I'm a Diet Coach and These Are the 5 Things I'd Do to Lose Weight Fast

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Losing weight quickly can seem like a daunting goal, especially if you want to avoid anything ineffectual like a crash diet. But it is possible, according to Jenna Rizzo, a diet and fitness coach. In a recent TikTok video, Rizzo shared her five-point plan for how to lose weight fast, saying it's the exact series of steps she'd follow if she wanted to lose 20 pounds in (approximately) two months. A few small lifestyle tweaks, combined with clear intentionality, can go a long way. Read on to see what Rizzo recommends.

1 State your intention, and set boundaries.

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Right from the start, you should be clear about your goals and intentions—not just to yourself, but also to those in your inner circle.

"I would make my commitment known to my friends and family from the start," Rizzo says in her video. "Let's be real, sometimes our family and friends can be really insensitive to our weight loss goals. They tend to overstep boundaries a little bit, saying, 'We're fine the way you are,' 'One bite won't hurt,' 'One drink won't kill you'—I'm sure you've heard it before."

There's another benefit to stating your intentions. One 2022 study published in Frontiers in Psychology suggested that exercising with a positive intent leads to more effective workouts.

2 Go to the gym—with a plan.

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Rizzo says you should hit the gym three days a week for a structured strength training program. She recommends "strength training specifically because it burns more calories than cardio alone" and can naturally juice your metabolism. A structured program, meanwhile, is so you go in knowing exactly what you're in for.

"When you go into the gym without a plan, you're setting yourself up for failure," Rizzo notes.

As reported by The New York Times, there's a growing consensus among health researchers that weight lifting is one of the best activities you can do to boost your longevity.

3 Walk literally single day.

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You needn't walk for an hour every day—in fact, Rizzo advises against that, purely on the basis of effective time management—but she does stress that a daily walk should become a mandatory fixture in your lifestyle. One or two walks a day, for anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes per walk, can help you avoid staying sedentary all day, with each 10-minute walk likely coming down to about 1,000 steps. (Bonus: Walking is free!)

You've likely heard the "10,000 steps" figure thrown around in regards to how much you should walk per day, though that's not a monolithic stat. As the Mayo Clinic points out, the average American clocks around 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day. The amount you should aim for doesn't need to be 10,000 steps exactly—everyone is different—but start by seeing if you can increase your daily tally by 1,000 or 2,000 steps, and then go up from there.

4 Keep tabs on calories and protein.

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To lose weight fast, you don't have to do much math, but Rizzo says you should track two stats: how many calories you're consuming and how much protein you're getting. Keeping tabs on your calories can help ensure you're staying in a deficit—in other words, "eating less in a day than what [you're] burning," says Rizzo—while protein can help your muscles recover faster.

Tracking this data is relatively seamless these days. Popular dieting and fitness apps like MyFitnessPal, which is available on both iPhone and Android devices, allow you to keep tabs on your intake.

5 Sleep seven hours every night.

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Rizzo's fifth and final fast weight loss tip is also the simplest to commit to: sleep. A lot. Every night. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adults get anywhere from seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Failing to get enough sleep can nullify your efforts at losing weight, cutting into your body's ability to burn fat, according to the Sleep Foundation.

It cuts both ways: According to the Sleep Foundation, adults who regularly exercise also find it easier to fall asleep at night. Rizzo sums it up: "I am going to bed on time every single night."

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Ari Notis Ari is an editor specializing in news and lifestyle.Read moreFiled UnderDiet • Health Advice • News • Weight LossSources referenced in this article