How to Lose Inches Off Your Body in Eight Weeks

How to Lose Inches Off Your Body in Eight Weeks

Losing inches off your body requires a concerted overhaul of your entire lifestyle, particularly when trying to do it in such a short time frame. A safe rate of fat loss is 1 to 2 pounds of body fat per week. Have realistic expectations and understand that it's not simply a question of drastically cutting calories or hitting the gym for two hours every day -- you have to manage every part of your lifestyle.

Create and follow a sensible eating plan. Get rid of junk food, take-out and sugary drinks. Focus on eating natural foods at every meal in sensible portion sizes. Each meal should have at least a fist-sized serving of protein, such as lean meats, eggs, poultry, fish or protein powder, and half a plate of vegetables. Include small servings of carbohydrates, like whole grains or fruit, and fats such as nuts or dairy. Cook for yourself as much as possible to control exactly what you are eating and the portion size.

Start exercising regularly. Do a combination of cardio workouts and resistance training to increase your rate of fat loss. Good cardio workouts include sprints, cycling and playing sports. These are all examples of interval training -- intense periods of work followed by short rests, which have been found to be highly effective for reducing overall body fat. Resistance training uses weights to build your strength and endurance while also cutting body fat, or can also be done with simple body weight routines. Do one or two cardio sessions per week and two or three resistance sessions for the best results.

Prioritize your sleep -- a lack of sleep has been directly linked to higher levels of body fat, along with a host of related health problems. Harvard School of Public Health published findings that showed that getting less than seven hours of sleep per night led to an increased risk of obesity, and greater difficulty with fat loss. Getting enough sleep means you have more energy and mental acuity, which in turn helps you to make better food choices and more likely to follow through on your workouts.

• Always warm up before your workouts. Listen to your body. If you are experiencing pain, stop what you're doing and move on to something else or seek medical attention.

Original article and pictures take www.livestrong.com site