If you're going to lose weight fast, you're going to have to eat less. The huge problem with a low-calorie diet, however, is that after a while, your body burns fewer calories because you take fewer calories in. However, there is a solution to the inevitable problem of the weight loss plateau. And you'll like it.
Follow your low-calorie diet. Just not all the time.
The logic behind this recommendation for natural fast weight loss is very simple. If you eat fewer calories, your body will burn fewer calories. It only takes 3 or 4 days for your metabolism to match its rate to your lower intake of food.
However, if you eat one "cheat meal" during that 3 or 4 day period, and only one cheat meal during that period, then your metabolism will continue burning calories at its usual, faster rate. By a cheat meal, I mean an additional 500 calories or so. I do not mean that you should go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and have a plate of everything plus two of every dessert.
Just have a food you like, that's not necessarily low in calories or fat, about once every three days, and only once every three days. You won't slow down your weight gain. In fact, you'll speed it up.
The best way to go about your cheat meals is to plan them.
Think about a food you'd really like to eat. Then plan to eat it a day or two from now. Your calories will come out about the same. Instead of, for example, eating 1500 calories per day from Day 1 through to Day 7 and slowing down your metabolism, try this:
- Day 1 - 1,500 calories
- Day 2 - 1,500 calories
- Day 3 - 1,500 calories + 500-calorie low-sugar treat
- Day 4 - 1,500 calories
- Day 5 - 1,500 calories
- Day 6 - 1,500 calories + 500-calorie low-sugar treat
- Day 7 - 1,500 calories
Just looking at calories, it would seem you are eating 1,000 more calories a week, so you'll slow down your weight loss by about 1/3 of a pound a week. However, if your metabolism was just going to slow down, too, you actually lose more weight eating more calories.
Cheat meals only work if they are occasional.
About every tenth meal is OK. Don't eat foods to which you allergic, and don't eat foods that interfere with weight loss hormones, such as any food with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a sweetener. You may be actually able to tolerate the equivalent of about half a 12-oz soft drink sweetened with HFCS (or, odd as it may sound, a full 12 oz of soft drink made with cane sugar), but it's undoubtedly best just to kick the habit.
Make sure your cheat foods are low-sugar foods. Higher-fat, once every 10 meals or so, is actually OK, as long as it is not higher fat and higher sugar. Whatever favorite food you choose for your cheat meal, make it special. Make it delicious. Make it exactly what you want. Because if you want to lose weight, you won't have anything else like it for another 3 days.
Losing weight will help you to lower your blood sugar levels, but lowering your blood sugar levels will also be followed by weight loss.
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