Making Dietary Changes to Help Lose Weight in Four Months
Reduce calories and portion sizes. In the course of four months, you can lose a considerable amount of weight just by watching your calorie intake and portion sizes. If you cut out about 500 calories daily from your diet and incorporate exercise, you'll lose about 1 to 2 pounds per week. That means, in about four months, you can lose around 16 to 30 pounds. Another way to decrease calories is by monitoring your portion sizes. Larger portion sizes may tempt you to eat more food in one sitting and, therefore, more calories than your body needs. Measure out a 1 to 2 cup (8 to 16 oz) total portion size per meal. This should leave you feeling satisfied-not overly full.
Aim to eat a balanced diet. Regardless of how much weight you want to lose or how many calories you're cutting from your diet, it's always important to follow a well-balanced diet. A well-balanced diet is one in which you eat foods from each and every food group most days. In addition, you follow the appropriate portion sizes and choose a wide variety of foods from each food group. Include a 3 to 4 oz (about 85 g) serving of lean protein at each meal. Choose items like: poultry, eggs, tofu, legumes, seafood or low-fat dairy. These foods will help support and fuel your weight loss and help control your hunger. Make half your plate or meal vegetables. Incorporate a 1 cup (8 oz) serving of vegetables or 2 cups of salad greens. Vegetables can bulk up your meals while adding very few overall calories. You can eat 1 serving (1/2 cup or 4 oz.) of fruit as a treat or dessert. Serve yourself 1/2 cup or 1 oz portion of 100% whole grains. Including a serving or two of these during the day helps add beneficial fiber to your diet.
Limit snacking. Having an occasional snack won't ruin or stall weight loss. In fact, a well-timed and well-planned snack can actually aid weight loss. Snacks can give you a boost of energy, extra hit of nutrition or the fuel for a tough workout. You need to be smart about the type of snacks you choose, and when to eat a snack. If you're choosing to have a snack while losing weight, aim for a 150 calorie snack. This will help you stick to a lower calorie level overall and still allow you to lose a decent amount of weight within four months. Also, make sure that you include some protein and a fruit or vegetable for your snacks. The protein and fiber combination can help give you some energy and keep you satisfied longer. Only snack if you truly need to or are physically hungry or if there is more than four hours between your meals. Avoid snacking out of boredom or stress. Smart snack options include: a small Greek yogurt, a piece of fruit and low-fat cheese stick, 1/4 cup of trail mix, one hard boiled egg or 1 oz of nuts and 1/2 cup of grapes.
Avoid high-calorie processed foods. When you're trying to lose weight in four months, there are certain foods you should limit or try to avoid. Processed foods can stall weight loss when eaten regularly or in large quantities. Many processed foods are high in calories, added sugars, harmful fats and other preservatives and additives. Limiting these foods from your diet will help you stick to a lower calorie and more nutritious diet plan. Avoid the processed foods that won't help weight loss like: sweetened beverages (regular soda, alcohol, mixed coffee drinks and fruit juices), breakfast pastries, candy, cookies, cakes and pies, frozen meals, ice cream, processed meats, fried foods, fast foods, chips and crackers and canned meals.
Drink adequate fluids daily. Water can play an important role in your weight loss plan. Drinking enough will be important to your health and diet. Most health professionals recommend you drink at least eight 8-oz glasses (about 2 liters) daily; however, if you're more active, you may need up to 13 glasses (3 liters) daily. You know you're well-hydrated when you're not typically thirsty throughout the day and your urine is the color of lemonade or very pale yellow by the end of the day. Water is great for weight loss because it can quell your appetite throughout the day. In addition, drinking a large glass of water before a meal can make it easier for you to stick to a smaller portion since you're feeling full on the water.
Adding Physical Activity to Lose Weight in Four Months
Do 150 minutes of cardio each week. In addition to diet, another important part of your weight loss plan will be physical activity — especially cardio. Even within a four month time period, this type of exercise can heavily influence your weight loss. Including regular amounts of cardio throughout the week will help support your weight loss. These activities raise your heart rate and can burn a significant amount of calories. At a minimum, include 150 minutes or 2 1/2 hours of cardio or aerobic activities each week. This will give you the weight loss benefit as well as many health benefits. Include moderate cardio activities like: jogging/walking, dancing, cycling, taking an aerobics class or doing water aerobics.
Include one to three days of strength training. In addition to cardio, it's also beneficial to add in regular strength training to your exercise routine. This type of activity can also support weight loss. Participating in 20 minutes of strength training one to three times each week can help build lean muscle mass, prevent osteoporosis and increase your metabolism. If you have increased lean muscle mass, your body is able to burn more calories at rest. Within four months, you can make a significant difference in your body's lean muscle mass and metabolism.
Increase lifestyle activity. Increased cardio and strength training can offer many benefits to weight loss, but it's not the only way — increasing your lifestyle activity has been shown to be equally beneficial. Again, in a four month time period this extra activity can really affect your overall weight loss. Lifestyle activities are exercises that you already do as part of your typical day. For example, taking the stairs, walking to and from your car, walking to go get the mail or doing household chores. Many studies have shown that these activities are equally as beneficial to weight loss and overall health as planned or structured cardiovascular exercise. Try to think of ways you can increase your overall exercise. For example, can you park farther away from your office? Can you schedule in a 10 minute walk break or yoga session on your lunch hour? Can you take more stairs? These activities will get you moving more and help burn more calories throughout the day.
Include one to two rest days a week. In the course of four months, you may make significant progress on your weight loss as well as on your physical fitness level. At the same time, you need to be careful and aim to prevent injuries as you ramp up your activity levels. It's important to take good care of your body and let it rest and recovery during "off days" planned during the week. Many strength and muscle mass gains actually occur during rest. In addition, your body needs to rest and recover so that it continue performing at your current fitness level. Also, if you never plan a rest day, you actually might see a plateau or stall in your weight loss progress.
Reevaluating After Four Months of Weight Loss
Journal. Journaling is a great addition to any weight loss plan. This will be especially true while you're losing weight over a longer time period like four months. You can write about your goals in your journal and your progress as well. In addition, it might be smart to track your foods and keep a food diary. It can help keep you accountable and help give you an idea of what's working or not working in your diet plan.
Track your weight and measurements. During the four month weight loss period, consider tracking your weight and other measurements. Tracking your progress through weight and different measurements can help you decide how well your diet is or isn't working. Weigh yourself about one to two times a week. Also, Weigh yourself at the same time of day, in the same clothes (or without clothes), on the same day of the week. This helps you see a more accurate weight loss trend. In addition to weight, you can track different measurements. Measure your waist, hips, thighs or arms. Only track these measurements once a month so you'll be able to see any changes.
Make changes. After your four month weight loss plan is up, consider reevaluating your progress, goals and any changes you want to make. After four months, you might be satisfied with your weight loss. If so, keep up with the healthy lifestyle behaviors you've adopted. Completely reverting back to previous habits may cause you to regain the weight you've lost. If you're enjoying the weight loss and think you'd like to lose more, continue with your current diet and exercise plan. If you've struggled with weight loss and still want to lose more weight, reevaluate your plan. Did you not exercise enough? Did you snack more often than you should? Review food journals or exercise logs to see where you can make changes. Make the necessary adjustments and keep on going!
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