Are you looking to lose lots of weight really fast? You have probably tried going to the gym and failed to continue because those pounds weren’t going away quick enough. It might sound impossible, but you’ll be surprised to find out that you can drastically discard all that fat after all!
As difficult as it sounds, you might still want to know how to lose 80 pounds in 6 months, or something equally extreme. Fortunately, with the correct diet and exercise plans, you can effectively melt off this stubborn weight in less than a year.
The following steps describe how you can achieve this.
How to Lose 80 Pounds in 6 Months?
Making a change in your lifestyle is a lot harder than you might think. But it’s not impossible.
Step 1: Be Fully Dedicated to Your Goal
The way to reach any goal is to stay completely committed with no faltering. Losing 80 pounds in 6 months in general sounds extremely grueling. But if you stick to your aim till the end, it will all be worth it.
Your willpower might dwindle when you find yourself gaining a few pounds during the journey. This might happen because the body goes through an intense change of habits. So, the slight weight gains in between are a natural response from your nervous system.
Another challenge is that you might get bored with your new routine. But keep in mind the phrase – no pain, no gain. This is the ultimate truth when it comes to weight loss. And it is why you must stay fully committed to your journey of getting slim.
Step 2: Create and Follow a Diet Plan
As cliché as this sounds, a diet plan is actually the most effective step in shedding weight. There are a few additional steps you will need to follow for managing a diet plan:
Reduce Carb Intake:
Foods containing carbohydrates make up the most calories. And an excess of calories gets stored as fat in the body and makes us gain weight. Common carbs include bread, cakes, rice, potatoes, and pasta/noodles. Hence, you should avoid these foods as much as possible.
Consume Smaller Portions:
Decreasing the portion size of every meal will greatly help with your new diet. Your stomach will slowly get trained to accept smaller bits at a time. This will make you feel less hungry.
Eat Throughout the Day:
You might be wondering, how can eating all day help lose weight? This step may sound super odd, but it actually works. Eating little amounts of food throughout the day will keep your stomach full.
The stomach can also digest food better in small chunks. Hunger lasts for a shorter time this way. This leads to the nutrients flowing more constantly within your body.
Drink Lots of Water:
A high volume of water is important for your body’s metabolism. Water helps to break down fats and carbs. So, drinking about 2-3 liters of water a day helps to improve digestion.
Count Your Calories:
Counting the calories in the food you eat is a good practice. This helps you keep track of a measurement of how much you are consuming. You can find the number of calories in foods per serving on Google.
You should always burn more calories than your intake. Aim to cut down at least 500 consumed calories from what you might be spending. Follow this method consistently, and you will notice a significant change within the first few weeks.
Try Intermittent Fasting:
As the name itself suggests, intermittent fasting is staying without eating for long periods. While you are fasting, your body is not gaining any calories. Following this technique regularly helps to boost your metabolism.
Make a Diet Chart:
Maintain a diet chart with details for each day of the week. You can alternate the menus between the days, so the food remains exciting. Calculate the calories of the things you plan to eat, and tailor your meals accordingly.
This way, you will take in fewer calories, and your weight will go down steadily.
Rather than bread or cereal for breakfast, go for protein shakes or smoothie bowls. Oatmeal is a very good choice as it is low in calories and high in fiber. Skip the sugar in your morning tea or coffee.
Incorporate fruits in your breakfast, like bananas, apples, and berries. Nuts such as almonds and walnuts will also keep you energized throughout the day. If you cannot live without sugar, use honey as a substitute.
For lunch, steamed vegetables and grilled proteins such as chicken or fish are good choices. Take interesting twists on regular vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli. You will find many online recipes for cauliflower fried “rice” which is a very popular meal nowadays.
Stick with salads or foods with a very low-calorie count for dinner. Dinner should always be light, as we fall asleep right after, and our body does not work to get rid of excess fat. Chicken, tuna, salads, and protein shakes are a good way to end the day’s meal.
Use Healthier Alternatives:
Carbs can be tempting and usually delicious. But you should try substituting carbs in regular foods with healthier options.
Try using oat or almond powder in place of all-purpose flour for baked goods. Use lettuce wraps for sandwiches instead of bread. Replace regular potato fries with sweet potato fries. For dairy products, try soy milk instead of cow’s milk.
Not only are these choices more nutritious, but they also taste just as good. Another great advantage is that you are consuming lesser calories while still getting to eat the food you like.
You should never over-exert yourself regarding what you eat. Starving may help you lose a couple of pounds initially. But in the long run, it is very unhealthy and will cause adverse effects on your body and metabolism. In some cases, it is good to consult a dietician before following a diet plan.
Step 3: Exercise
Controlling your diet alone will not help you to get thinner. You will need to exercise alongside your updated diet routine to shed that extra weight. There are different types of exercises that you can do. Here are some examples:
Cardio:
Cardio is an intense type of exercise that increases your heart rate. Common cardio exercises are cycling, swimming, running, jumping rope, and even energetic dancing.
These activities also keep your heart strong and oxygen flowing well. Start slow, for about 5 to 10 minutes per session, and then extend accordingly. There are various workout video tutorials you can find online.
High-Intensity Interval Training:
This type of exercise is generally tough to do but the outcome is worth it. High-intensity interval training deals with extreme workouts with very short intervals for rest.
These alternating actions of vigorous aerobics and brief pauses release a lot of energy. This is similar to cardio exercises but with much more endurance.
Resistance Training:
Resistance training exercises are mostly done to increase strength and stamina. And of course, to build muscles and to tone them. But like all other workouts, this one burns plenty of calories. Exerting the body to intense drills of this type helps with overall fitness and health.
Walking:
Other normal activities you can try are walking and going up the stairs. Walk instead of driving to work or the grocery store. Skip the elevator and take the stairs to move through floors. Working your legs this way will burn down the excess fat from your body uniformly.
Wear a device that keeps track of how many steps you walk each day. On average, people should walk 10,000 steps a day to stay fit. Increase that to around 16,000 for better physical activity. Start out slow, and then raise the number of steps gradually throughout the weeks.
Sitting Exercises:
Surprisingly enough, you can exercise and shed calories while sitting! Move your legs in a cycling motion while sitting down. This helps to get rid of the fat stored in the thighs and hips.
Stretch your arms away and back towards your head when you are sitting idle. Do about 10-15 reps and continue this exercise for about 10 minutes every day. The fat deposits in your upper arms will melt off, and the muscles will get toned.
Step 4: Manage Stress Levels
Excessive stress causes the hormone cortisol to be released into the body. This then settles as fat deposits in areas such as the belly, thighs, and upper arms. Even though stress is not directly linked to weight gain, it is still a contributing factor.
Hence, it is very important to stress as little as possible when choosing to shed those pounds.
You should always stay away from people and situations that are likely to cause a strain on your mind. Stress can also trick your mind into eating sugary desserts. In general, sweet foods lead to an imbalance of certain chemicals and hormones in the brain, which also results in fat deposition.
If there is a continual strain on your mental health, you will likely reach for sweet foods for comfort. Sugar contains a high level of calories. So, if you are aiming to lose weight, it is essential to manage your stress.
Step 5: Allow Yourself Cheat Days
Following strict diets, and exercise routines is definitely exhausting. You might start to get tired and lose all motivation for continuing your goal. This is why cheat days once in a while are extremely important.
Generally, a cheat day once a week is ideal. But since your goal is to lose 80 pounds in 6 months, frequent resting days will not work. You will need to work harder to get rid of all this extra weight.
Consider the cheat day to be like a prize. Try setting one day to eat out of your planned diet after every 2 weeks. The time will seem to go by faster this way because you will be looking forward to your reward.
Step 6: Do Not Get Demotivated
The weight shedding will seem gradual towards the beginning of your journey. But you should not be disheartened by this.
All good things take some time to achieve. It is therefore important to be patient and stay focused on the ultimate goal. Your weight will fluctuate throughout this entire period. There may not always be significant changes to your body when you look at the mirror.
But this does not mean your hard work isn’t paying off. It is natural for the body to take time to adjust to new routines and show the results. So, you should not think of giving up halfway or when you do not see immediate changes.
Step 7: Avoid Negative People
Losing weight is not easy, and people can sidetrack you from your goal if you are overweight. Negative comments from people can really cause a bad affect on your overall plan. You might even end up giving up on fulfilling your target.
Hence, it is crucial to stay away from such people and their comments. Always surround yourself with those who will encourage you to reach your goal weight. Positive reinforcement from others will help you to focus better on your set plan.
Staying away from negative people will also reduce stress greatly. As seen earlier, minimizing stress is a good way to get thin.
Any More Questions?
Is it healthy to lose 80 lbs in 6 months?
Losing so much weight over such a short period may not be healthy for everybody. So, it’s better to consult your doctor before you start your weight loss journey.
Can I lose 80 pounds in 4 months?
It is technically possible, but that would have a negative impact on your health. You’d better avoid such drastic diets.
How much weight do you lose before you notice?
You’ll need to lose around 8-9 pounds before you notice a change.
