Step 1
Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Avoid fatty and fried foods, as well as processed and packaged foods
Step 2
Cut back on calories. One pound of fat equals to 3,500 calories. That means, to lose one pound of fat a week, you must reduce 500 calories from your diet every day. Substitute fruits and vegetables for unhealthy snacks.
Step 3
Watch your portions. Portion control is an easy way to cut back on calories. Pay attention to nutrition labels as these labels note portion size and how many calories, as well as how much fat, sodium, and cholesterol is in each serving
Step 4
Drink water. Soda, lattes and other sugary drinks contain a lot of calories. Even large sized portions of fruit juices and whole milk contain a lot of calories. If you're not a fan of water, add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice or try flavored waters instead.
Step 5
Exercise. Spend at least 30 minutes a day on some form of cardiovascular activity. Go rock climbing, ride your bike or run on a treadmill. As your fitness levels improve, increase the time and intensity of your workout. The more time you spend being active, the more calories you burn.
Step 6
Do interval training. Interval training involves changing the speed, time or intensity of your workout. Increase the resistance on the elliptical machine every few minutes or so or run somewhere that has hilly terrain. Spend a minute or two running at an easy pace, and then spend the next 30 seconds running as fast as you can. Interval training can help keep your workout fresh and prevent a weight loss plateau.
Step 7
Perform abdominal exercises. Exercises, like crunches, strengthen your abdominals, but do not burn fat. To burn fat, you must burn calories doing some form of cardiovascular activity. However, abdominal exercises including squats, lunges, front planks and medicine ball rotations, can tone and define your stomach muscles. Perform each exercise 10 times for one set, and then do three sets.
Step 8
Sign up for a Vinyasa yoga class. Not only does yoga relieve stress and help strengthen and lengthen your muscles, it also helps relieve stomach ailments, helps reduce bloating and can improve blood circulation.
Step 9
Reduce stress. Stress activates hormones such as cortisol, which negatively affect your mind, body and weight. Instead of turning to food for comfort, find healthier ways to reduce stress including learning deep breathing techniques, reading, writing in a journal or learning a new hobby, like how to paint.
Step 10
Sleep. Get more sleep, as it not only replenishes the mind, but it also reduces stress. Aim to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night.
