Can you tell me how to lose 20 pounds fast? I need to figure out how to lose 20 pounds fast. I’m 18 years old and I’m graduating this year (2010), and I plan on joining the Air Force. There’s one problem, I’m 20 pound overweight. I go to martial art classes every night, and run and do sit up every night. The weight is not coming off. I’m not the best eater, but I don’t eat that much usually 2 meals a day sometimes 3. Are there any quick ways to lose the weight? Brandon. [via Ask Questions]
Sure, I can tell you how to lose 20 pounds fast. But why would you want to know how to lose 20 pounds fast? While some say that it is possible to lose 10 pounds very fast (like in 3 days fast), when it comes to weight loss and dieting, I just do not think it is a good idea to focus on speed. Sure, we have plenty of information on the subject of losing 20 pounds – How to Lose 20 Pounds Now and Steps to Lose 20 Pounds in 1 Month contain more than enough material to get you started – but let’s try to find out why you are having a problem with losing 20 pounds in the first place.
How to lose 20 pounds fast the wrong way The amount of weight you need to lose is relatively modest, that’s the good news. Some experts say, however, that even thinking about a number of pounds one wants to lose is a wrong approach to weight loss. In other words, forget about trying to figure out how to lose 20 pounds fast, and forget about losing weight in general, that’s not where your attention should be.
How to lose 20 pounds fast the right way When you stop thinking about a number of pounds you want to lose and the amount of time it will take to lose them, your chances of reaching the target weight will increase significantly. In other words, this post is not for you. Why? Because you need to focus your attention and energy on what really is important – your eating habits! It does not matter how many times you eat a day, what matters is how many total calories you consume during each day.
You can go to all kinds of exercise classes, but if your daily calorie consumption is out of control, you will not lose weight. In short, take a hard look at what you eat every day and keep the record of your daily calorie consumption. Let’s say you consume 3,000 calories per day. Deduct about 500 calories from your daily menu and consume 2,500 daily calories for at least two weeks. If in about two weeks you are making progress and losing weight, that’s great, you are on the right path. If you are not losing weight, shave off 200 more calories.
The idea here is to find a point at which your body starts expanding more calories than you consume. Once you find that “magic” number, you will start losing weight. Weight loss takes time. Your body needs time to adjust to your new and hopefully improved eating patterns, so it is important to make gradual changes, and it is also important to not cut calories too fast and too low. Do not go below consuming 1,300 calories per day.