How to Lose Weight For Free Fast
First of all, forget about diet pills, miracle supplements, fasting diets, Hollywood diets, detox programs, etc. None of these work because they’re temporary, “quick-fix” solutions. In the real world of losing weight and getting healthy, there is no secret formula and there are no shortcuts. The only real way to lose weight for free fast is by good old fashioned hard work, and making a healthy lifestyle change is the only way to do this. If you aren’t prepared to make a permanent change for the better, then don’t waste your time reading this. You can go back to spending your money on useless products that are terrible for your health and hope for the best. Sorry if that sounds harsh but it’s reality. However, if you want to make a change and are serious about committing to working hard, then read on and I’ll show you exactly how to lose weight for free fast. Of course “fast” is a relative term. Chances are, you’re not going to lose 10 pounds a week unless you’re very obese starting out. Shows like The Biggest Loser lead people to believe that this is realistic but these folks are exercising for literally 8 or more hours per day and are on extreme calorie-restricted diets. I don’t believe in diets. In fact, I wrote an eBook about how I don’t believe in diets called Diets Don’t Work (go figure). Check it out, it’s the accumulation of hundreds of hours of research and personal experience and you instantly download the eBook (plus two bonus healthy recipe eBooks) for under $10. But enough shameless plugs for my book, we’re talking about how you are going to lose weight for free fast, and without further ado, let us begin. Weight Loss 101
The main thing you need to understand is that weight loss, in its simplest form, is the result of burning more calories than you take in. Forget about carbs, fat, and protein for a second. If you burn more calories than you eat over a sustained period of time you will lose weight, period. Of course, the two key components you will be focusing on are diet and exercise. In case you didn’t realize it earlier, I hate the word “diet” because most people associate dieting with South Beach, Atkins, Weight Watchers, etc. While these may all be okay programs for losing weight, where they fail for 95% of people is in helping you keep the weight off. These “diets” are not sustainable because they are temporary. If they were a permanent solution for everyone then these companies would be out of business. So for the record, when I say “diet,” what I mean is that these are the foods you will be eating permanently. As of right now you will be changing your dietary habits and adopting a healthy lifestyle … and if you don’t then you’ll likely join the 95% of dieters who end up gaining back all or more of the weight they lose on these fad diets. Sorry if this sounds harsh but it’s science … here’s the research to support this claim if you’re interested in further reading. Part I: What to Eat Let’s start with the diet part. If you don’t have a good grasp on basic nutritional principles, you should begin by thoroughly reading each section in our healthy eating guidelines page.
Here are the basics: your diet should focus on whole foods … mainly vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, lean meats and dairy, and healthy oils. You should avoid highly processed foods, trans fat, saturated fat, refined grains, added sugar, and sodium. You should get rid of almost all of the liquid calories like soda, juices, and alcohol and try and drink a gallon of water a day. You should eat 5-6 smaller meals per day. Now, when it comes to calories, I usually advise women to cut down to around 1,600 calories per day and men around 2,000 calories per day when trying to lose weight. Check out this sample menu for someone on a 2,000 calorie diet. Obviously someone who is on a 1,600 calorie/day plan will want to cut out some of the calories from this sample menu but this should give you a good base as to the types of foods you should be eating on a day-to-day basis. Please understand that in terms of importance, what you eat is more important than how much you exercise. That’s not to say that exercise isn’t extremely important, but think about this: Go to any fast food restaurant and you can easily eat over 1,000 calories in a single sitting … at some restaurants you can eat an entire days worth of calories! Eating all of these calories can happen in a matter of minutes … but guess how long it would take you to burn off 2,000 calories with strenuous exercise? Between 3 and 4 hours, for the average person! Food is your fuel and putting the right fuel in your body is the first step toward losing weight fast. I do, however, encourage people to have one “cheat meal” each week but just remember that one misstep with your eating can equal several hundred extra calories per week … and these can really set you back. So, I want you to indulge once a week … but do it in moderation. Control your portions and be smart about it! This means 1-2 slices of pizza, half a cup of ice cream, etc. The next step, of course, is to make sure you’re burning your “fuel” in the most efficient manner possible. Part II: Exercising for Fat Loss If your goal is to lose weight for free fast, you will want to focus on a combination of two types of training methods, circuit weight training and interval training. Circuit weight training involves doing several strength training exercises in succession, with no rest in between. It’s a phenomenal method for burning fat and building lean muscle. The plan we’ve outlined below allows you to do all of these exercises with no weights—these are all bodyweight exercises and have been designed to work all your major muscle groups with a special emphasis on increasing core strength.
In case you’ve never heard of interval training, it is simply alternating bursts of intense activity with intervals of lighter activity. An example of this would be sprinting on a treadmill for 30 seconds followed by walking for 30 seconds—this would be one interval.
In head-to-head comparisons, research shows that shorter burst, high-intensity interval training is superior to long periods of aerobic exercise for fat loss. You’re going to see what one of these interval training workouts looks like below. It’s important to note that interval training isn't appropriate for everyone. If you have a chronic health condition or haven't been exercising regularly, consult your doctor before trying any type of interval training or weight training regimen, especially if you have heart problems. So without further ado, here is what your weekly workout schedule will look like. You will be doing two weight training circuit workouts and two cardio interval workouts for a total of four workouts each week. On your rest days you can choose to go for a light walk or rest. Obviously, walking will result in additional calories burned and will help alleviate some muscle soreness. Regardless, you will be stretching for 20 minutes on each of these “rest” days. The descriptions of both the Weight Training and Circuit Interval workouts are described below. Scroll down further to see a video demonstration of each exercise. For each Weight Training Circuit day, start with Circuit #1 from the list below, then do #2 the next workout, then 3, then 4, then repeat.
Weight Training Circuits Weight Training Circuit 1: Weight Training Circuit 2: Weight Training Circuit 3: Weight Training Circuit 4: How to Do the Exercises Cardio Intervals For the twice-weekly cardio interval sessions, you can either run outside or on a treadmill; ride an exercise bike or elliptical; or pick from one of the exercises below for each workout. I have personally found the most success using the exercises below rather than running because these exercises target multiple muscle groups but to each his/her own: • Burpee (see above) Warm-up: 5 minutes at a 3/10 intensity level Interval: 30 seconds at a 8/10 intensity level Recovery: 60 seconds at a 4/10 intensity level Repeat for a total of 10 intervals Cool-down: 5 minutes at a 3/10 intensity level If you eat right and do this routine for 6-8 weeks, I guarantee you will lose weight for free fast! If you’re interested in personalized nutrition and/or exercise plans based on your unique weight loss goals, check out our Health Coaching services. Best of luck in your weight loss efforts and contact us if you have any questions!
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