Losing 5 kg in a month is a healthy way to increase your confidence and lead to a better lifestyle. If you have the right mindset, of course you can lose weight and feel happier with your own body.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Eating Less
Step 1. Cut 500–1,000 calories from your usual intake
Reducing calories is one of the best ways to lose weight. By reducing your calorie intake by 500–1,000, you can lose 0.5–1 kg per week, depending on your weight and how many servings you currently eat. If you add exercise, you can lose 5 kg in a month.
- The minimum number of calories needed per day is 1,200 for women and 1,800 for men. Don't go any lower than that so you can lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way.
- Talk to your doctor or dietitian about healthy, lower-calorie food options.
Step 2. Calculate how many calories you consume each day
Calorie counting helps you plan your daily menu and see if your goals are achievable. Every time you eat something, check the packaging to see how many calories it contains and record it on your phone or food journal.
If you're not sure how many calories a food contains, search the internet for information. For example, search for “Calories in 1 serving of brown rice” or “How many calories are in one apple?”
Step 3. Replace high-calorie drinks such as processed meats with fruits and vegetables
Replacing high-calorie foods with fruits and vegetables is an easy way to reduce the calories consumed each day. In addition, fruits and vegetables also make you healthier in general.
- Peaches, oranges, and grapefruit contain under 70 calories.
- Tomatoes, 180 ml of chickpeas, and 240 ml of broccoli contain only 25 calories.
- High-calorie foods to avoid are ice cream, cheese, peanut butter, french fries, white bread, and chips.
Step 4. Cook your own meals to control how many calories you eat
When eating at a restaurant, it's hard to choose healthy, low-calorie foods. By cooking yourself, you can measure how many calories will be included in the dish.
Step 5. Plan menus to reduce the likelihood of choosing high-calorie foods
Having to immediately decide what to eat when dieting sometimes leads to bad choices. You can reduce that risk by planning the menu.
- Each night, make a list of what you will eat the next day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between.
- To save time, prepare food ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Step 6. Avoid high-calorie drinks like soda and specialty coffee
Liquid calories won't fill you up like food does. So, it is possible that you are drinking to excess without realizing it. Avoiding high-calorie drinks can reduce the number of calories consumed each day. Replace with drinks such as water, tea, or club soda.
If you drink coffee every day, choose black coffee. Avoid specialty coffees full of fat and sugar
Step 7. Drink a glass of water before eating so you feel full faster
Reducing the calories you eat every day is certainly difficult if you still feel hungry after eating. One way to avoid this is to drink a full glass of water right before eating. By filling some of the contents of your stomach with water, you will feel full faster and eat less.
Part 2 of 3: Multiply Sports
Step 1. Exercise 1 hour every day
Although weight can be reduced by eating less, it would be better if the diet is accompanied by exercise. Exercise will help you lose weight faster, and maintain your ideal weight.
- If you can't set aside a full hour, split it into two 30-minute sessions. You can exercise 30 minutes in the morning, and 30 minutes in the afternoon.
- Sign up for a gym or join an exercise class for added motivation.
Step 2. Aim to burn an extra 500 calories each day through exercise
By burning an extra 500 calories a day, you can lose 0.5 kg per week. This reduction, combined with the reduced weight by cutting calories each day, will allow you to lose 5 kg in a month.
Step 3. Do vigorous aerobic exercise to burn calories
Since you want to lose 5 kg in a month, you need high-intensity exercise to burn more calories. While moderate aerobic exercise such as walking and swimming can burn calories, intense exercise will burn more in less time. Some aerobic exercises that you can try are:
- Run
- Bicycle
- Hiking
- Jump rope
- Aerobics
Step 4. Include physical activity in your daily routine to burn more calories
Find ways to incorporate moderate exercise into your daily life, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. The choice to be more active can help you reach your goal of burning the extra 500 calories.
- If your workplace is close to home, start walking or cycling instead of driving or taking public transportation.
- Try to walk 30 minutes during your lunch break every day.
Step 5. Do strength training if you want to build muscle in the process of losing weight
Strength training doesn't burn as many calories as aerobic exercise, but it helps build muscle. So, divide your workout between strength training and aerobics. However, remember that you have to eat less because you will burn less calories.
Strength training you can try is lifting weights, using machines, and push-ups
Part 3 of 3: Tracking Progress
Step 1. Record what you eat in a food journal
Sometimes, it's hard to remember how many calories you eat each day. That's why keeping a food journal is so helpful. You can open it at the end of the day and add up the calories eaten for the day to see if you're staying within control. Every time you eat something, write in a journal complete with the number of calories.
- A food journal doesn't have to be a physical book. You can log the food you eat on your phone or a food journal app.
- Examples of food journal applications that you can try are MyFitnessPal, Calorific, and Lose It.
Step 2. Record how many calories you burn through exercise
Just like calories eaten, you also need to keep track of how many calories you burn through exercise each day. This way, you'll know if you've burned enough calories to lose weight. If you've noticed that eating less and exercising don't achieve a 1,000-calorie daily reduction, you know that something needs to be changed in your routine.
- To find out how many calories you burned, enter the type of exercise you did and how long you did it in the online calorie burn calculator.
- You can find a calorie burn calculator at
Step 3. Weigh yourself right after getting up every morning
Since you're trying to lose weight in a short amount of time, keep track of your progress often. Weighing each day will give you an idea of whether you should eat less and exercise more.
