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Is formal time coming up? Do you want to try and lose a quick couple of pounds, or maybe look like you have?
Here are some tips for losing a few pounds (or for looking like you’ve lost a few pounds) safely and quickly.
What you can do …
1. Watch your calorie intake and add physical activity
A.k.a.: good old diet and exercise.
Keep a close eye on your diet. Focus on eating foods that minimize starch, added sugar, and animal fat from meat and dairy foods.
For faster weight loss, focus on fruits, veggies, egg whites, soy products, skinless poultry breasts, fish, shellfish, nonfat dairy foods and 95% lean meat. Foods like vegetables will help you feel fuller longer.
In addition, burning 500 more calories than you eat every day for a week can help you lose about 1-2 pounds, but if you want to lose weight faster, you will need to eat less and exercise more. For instance, if you consume 1,050 to 1,200 calories a day and exercise for one hour per day, you could potentially lose 3-5 pounds in the first week that you begin watching your calories.
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*A word of caution*
Consuming less than 1,050 calories can be extremely dangerous—be sure to consume a healthy amount of calories for your weight and avoid under-eating. You can use a weight loss calculator such as this one to figure out the amount of calories you should be consuming based on your weight loss goal.
It is recommended by multiple websites that women should not consume less than 1,200 calories per day while men should not consume less than 1,500 calories per day.
2. Portion control
Instead of changing what you are eating, reduce the portions of food that you are already eating. Realbeauty.com suggests that instead of eating a whole bagel for breakfast, for instance, eat a half of the bagel. Eat half of your lunch at noon, and the second half a few hours later. This way, you change not what you are eating, but the amount that you are eating, which will lead to consumption of fewer calories.
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3. Use fashion to fool the eye
If you do not have the time or desire to actually lose weight but want to look a little slimmer, try changing up your fashion choices.
Focus on your overall body shape to figure out how to create a visually balanced, symmetrical look between the top and bottom halves of your body.
WebMD provides eight rules for looking slimmer. These tips include wearing single-color schemes, choosing fluid fabrics that follow your curves in lieu of stiff, clingy, hard and heavy fabrics and looking for semi-fitted styles to wear.
Understanding your body type and focusing on dressing for your body, instead of trying to change it, can help you look and feel your best.
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What you should not do …
1. Go on an unhealthy diet craze
Avoid diet plans that promise weight loss faster than 2-3 pounds a week, including programs that promote detoxification pills, laxatives or fasting. These are dangerous plans that will lead to future health problems.
2. Stop eating altogether
Cutting calories below 1,050-1,200 per day, turning to binge-eating options, or not eating at all is extremely dangerous and will lead to worse problems down the road than how you looked in your dress/tux one night.
There are safe ways to lose weight, but do not undergo risky, unhealthy behaviors in order to “slim down.” Behaviors such as not eating or binge eating can lead to problems down the road, such as eating disorders or malnutrition. Use caution when changing your eating and exercising habits.
Be safe and have a great formal.