animal sources may increase a person’s risk to heart disease and certain cancers.
Some fats may also increase your risk of heart disease.
Before you begin any low-carb diet, make sure you consult a doctor or dietitian for advice on whether you should really do it.
Increasing your water intake will help ward off dehydration and cravings at the same time. You could also use water to support your weight loss by drinking a glass of water before a meal to reduce your appetite. Staying hydrated will also help you to avoid overeating (33).
If there’s one thing that you need to stay away from, it’s processed foods. These foods are packed with many sugars, preservatives, fat, sodium, and artificial flavors that you could honestly do without (14).
Furthermore, processed foods contain more calories and fewer nutrients than their healthy counterparts. If you are really serious about losing weight, then forget about these foods.
In addition to that, processed foods are stripped off nutrients such as fibre, fats, and antioxidants.
Remember that diet that promises to help you lose 10 kgs in a week? Why don’t you just forget about it?
Any diet that promises weight loss in an unrealistic way will not help you in the long run. Sure, they may actually be effective in helping you lose weight, but what you do not know is that the weight you will be losing will be water weight and not fat, and once you get off the diet, you will gain it back.
Furthermore, losing such a drastic amount of kgs in such a short period of time might not be safe for everyone.
You might be thinking of missing a meal to maintain that calorie deficit, but please don’t do this. Skipping a meal will do way more harm than good. It may seem like a good idea at the moment, but once you decide to eat, you may end up overeating.
The same goes for starving yourself. It might help you lose weight, but you can’t do it forever, and once you start eating again, you will add the weight back again.
Stress has proven to be one of the main causes of obesity. Stress may cause you to binge-eat, and usually, binge-eating involves unhealthy foods (35).
Avoid stressful situations, stay happy, and find healthier ways to deal with stress.
Read More: Meditation Breathing Techniques: A Must-Do In Stress Management
Lack of quality sleep will affect your eating patterns and may make you eat more during the day (24). Ensure that you get at least 6-7 hours of quality sleep during the night to ensure that your cells are rejuvenated and that your brain functions better.
Consuming three light but filling meals each day rather than several small meals throughout the day will help you to lose weight as it will encourage your body to burn more calories.
Also, avoid snacking in between meals so that you actually give your body room to burn fat to get energy.
One of the most crucial things you need to know when trying to get skinny is listening to your body. Eat only when you are actually hungry, and stop immediately you feel full.
Here are some foods that will help you get skinny fast at home (31).
Watermelon is not only delicious, but it is also a great source of vitamin A, Vitamin C, and antioxidants.
The fruit also contains lycopene, which lowers the risk of cancer, heart disease, and age-related vision loss (4, 6, 7).
Furthermore, watermelon, just as it states in its name, contains a lot of water, and we all know the benefits of water consumption when it comes to weight loss.
Quinoa helps keep blood sugar levels stable, which in turn helps keep you satisfied for a long time.
It is also a great carb substitute for rice.
One cup of chopped onions contains 60 calories, so why not add them to your salads, casseroles, etc.?
Greek yoghurt is filling, and it also contains a sizable amount of protein. The snack is also helpful when it comes to boosting the results of strength-training. Consuming greek yoghurt will help you put on muscle, and the more muscle you add, the more calories you burn per day.
Avocados contain heart-friendly fats that can help lower LDL cholesterol levels.
There are many reasons why you should definitely be consuming more sweet potatoes. For one, a medium-sized sweet potato provides 4g of fibrer and fulfils your daily requirement for vitamin C as well. In addition to that, sweet potatoes contain fewer calories than white potatoes. A medium-sized sweet potato contains 150 calories compared to the 300 calories in a white potato of the same size.
Raspberries will help keep sugar cravings at bay. One cup of the fruit contains only 60 calories.
Salmon and other fatty fish are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of heart disease.
A 4-ounce serving of the fish contains only 160 calories.
Here are some tips on how to get skinny cheeks fast.
Doing facial exercises may improve muscle strength, improve your facial appearance, and combat ageing in general (22).
Facial exercises may also tone your facial muscles, which in turn, may make your face appear slimmer than it actually is.
One review even reported that facial exercises could build the muscle tone in your face (29). Another study discovered that doing facial exercise two times a day for 8 weeks increased muscle thickness and improved facial rejuvenation (15).
To get rid of face fat, you need to deal with excess body fat first, which will help to slim down your body and face.
Performing cardio will help increase your heart rate, which will, in turn, help you to burn fat and increase fat loss (9, 18, 20).
Drinking water will help you stay full and enhance weight loss in the process (16, 17).
Overconsumption of alcohol will lead to bloating and the accumulation of facial fat. Alcohol is also responsible for an increased risk of weight gain, as it is high in calories but low in nutrients (3, 13).
Sodium intake causes bloating, which eventually leads to facial puffiness and swelling (28). This is due to the fact that sodium causes your body to retain water (25, 27, 32).
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Here are some helpful tips on how to get skinny legs fast:
Perform at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week. This will help to get your heart rate up and maximize calorie burn.
Losing fat alone may leave you with less toned legs, so you also need to take time to strengthen your muscles.
Reduce your calorie intake to ensure that you actually maintain a calorie deficit and to push your body into using excess fat as a source of energy.
To reduce arm fat, do the following:
Spot reduction won’t help you to lose arm fat. Instead, focus on losing overall body fat, and by doing this, you will also find yourself losing arm fat.
Resistance training will help you increase fat loss and tone your arms.
Consuming more fibre will help you lose weight and excess body fat.
Increasing your protein intake will help keep your appetite under control, and it will also help click cravings to the curb.
Doing cardio will help you to lose weight and can also help to increase lean body mass as well.
Carrying more fat around your midsection could increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other health conditions (23, 36).
Generally, men should aim for a waist circumference of 40 inches or less, while women would have a waist circumference of 35 inches or less.
Here are some tips that will help you reduce your waist size:
Losing weight is a gradual process that requires a lot of willpower and pushing yourself. These tips on how to get skinny fast will definitely help you in your weight loss journey.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!