Looking to drop dress sizes fast? Here’s one thing I beg of you to consider; drastic methods that you use to lose weight quickly today can haunt you forever in the form of slowed metabolism, heart and organ damage, hair and muscle loss, stretch marks and a laundry list of other not so enjoyable repercussions.
With that said, there are ways to drop weight fast that don’t cause any damage to your health and that may actually lead to long term, sustainable changes.
Here are your best options to see fast results:
Cardio Interval Workouts
When thinking of how to drop weight quickly, most people likely think of slaving away on the treadmill for hours. Not only does this cause unnecessary wear and tear on the body, it’s also not really necessary or even the smartest method for burning the most calories.
When trying to lose a few pounds fast, cardio interval workouts can help you get the highest caloric burn, and in the least amount of time.
Work smarter, not harder; mix and match these cardio workouts to burn off the most calories:
37 Minute Fat Burning Cardio Workout
18 Minute Total Body HIIT Cardio Workout
Strength Training Workouts
Muscle burns more calories than fat – and it can help you get a toned back and arms to compliment that dress that you’re going to fit into.
Many women avoid strength training because they don’t want to “bulk up”. Women really don’t have the hormones to become the raging, ripped Hulk figures that men do – you can read more about women and weight lifting here . Long story short; use strength training to tone up, boost your body's health, burn more calories in the present and boost your metabolism in the long term.
Strength training doesn't have to be boring. In fact, the more you mix up your strength training workouts, the more toning benefits you'll garner. Check out these free Fitness Blender workout videos for fun routines that tone and blast calories.
Get your food choices and caloric intake under control
Exercise is fantastic for the body but you aren’t going to drop sizes without incorporating proper nutrition. Find out how many calories you need to maintain the weight that you’re at, and cut 500 from that number. Any more than that and you are looking at burning out and setting yourself up to binge, which will only take you further away from your goals. A truly effective way to find out how many calories your body burns and needs to consume in order to gain/maintain/lose weight is with one of the new weight management systems; a BodyMedia FIT, for example.
Here’s another thing; all calories are not created equal. A 100 calorie handful of chips is not the “same” in value as a 100 calorie piece of fruit. Make smart food choices that nourish your body and you may very well find that you reach a mindset where getting fit is not the daunting challenge that it used to seem.
Keep a food diary
The benefit of keeping a food diary is that you are forced to be aware of what you put into your mouth. Here's a tip: force yourself to write what you eat before you actually put it into your mouth. By the time you write "2 chocolate chip cookies" into your food diary, you might be over it and reach for a banana instead. Food choices like that can make a big difference when it comes to bodyweight and health. A food log can also make it easier to find slip ups in your diet habits that are keeping you from fitting into that dress.
Utilize mini, intense cardio workouts
Intense, short cardio workouts are something that anyone-no matter how busy they are, can do. When you are trying to get healthy or drop pounds, keep this motto in mind; something is always better than nothing. With short bursts of cardio workouts, that "something" is way better than nothing, and while it will take very little time out of your day, it might end up serving as a serious metabolic boost, along with an easy 100-200 calories burned.
The last 4 days before your big event (the reason why you’re motivated):
• Continue doing cardio
• Cut out all excess sodium intake
• Without going “carb-free” crazy, minimize carbohydrate intake, especially in the form of any packaged goods with tons of additives, preserves, and sugars
• Drink lots of water to prevent water retention (sounds counterproductive but it works!) and flush toxins from the body
The most important thing that you can take from this attempt to drop dress sizes fast is the concept of how important and crucial moderate, every day healthy food choices and exercise habits are. If you really start living healthily, you’ll never have to worry about being tempted into a destructive crash diet again.