If there is a question that cannot be answered quickly, it is 'how long should I exercise to lose weight fast?' A quick rundown on why people gain weight or lose weight will enable you to understand better why nobody can answer that question for you unless they know more about your lifestyle, and what you mean by 'exercise'.
First, however, a brief introduction to metabolism, basal metabolic rate (BMR) and the concept of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). These are not just theoretical concepts, but can actually be calculated for each individual by means of two equations that are beyond our scope here. Nevertheless, if you accept that they are measurable quantities then you can understand better that how long you should exercise to lose weight fast depends upon your metabolism and the type of exercise you carry out.
Your metabolic rate is the rate at which your body expends energy while at rest - for example, while sleeping. Even though you are doing no physical exercise, your body needs a certain amount of energy to remain functioning as normal. The circulation of your blood, the processes of your central nervous system, the chemical reactions in your liver, your digestive process, the very act of breathing - all of these use up energy.
Energy can be equated with calories. A calorie is a measurement of heat which can be equated with energy. The energy generated by your body, therefore, depends on the calories you consume in your diet. The components of your diet that are responsible for energy production in your body are carbohydrates: cereals, starches, fats, oils, sugars and the carbohydrate portion of proteins that are formed from carbohydrates and amino acids.
Ultimately, the carbohydrates in your diet are digested down into glucose, which along with oxygen is used by your body cells to generate energy. So the more carbohydrates you eat the more energy your body generates. Some of this energy is used by the essential components of your metabolism, as above. This is known as your Basal Metabolic Rate. Knowing this figure is the first step in knowing how to lose weighty fast.
More energy is used by the process of daily living: eating, walking and working. Knowledge of how you live your life can be used to calculate how much energy you use up in the course of a normal day. Naturally, this will be an approximation and a daily average, but it can be calculated and is known as your Total Daily Energy Expenditure - your BMR plus what you use during the day. These figures can be expressed as a daily calorie usage. Formulations for these are available online.
So what has this to do with how long you should exercise to lose weight fast? Basically, if you eat calories more than your TDEE, you will put on weight unless you exercise more to use it up. The energy left over unused is stored by your body in fat cells. So what you should do to lose weight is to work out your TDEE and then balance your diet from that, so that no energy is left over and that you, in fact, have an energy deficit. If you use up more energy than you eat, your body will use your fat reserves as an emergency carbohydrate store and you lose weight.
How fast you lose weight depends on the difference between your energy intake (calories) and energy expenditure. You can use calorie charts to determine how many calories are contained in your diet. You can also find calorie charts for exercise online, that let you know how many calories you will lose over a given time carrying out specific types of exercise. The bigger the difference between your calorie expenditure through exercise and your calorie intake in your diet, then the faster you will lose weight.
That is the essential knowledge you require in order to understand how long you should exercise to lose weight fast. The charts will show you that some exercise will enable you to lose weight faster than others, because they use up more calories over the same time period.
The best way to lose weight is not fast, but slowly, and around 2-3 pounds/week is a good average. You can experience an initial rapid weight loss as your body expels its stores of excess water, and then settle down to a good weekly average. However, if you are determined to lose weight for a wedding or some other event that is due shortly, then you are better to exercise more rather than go on a crash diet.
That way, your energy expenditure will exceed your TDEE by more than you eat, and you will lose weight fast without compromising on the essential components of a good diet. Even the best diets should have some fat in them and, and by designing your exercise program, around your diet and your TDEE, then you will lose weight as fast as you like, but in healthy way.
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