I wish I could say there is a quick and easy way to lose that much weight but it really comes down to hard work and motivation! I can offer some suggestions though!
1) Log all of your food in MyFitness Pal. I found that I would be more accountable and accurate with how many calories I was eating when I was keeping track. Also, weigh and measure all your food! This was a hard one to get into the habit of. But I think we all overestimate (or even underestimate) portions and can really be way off on calories as a result
2) Get active doing what you like! This is a big one for me. Toiling tirelessly at the gym only worked for so long. I got bored and unmotivated. I started a hiking club and started leading Kayaking events in my area. I found that leading events forced me to follow through and just do it! The friendships I made through my club are life long!
3) Drink lots of water and take a probiotic and daily vitamin. The fact is, when we eat a lower calorie diet, we often fall short on our vitamins and minerals. Cover those bases!
4) Limit sugar and refined carbs. I actually follow a modified lower carb diet. 25% carb/45% fat/30% protein
5) Try intermittent fasting. This one was a real game changer for me! I found that after losing a large amount of weight, it was even harder to MAINTAIN. Following a 16/8 routine really helped me with calorie control, cravings control and increased my energy exponentially! If your hormones tend to get of whack easily, you should try this with some caution. Ease into it starting with 12 hours and working up to 16 hours of not eating. I find it easiest to stop eating at 8 pm and waiting to eat until noon the next day. You are sleeping for most of those hours. Drink green tea or black coffee (nothing added) to fill the early morning hours.
6) Take monthly body measures. We all tend to live and die for the scale at times and a number on the scale isn't always a good way to measure progress. The first month I started intermittent fasting, I lost almost nothing on the scale. I was discouraged. But I had taken body measures before i started (waist, hips, belly, thighs, upper arms and chest) and I lost 8 total inches in one month! The scale can be way off if you are gaining muscle in addition to losing fat.
7) Get a good mix of cardio and strength training. I really don't like strength training to be honest, but it has helped me tone some areas that I wouldn't have done on just cardio alone. This doesn't mean you need to have a gym membership and spend your time pumping iron. Try simple body weight exercises. Push ups, planks, pull ups (if you can do them), squats and lunges holding a heavy object. Yoga can be great for building strength and flexibility as well.
😎 Get your heart rate up! This doesn't mean you need to go out for a run. Go for a strenuous hike! Find some hills and climb them. Enjoy nature and challenge your body at the same time. You will find that being in nature on a long hard hike not only gives you a sense of accomplishment but also kills the boredom of cardio (treadmill or running on the street).
9) When you hit a plateau, don't give up. Your body will eventually adapt to a certain level of calories and exercise. If you find that your routine is no longer yielding you results, change it up. Increase your workout intensity or try lowering your calories a couple hundred a day. BUT don't start out on calories that are to low. Forget the starvation diets! No one can perform well following a diet that is only 1200 calories. Those diet centers that want to put you on that many calories are setting you up for failure. You need to figure out your basal metabolic level and cut 500 calories from that a day to safely lose a pound a week. You CAN lose a pound a week with just diet changes but you can increase your results but also earning a few hundred a day with exercise. Just don't try to overdo it both at the same time! You can't cut your calories 500 and work out heavy together and expect to keep seeing results. Sure you will see big results in the beginning, but your body will adapt and you will face an even harder time going forward.
