The Best Ways To Lose Weight Quickly

You often hear that slow and steady wins the race, but we're not sure we agree. Sometimes you need to lose weight quickly for an event or you've suddenly realized summer is coming and you have a bikini to fit into, but sometimes you just want to do it for yourself.

Seeing that number on the scale drop rapidly is fantastic motivation to continue and it's easier to establish a healthy lifestyle and get regular exercise when you don't feel weighed down by extra pounds.

Kick start your weight loss with our tips for the fastest way to do it, and you'll look and feel great and walk into the gym with a spring in your step.

Eat a high protein breakfast

During the night your body goes into a mild fasting mode because you're not eating (unless you're sleepwalking to the fridge!). You will lose weight faster if you prompt your body to go back to your normal daytime metabolism after you wake up, and you do this by eating breakfast.

Studies show that people who eat breakfast concentrate better and have more energy than those who don't, making them more likely to stay active and burn calories, and less likely to flop in front of the television when they get home.

Traditional breakfasts like cereal or toast are too high in sugars and refined carbohydrates to do you that much good. Instead you want to eat something high in protein and with a reasonable amount of fat, like eggs baked in an avocado or a breakfast burrito with beans and fresh vegetables.

Do an intense workout

High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT is a workout where you alternate short periods of very intense exercise with slightly easier recovery periods. This could be sprinting interspersed with a reasonably paced jog, or jump squats and clap push-up alternated with rest periods.

HIIT burns more calories, in part because you're just working harder than you would if you exercised steadily. That's not the only reason though; steady state cardio encourages some muscle loss, whereas HIIT, like strength training, builds muscle. Muscle increases your base metabolic rate and is essential for quick weight loss. You metabolic rate can go up for as long as 24 hours after your workout, and working in the anaerobic zone makes your heart stronger.

Drink more water

You burn more calories when you drink water – some studies found people's base metabolism rose by as much as 30% directly after drinking a bottle of water. That's because your body has to absorb water in your stomach and get it into your body the same way it does with any other nutrient, and that expends energy.

Not only that, some of the cravings that you think are hunger can actually be dehydration. That feeling of being tired and low in energy often means you need to drink water more than you need a snack.

Drink a small glass of water and see how you feel before you eat anything, and you will lose weight faster than if you let yourself go straight to the snacks. Drinking water suppresses your appetite slightly, and although it's not good to skip meals it can help you hold out until dinner time when you would otherwise have eaten junk food.

Get good quality sleep

Lack of sleep causes you to gain weight, even if you're eating the same number of calories. That's because sleep deprivation affects your body's response to insulin and slows your metabolism, so you store more of your calories as fat and gain weight.

The chances are, though, that you won't be eating the same number of calories. People who are tired find it harder to resist eating high fat or high carbohydrate foods, and often eat bigger portions. Lack of sleep causes your body to slow production of the hormone leptin, which is what signals to your brain that you're full.

To lose weight quickly, make sure you go to bed at a reasonable time. Avoiding electronics for an hour before bed will help you fall asleep faster, as will keeping your bedroom fairly cool. Get your beauty sleep, and you'll stick to your diet and feel so much better.

Diet in the grocery store, not at home

It's a lot easier to exercise your will power when you're shopping than when you're eating. When you go into the grocery store armed with a list, you know exactly what you need to make a week's worth of meals. You're less likely to be distracted into buying little extras that are bad for you and won't help you rapidly lose weight.

If you don't actually buy those high sugar or high fat snacks then it will be impossible to eat them later at home. Remember not to go shopping when you're hungry, as this also makes you more drawn to buy fatty foods instead of fresh vegetables and protein.

If you have to buy something for the kids then only get enough to last the week and put them in a separate cupboard. The guilt of eating your kids' snacks should be enough to stop you.

Drink green tea

The magic ingredient in green tea is ECGC, a catechin that boosts the amount of norepinephrine in your body. Norepinephrine encourages the breakdown of fat in the body, making it easier to burn it as fuel and generally raising your metabolism. And while there are only small amounts of caffeine in green tea, that also gives your metabolism a lift.

If you're looking for a quick way to lose weight, the best type of green tea is matcha. That's because matcha is made by grinding tea leaves into a powder instead of just steeping them in water, meaning more of the antioxidants make it into your cup.

You need to drink at least three cups of tea a day to make a significant difference, or you can take green tea extract, a more concentrated form. If you don't like the taste that much then additional flavors like apple and lemon are fine, as long as there's no added sugar.