How to lose weight fast while keeping your lifestyle in balance

As much as we may wish otherwise, there simply is no magic pill to lose weight in less than a week. That doesn’t mean you can’t lose weight, of course. There is simply no single, easy solution. Instead, it requires hard work, determination, a clear set of goals, and the correct technique.

The correct technique includes the correct changes in your diet, as well as the correct type of exercise. This will require a lifestyle change, there just aren’t two ways to do it. You didn’t magically gain weight overnight, so it would be ridiculous to expect that you could also magically lose it overnight.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are some tips to help you lose the weight you can’t quite lose.

1. Try not to deprive yourself of food.

One of the fastest ways people fail with their diet changes is when they try to have too little food. They get it into their heads that to lose weight fast they should eat almost nothing. This never works, for two main reasons. First of all, when you start to get hungry you stop being able to think clearly. It’s incredibly difficult to practice willpower when you haven’t eaten enough. You will start to freak out mentally and then devour all the comfort food you can get your hands on, thus ruining your diet.

Second, even if you could avoid breaking down and splurging, starving yourself just doesn’t work. It is true that you will eventually start to lose weight, of course. However, the first thing that happens is that your body goes into emergency mode. When you’re starving, your body actually tries to hold on to its fat stores for as long as possible. This is because your body is afraid of not getting enough nutrients to survive, so it is trying to make sure you can survive as long as possible. So even if you avoid going crazy and eating a lot more than you should, you still wouldn’t lose that fat.

2. Alcohol is a horrible idea. Try green tea instead!

While green tea won’t make you drunk, it is a drink that will help increase your body’s ability to burn calories. Not only that, but since these are leaves boiled in water, there are almost no calories to worry about. Alcohol, meanwhile, is almost entirely empty calories. There is no nutrition in your alcoholic beverages, however your body still metabolizes the calories and adds them to your fat content.

3. Move as often as you can!

While trying to avoid yourself is the number one reason people don’t change their diets, the second biggest reason is trying to exercise. Just as people have the idea that they should starve when trying to lose weight, they also have the idea that they should try to run for miles and lift as much weight as they can. Naturally, this ends up causing them to tire quickly, become too sore, and give up in a week or less.

Do not do that. Instead, start small. Try to jog around the block every morning. Try to walk where you could have taken the bus before. Try to bike to work if you can. Start simple and build further. That way, you won’t burn out too quickly.