The quickest way to lose weight is to combine a healthy diet and daily exercise. The combination is the easiest and quickest way, without jeopardizing health conditions. The hard part is learning to change a lifestyle so that this weight loss becomes permanent.

A good rule of thumb to losing weight is to burn at least 3500 calories a week, eat a good balanced diet and exercise regularly.  No more than 1-2 pounds a week is a good target for a healthy weight loss program. Exercising 4-5 times a week will work well for losing weight. Increasing the length of exercise and changing the variation of workouts, will increase the number of calories burned weekly, speeding up the weight loss.

It’s always a good idea when starting a new diet and exercise routine, to talk to a doctor, especially if there are medications or health conditions to consider.

Plan

Start by picking a specific amount of weight to lose and calculate the calorie reduction from the daily intake. Begin planning the menu including the calorie count for daily intake. Here’s the math for the easiest and quickest way to lose weight. 1 pound is equal to 3500 calories, reducing the daily diet intake by 500 calories a day will provide a 1 pound a week lost. That’s 4 pounds a month.

Include daily exercise and the weight loss will increase to approximately 1.5 to 2 pounds a week. The combination of diet reduction and increased exercise is the quickest way to lose weight. Exercising increases the body's metabolism, which increases the calories that are burned daily.

Diet

Be sure to select a balanced diet of whole foods that includes a variety of lean proteins, legumes, low dairy fat, and lots of fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grains. It’s important to stay on track and continue the combined routine of a healthy diet intake and regular exercise.

The best way to lose weight is to change eating habits and exercise, permanently. To reach and hold the target weight, adjustments are a must, especially with life's interruptions. Health needs to become a priority in life, stay physically active and eat a well-balanced diet are the other ingredients.

Water is an important factor to losing weight, it keeps the body hydrated, serveing two purposes for a healthy body; first is hydration.  When our bodies are dehydrated our body holds on to the water, increasing the body weight.  It's important to drink water especially when exercising, the combination flushes the body of any oxidants and eliminates the excess water. All it takes is eight glasses a day.

Source: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department

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