No matter how much I advocate a positive body image, I can’t help but raise awareness on the fact that trying to lose weight when you know you are over your recommended weight according to the BMI (Body Mass Index). A healthy and active lifestyle not only promotes mental and physical health but also increases productivity, confidence and positive thinking. It also helps in the prevention of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes,and cholesterol.

Depending on your urgency and commitment towards losing weight, you can choose one of the following plans for beginning your weight loss journey.

• Easy
• Intermediate
• Intense

Easy

You may choose this plan IF:

• You have recently delivered a baby and aren’t recommended to indulge in intense workouts and diets plans.
• You are suffering from a physical injury or disease that does not allow you to workout.
• You are breastfeeding. Although breastfeeding mothers lose weight naturally but, unhealthy foods and desserts can come in the way of weight loss.
• You are too lazy to follow a diet plan with consistency.

The EASY weight loss plan includes the following commandments:

• Drink warm water with honey and lemon first thing in the morning.
• Take breaks every thirty minutes when sitting for long periods of time. This helps break down the built up of fats in the hip and thigh area.
• Take a walk every day at least five days a week for 15-20 minutes. This improves digestion.
• Do portion control and have dinner before 7 pm.
• Drink  3 liters of water every day. You have no idea what wonders this one point can do for your body!

Intermediate

You may opt for this plan if:

• You don’t need to lose tons of weight (10 to 20 lbs is not a ton, just saying).
• You have time to implement a healthy diet and there is no urgency for the lose ten pounds in ten days kind of workouts.
• You have delivered a baby and you’re ready to start losing weight but aren’t recommended by the doctor to go for intense workouts.

The INTERMEDIATE weight loss plan includes the following rules:

• Aim to take at least 8,000 to 10,000 steps each day. Or, 30-45 minutes of low impact workout five days a week.
• Do portion control. Don’t go for second servings.
• Limit the number of desserts to twice a month.
• Use an app that can count all your calories for you. Apps like MyFitnessPal allow you to add workouts, insert foods and deduct the number of your calories from your recommended daily calorie intake. It also tracks your progress by illustrating it through a graph

Intense

You may choose this plan if:

• There is an urgency for you to lose weight like an upcoming wedding.
• You have tried the above two plans and it didn’t work for you.
• Your obesity imposes a threat to your health and the doctor has permitted you to go for intense workouts.

The INTENSE weight loss plan includes the following commandments:

• Opt for a diet plan that promises fast results; like the Keto, Vegan or Atkins diet.
• Enroll yourself in intense workout classes like spinning or cardio. You can also do your exercise at home by watching workout videos.
• Ditch sweets, sodas, chocolates, and desserts completely until you reach your desired weight. Replace them with fruits and fresh juices.

The best approach towards a healthy weight loss that has no side effects is an overall change in the lifestyle. In order to become thin, you need to live like thin people. The Intermediate Weight Loss Plan is perfectly adjacent to a healthy and active lifestyle.

For girls who have a hard time committing to making healthy food choices; I would recommend yoga. Yoga not only gets rid of stress but also detoxifies the body from all the harmful toxins that come in the way of losing weight.

Sometimes the body experiences a weight plateau where the weight gets stuck at one point and doesn’t seem to budge. In that case, you can change your intensity of workout or routine diet to revamp the metabolism. Avoid starvation at all costs.

We hope this article completely sums up all the approaches towards losing weight. Remember that all bodies are unique. Discontinue any harsh exercises if you feel pain or headaches.