Knowing how to lose weight fast will help you reach your goals in no time. Shedding pounds is no easy task, especially if you struggle with cutting calories. The good news is that beginning a workout program can lead to quick weight loss, even in the absence of dieting, but you have to follow a few simple guidelines to see results.
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Which Workouts Are Best?
Participating in cardiovascular exercise is a must when you're trying to drop weight quickly. Examples include walking, jogging, biking, swimming, stair climbing, aerobics classes, and using an elliptical machine. Aerobic exercise generally burns more calories than weight training and is the optimal form of exercise for weight and fat loss according to a 2012 study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Researchers who conducted this study found that resistance training, like weight lifting, boosts muscle mass, which is beneficial for toning but doesn't necessarily lead to weight loss.2
How Long Should I Work Out?
Long-duration cardiovascular workouts are beneficial when you want to shed pounds fast. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends getting 200 to 300 minutes of exercise in weekly for weight loss, and a 2009 review in The Ochsner Journal suggests participating in 250 to 300 minutes of physical activity each week to maximize weight loss and prevent weight regain. This means you could work out aerobically for 45 to 50 minutes a day, six days a week, to drop weight quickly.3
Does Caloric Expenditure Matter?
The number of calories you burn working out does affect weight loss. A 2013 study in Obesity found that study subjects who expended 400 to 600 calories per workout, five days weekly, lost a significant amount of weight even when they didn't change their diets. People who burned 600 calories per workout lost more weight than those who expended 400 calories at a time. If you weigh 155 pounds, you'll burn about 520 calories cycling on a stationary bike at a moderate pace for 60 minutes, and you will expend 596 calories jogging at a pace of 5 miles per hour for the same duration, according to Harvard Health Publications.4
What about Strength Training?
While strength training might not affect the scale as much as aerobic endurance exercise, it does help trim and tone you up, which is a plus when swimsuit season rolls around. Train for muscular endurance when you're trying to shed pounds. To achieve this goal, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends completing two to four sets of 10 to 25 repetitions for each strength-training exercise you complete, with rest periods of 30 to 60 seconds between sets. For best results, be sure to work all major muscle groups at least two times weekly.5
Bottom Line
Knowing how to lose weight fast using exercise will help you reach your weight-loss goals more efficiently, and adding a few diet changes definitely won't hurt. Make sure to drink plenty of water, focus on healthy protein-rich foods (lean meats and poultry, seafood, egg whites, tofu, low-fat dairy foods, and legumes), and load your plate with veggies at mealtime for best results.
