Losing weight does not require drugs although there are many supplements that are said to help you lose weight. Some diet medications are even useless, and can have harmful effects on people with certain medical conditions or taking other medications. Instead, try different methods to lose weight without taking medication.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Calculating Calorie Consumption for Weight Loss
Step 1. Find your basal metabolic rate
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body needs to function at rest for an entire day. A BMR calculator can be found online and it will use your height and weight, as well as several other factors to calculate your BMR.
Step 2. Reduce your calorie consumption until it is lower than your BMR
Reducing your calorie intake to 500 calories lower than your BMR will result in weight loss of 0.5 kg per week. You can use a journal or a special app on your smartphone to monitor your calorie consumption throughout the day.
- Some of the apps you can use include "Lose It!", "MyFitnessPal", "Fooducate", and "My Diet Diary".
- Most apps also help monitor your carbohydrate, fat, and protein consumption to ensure that you are within a healthy level of consumption for each component.
- Never reduce your calorie intake too much or you will slow down your metabolism making weight loss difficult. A person weighing 130 kg may be able to reduce calorie consumption to 1,000 calories per day, but someone weighing 65 kg should limit their calorie consumption to 500 calories.
Step 3. Join a diet club
Diet clubs and services can help you calculate your calorie intake when you are frail from hunger or if you have trouble monitoring your calorie intake alone. Some of the clubs or services you can try are "Weight Watchers", "Nutrisystem", "Jenny Craig", etc.
Such groups can provide a proven plan. They also provide support and are accountable
Step 4. Drink water
Drinking water can help with weight loss in several ways. It can serve as a hunger quencher and thirst quencher, instead of drinking sugary drinks which will add to the number of calories you consume in your diet.
Water also helps increase metabolism and flush out undigested food and drink
Step 5. Avoid certain types of food
Some foods are high in calories in small packages, making it more difficult for you to count the calories. Other foods may contain little nutrients which will not help if you want to reduce your calorie consumption because you still need enough nutrients. Some types of food that you should avoid are:
- Snacks that only contain carbohydrates such as biscuits, dry cereal, bread, and rice cake. Snacks that contain only carbohydrates will keep your blood sugar low by forcing your body to produce more insulin, which will make you hungry again.
- Frozen food. Frozen foods are generally high in sodium, which makes you reserve water. If your body has excess water reserves, you may feel that your efforts to look better are not working.
- High-fiber snacks. Snacks that are high in fiber tend to cause inconsistent fiber absorption (so you don't feel full), but you can get the fiber you need consistently by eating fruit or vegetables.
- Various foods are promoted as low-fat foods. You may think that you are supporting a healthy diet by eating these foods, but you will end up eating more of them, and food manufacturers generally use sugar to make up for the lack of fat in foods that can cause other problems with your diet.
- Fruit juice. Fruit juice is the sugary juice of fruit, or even some fruits, without fiber.
- Drinks with artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners can make you hungry more often, which goes against your healthy diet.
- Liquor. Alcohol can damage the liver because it is a poison that the liver must get rid of, making it less able to work on the liver to burn fat.
Method 2 of 2: Exercise for Weight Loss
Step 1. Discuss an exercise pattern that works for you with your doctor
You should check with your doctor before starting an exercise pattern if you have heart disease, diabetes, or any other disease. Your doctor can also help you determine what your ideal weight is, and how to achieve that weight.
That's especially important if you have to lose a lot of weight. However, it's a good idea to consult a doctor, regardless of how much weight you want to lose
Step 2. Do aerobic exercise
Also known as cardio training, aerobic exercise is beneficial because it temporarily increases your metabolism after your regular workout ends. That means your body will use up calories faster and you will lose weight by burning more calories than you take in.
- Aerobic exercise is low, medium, or high intensity exercise performed over a longer duration continuously.
- Aim to do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five or seven days a week.
Step 3. Do strength training
When you do strength training, you will make your muscles bigger. Bigger muscles require more calories, so you'll increase the number of calories you burn even at rest if you have bigger muscles.
- Push-ups, crunches, bicep curls, squats, and lunges are examples of strength training.
- One-hour strength training sessions three times a week can help you lose weight during and after your workout.
Step 4. Walk
Walking can be a good exercise for people who need low-impact exercise because they have an illness that doesn't allow them to do aerobic exercise. Walking is also good for mental health as well as physical health.
