How to Lose Weight as a Young Adult
Keep a food journal., Burn more calories than you eat., Make a meal plan, and stick to it., Drink more water.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Keep a food journal.
According to research, people who keep food journals lose an average of six pounds more than people who don't keep a record of what they eat.Make yourself write it all down, even the little snacks.
You can use a diet-tracking app on your smartphone, which may be more convenient.
Figure out how many calories you need to eat each day in order to lose weight.
The more aware you are of the calories in the food you eat, the more easily you'll be able to eat the right amount.
Take your food journal and look up each item individually.
Keep a running tally and add up your calorie total for the day.
A commonly mentioned American average is 2,000 calories per day, but everyone has different needs.
Be thorough.
Write it all down, including beverages, condiments, and a description of how the food was prepared.
Don't pretend you didn't have that extra scoop of ice cream after dinner.
If it goes into your stomach, it goes into the journal.
Be honest.
Record your portion sizes in your food diary.
Don't eat too little or too much — keep track.
Also, read the ingredients list so that you can be accurate about serving sizes.
May diet-tracking apps allow you to scan barcodes or look up foods from a large database that will tell you the number of calories per serving.
Be consistent.
Carry your food journal everywhere that you go.
Analyze your food journal.Find out when you eat most, and then, more importantly, where you're getting your excess calories. -
Step 2: Burn more calories than you eat.
The only surefire way to lose weight is to eat less than you burn over the course of a day.
Sounds simple, but it takes work and consistency.
That means paying attention to diet and exercising.
If you want to lose weight and stay healthy, you need to start exercising.
Aim for at least half an hour of exercise two to three times a week.
Ask a registered dietitian, your doctor, or physical education teacher about healthy, daily recommended calories for your age and body-type, before making big reductions to your caloric intake.
Track your energy-output in calories each day.
Pedometers, or other weight-loss tracking devices and apps make this easier.
This will help you account for how many calories you expend.
Over-estimate calories, underestimate activity.
Recent studies estimate that we tend to eat slightly more than we're able to keep track of in a day.
Keep this in mind, and it may help you to account for discrepancies.
Set mini-goals.
Instead of thinking that you need to cut five hundred calories, try one to two hundred at first. , Decide what you're going to eat this week before you're standing at the fridge and trying to figure it out on the fly.
Buy the right healthy ingredients to eat the way you want to eat, and plan it out by the calorie.
There are many online sites that offer healthy recipes to help you lose weight.
Be realistic.
If you like to eat out a lot, don't try to totally eliminate eating out.
Instead, plan on eating home-cooked meals five or six days a week.
Try to avoid eating late in the evening.
Pick a time and be strict about not eating after that time.
Cut down on snacking.
If you can't, choose healthy snacks.
Fresh vegetables with guacamole, unsalted nuts, air-popped popcorn that is unsalted and not buttered, or fruit make great weight-loss snacks.
Treat yourself sometimes.
Promise yourself that if you can follow this for six weeks and exercise (if that is one of your goals), you will treat yourself to a restaurant meal one day of the week. , Water has the double effect of both hydrating your body and filling your stomach with a certain volume of a liquid that has zero calories.
Although there is no exact amount of water each person should drink, as every person will have differing water requirements,recommended volumes range from eight to 15 cups of water per day.
Water can help you feel full, eliminating false hunger.Drinking water half an hour before meals can reduce the amount of calories you end up consuming.
Research shows that people on a weight-loss program who drank an increased amount of water lost weight when compared to those on the weight-loss program alone.Carry a water bottle with you. -
Step 3: Make a meal plan
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Step 4: and stick to it.
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Step 5: Drink more water.
Detailed Guide
According to research, people who keep food journals lose an average of six pounds more than people who don't keep a record of what they eat.Make yourself write it all down, even the little snacks.
You can use a diet-tracking app on your smartphone, which may be more convenient.
Figure out how many calories you need to eat each day in order to lose weight.
The more aware you are of the calories in the food you eat, the more easily you'll be able to eat the right amount.
Take your food journal and look up each item individually.
Keep a running tally and add up your calorie total for the day.
A commonly mentioned American average is 2,000 calories per day, but everyone has different needs.
Be thorough.
Write it all down, including beverages, condiments, and a description of how the food was prepared.
Don't pretend you didn't have that extra scoop of ice cream after dinner.
If it goes into your stomach, it goes into the journal.
Be honest.
Record your portion sizes in your food diary.
Don't eat too little or too much — keep track.
Also, read the ingredients list so that you can be accurate about serving sizes.
May diet-tracking apps allow you to scan barcodes or look up foods from a large database that will tell you the number of calories per serving.
Be consistent.
Carry your food journal everywhere that you go.
Analyze your food journal.Find out when you eat most, and then, more importantly, where you're getting your excess calories.
The only surefire way to lose weight is to eat less than you burn over the course of a day.
Sounds simple, but it takes work and consistency.
That means paying attention to diet and exercising.
If you want to lose weight and stay healthy, you need to start exercising.
Aim for at least half an hour of exercise two to three times a week.
Ask a registered dietitian, your doctor, or physical education teacher about healthy, daily recommended calories for your age and body-type, before making big reductions to your caloric intake.
Track your energy-output in calories each day.
Pedometers, or other weight-loss tracking devices and apps make this easier.
This will help you account for how many calories you expend.
Over-estimate calories, underestimate activity.
Recent studies estimate that we tend to eat slightly more than we're able to keep track of in a day.
Keep this in mind, and it may help you to account for discrepancies.
Set mini-goals.
Instead of thinking that you need to cut five hundred calories, try one to two hundred at first. , Decide what you're going to eat this week before you're standing at the fridge and trying to figure it out on the fly.
Buy the right healthy ingredients to eat the way you want to eat, and plan it out by the calorie.
There are many online sites that offer healthy recipes to help you lose weight.
Be realistic.
If you like to eat out a lot, don't try to totally eliminate eating out.
Instead, plan on eating home-cooked meals five or six days a week.
Try to avoid eating late in the evening.
Pick a time and be strict about not eating after that time.
Cut down on snacking.
If you can't, choose healthy snacks.
Fresh vegetables with guacamole, unsalted nuts, air-popped popcorn that is unsalted and not buttered, or fruit make great weight-loss snacks.
Treat yourself sometimes.
Promise yourself that if you can follow this for six weeks and exercise (if that is one of your goals), you will treat yourself to a restaurant meal one day of the week. , Water has the double effect of both hydrating your body and filling your stomach with a certain volume of a liquid that has zero calories.
Although there is no exact amount of water each person should drink, as every person will have differing water requirements,recommended volumes range from eight to 15 cups of water per day.
Water can help you feel full, eliminating false hunger.Drinking water half an hour before meals can reduce the amount of calories you end up consuming.
Research shows that people on a weight-loss program who drank an increased amount of water lost weight when compared to those on the weight-loss program alone.Carry a water bottle with you.
About the Author
Scott Wilson
Enthusiastic about teaching cooking techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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