Want to Lose Weight Fast

 

How to lose weight in 6 simple steps

1. Eat protein, fat, and vegetables

Aim to include a variety of foods at each meal. To balance your plate, your meals should include protein, fat, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates.

The following are the recommended amounts you should eat by age according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025:Trusted Source

Food type	Adults	Children 2-8	Children 9-13	Adolescents 14-18
Protein	5-7 ounces (oz)	2-5.5 oz	4-6.5 oz	5-7 oz
Vegetables	2-5 cups	1-2.5 cups	1.5-3.5 cups	2.5-4 cups
Healthy oils	22-44 grams (g)	15-24 g	17-34 g	24-51 g
Grains	5-10 oz	3-6 oz	5-9 oz	6-10 oz

Protein

Eating a recommended amount of protein is essential to help preserve muscle mass while losing weight.

Diets with adequate protein may also reduceTrusted Source cravings and snacks by helping you feel full and satisfied.

The following are examples of foods that contain protein with amounts and servings from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Data CentralTrusted Source database.

Food	Amount of protein/100 grams	Daily serving
lean ground beef	20.8 g	3.7 ozTrusted Source
skinless chicken breast	23.2 g	3.7 oz
black beans	21.6 g	0.7 oz
lentils	9.02 g	0.7 oz

Vegetables

All vegetables can be nutrient-rich additions to your diet. Aim to eat about 2.5 cupsTrusted Source of vegetables daily.

Examples of vegetables include:

• leafy greens
• tomatoes
• bell peppers
• green beans
• squash

If you are deciding what foods you should eat, note that certain vegetables — like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn — are considered carbs or grains when on the plate because they’re higher in carbs and calories. Be mindful of your portion sizes when adding these vegetables to your plate.

Healthy fats

Healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds are great choices for your eating plan.

Note that oils are composed of 100% healthy fats. Although some, like olive oil, are considered healthy, they also provide 9 calories per gram, compared to protein and carbs, which provide only 4 calories per gram.

For this reason, it’s important to eat healthy fats in moderation and limit saturated and trans-saturated fats.

The following are examples of other foods that contain healthy fats:

Food	Healthy fat content
almonds	49.9 gTrusted Source (3.8 g saturated fat)
sunflower seeds	51.5 g (4.5 g saturated fat)
green olives	15.32 g (2 g saturated fat)
avocados	14.7 g (2.1 saturated fat)
butter	81.1 g (51.4 g saturated fat)
coconut oil	99.1 g (82.5 g saturated fat)

Butter and coconut oil should be enjoyed only in moderationTrusted Source due to their high saturated fat content.

Read more