A typical gym quote would say “no matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everybody on the couch.” Three months may seem an awful long time, but guess what – it’s going to pass you by anyway – you may aswell lose all this excess fat along the way, right?

Here’s How To Lose 20 Pounds In 3 Months

The Numbers:

In terms of numbers, in order to lose 20 pounds in a three month period, you will lose roughly 7lbs a month, or around 1.5 pounds every week, or about 0.2 pounds a day. These numbers actually break down quite a task into very manageable micro-goals.

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Converting the pounds-per-day loss into a calorie figure to shoot for, in order to lose 1.5 pounds of fat you will need to create a calorie deficit of approximately 5250 calories per week, or just 750 calories per day – not too hard at all!

An average female will burn something in the range of 1800-2000 calories per day, so a basic formula to follow is to stick to a diet of around 1500 calories per day and increase activity levels by around 300-400 calories per day (about 30-40 minutes of vigorous activity daily).

Tips For Success

The Success Mentality

Mental motivation plays a crucial part in this challenge, as it does in anything. As Buddha has imparted “All that we are is a result of what we have thought… What we think we become” We are shaped by our thinking; when the mind believes, the body will follow suit.

Jot it Down

Your End Game

Aside from losing all the excess weight, write down other goals you would want to achieve. Whether it’s to fit in that dress for your wedding, or to be able to wear your clothes from last year, or to gain more confidence, or to have a healthier lifestyle, write it down!

The Numbers

Make a specific target with a definite deadline (lose 20lbs in thirteen weeks). Do a weigh in, and take body measurements for the record, do this every two weeks so you can take note of the progress. To prompt you more, write and stick it somewhere where you can see it every day, to further encourage you to keep going.

Food Intake

No Crash Diets, No Crazy Fads

Admit it, eating is easier than exercising (most of the time), but how do you lose all the unwanted weight if we keep eating? We eat healthier, and smarter. Cut out the junk food, avoid the unnecessary sugar, go the extra mile by giving up alcohol. Increase the amount of lean protein intake, healthy-fatty foods such as avocados; throw in some complex carbohydrates into your daily meal plans.

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Create Caloric Deficit

The body will start burning the excess fat once it runs out of current calories to use, which means if you take in lesser calories than what you expend, that’s when the weight is shed off. Try to keep a food diary, if you want to drink a bottle of beer you have to run a mile, be more proactive with the food you consume. As we covered earlier, eating around 1500 calories per day and exercising for 30-40 minutes should create a sufficient calorie deficit for consistent weight loss.

Sweat It Out

Cardio, Cardio, Cardio

Thirty to sixty minutes of moderate cardio a week is important. Whether it’s cycling, aerobics, or any recreational sport, it can help burn the fat away. During cardio, the exertion should cause your heart rate to increase, making you breathe harder and sweat more. Make sure to choose something you’d enjoy so as to make exercising more fun and less of an inconvenience.

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Gains, Bro

Lifting weights can help tone the body and building up lean muscle mass will end up boosting your metabolism, which further enhances weight loss. Lifting heavier weight is another tip… It’s like an exercise shortcut that cuts down the amount of exercise required – more weight, more often will not cause bulk in the short term but it will burn plenty of calories. So lift away!

Keep Moving

Instead of taking the escalator, try using the stairs. No need to use the lift if you’re only going a floor or two up, not only does it help burn the calories, it also shapes your butt more. Choose to walk down since it’s going with the natural flow of gravity, there’s less effort felt, but results will be more visible. Ride a bike to work, do some resistance exercises while watching television, just don’t stop moving. SOURCE: upcominghealth.com