Question: Write an article based on this "Cut carbohydrates. Eliminate junk food. Eliminate sugar from your diet. Increase protein intake. Increase water intake. Limit salt. Eat a 500 calorie deficit. Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Pay attention to nutrition labels."
Answer: To lose weight quickly, you should eliminate the sugars found in most carbohydrates. Simple, or bad, carbohydrates include foods like bread, pasta, and potatoes. All carbohydrates break down into glucose which provides your body with energy. In a weight loss  study, people who cut out carbohydrates were more likely to lose weight than going on a low-fat diet.  Cutting out carbs will help suppress your appetite and lower your blood sugar.   Complex carbohydrates, or 'healthier' carbohydrates, are found in whole wheat, vegetables, fruits, and beans. These do not have to be completely eliminated from your diet but should be eaten in moderation. Junk food will stop you from losing weight. Eliminate it totally from your diet and from your home. You should remove junk food from temptation; clean out your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Avoid eating out at restaurants where these temptations are present. Some junk food to avoid include:  Sugary drinks - This includes any drink that has sugar as an ingredient. The most common of these is pop/soda. However, some fruit juices have added sugar. Pizza White bread and pasta Butter or margarine Pastry, cookies, and cakes French fries and potato chips Ice cream Processed meats and cheeses High calorie coffee drinks Most fast food Most processed foods Foods high in sugar The American Heart Association recommends an adult woman only eating six teaspoons of (about 100 calories) of sugar per day. To lose weight rapidly, you may need to eliminate even this much. Just because you cut junk food from your diet does not meet you have cut all sugars. Sugars can be hidden in foods such as breads, condiments, and sauces. Always check your nutrition label for the sugar content in food. When trying to lose weight, upping your protein intake may be the key. Protein will help you lose weight but keep muscle mass and help you burn calories more quickly. Consider doubling or even tripling your recommended daily amount (RDA) of protein to lose weight.  Your RDA will depend on your gender and height. For example,  a 5’5” (165 cm) woman should eat around 90g of protein a day. The average protein intake, for weight maintenance, for the average adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. To calculate individual need, multiple your body weight, in pounds, by .36. This will give your RDA of protein in grams.  Healthy proteins include greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, steak, ground beef, chicken breasts, yellowfin tuna, halibut, salmon, anchovies,  navy beans, lentils, peanut butter. Studies show that drinking 16oz of water before a meal will help you lose weight. It makes you feel more full and helps keep you hydrated.  You should drink around 8, 8oz glasses of water a day to stay hydrated. However, you need to drink more if you are exercising more.  Drink enough that your urine is light in color. Studies have shown that the reduction of sodium in diets can help rapid weight loss.  Avoid eating salty foods to reduce salt. Further, many pops/sodas have a high salt content. Always check the nutrient label for salt content in foods. Limiting salt can also help reduce your blood pressure.  Doctors recommend a salt consumption of around 1,500-2,300mg of salt per day. Processed foods can be high in salt. If you did not freshly prepare a meal, always check for nutritional information. There may be more sodium in what you are eating than you realize. To lose weight, you should calculate how much calories you're burning per day and eat around 300-500 calories less than that. However, be careful not to restrict yourself too much. On average women should eat no less than 1500 calories a day and men no less than 1700. You must be careful with this! You should not starve yourself; that will make you sick and feel miserable.  To calculate your daily calories, you should consider how many calories you are burning at rest and how many calories you are burning during exercise. There are a number of helpful guides online to tell you how many calories specific exercises burn. There are even online programs that will do the math for you. Do an internet search for “calorie calculator” or “calorie tracker.”  The number of calories you will need to consume depends on your weight loss goals, age, gender, fitness level, and height. If you are a 5’5” (165cm), 150lb (68kg) woman who does light exercise, you will want to eat around 1,100-1,500 calories to lose 1-2lbs per week. Eating smaller, healthier meals, more frequently will make you feel better and give you more energy. It will also stop you from feeling hungry which will eliminate your temptation to eat more. There are a number of diets out there you can try, but you should always try and hit your calorie limit each day. Consider a diet similar to this one:   Breakfast -- 1 cup (8 oz) of fruit, 1 cup (8 oz) yogurt. Snack on 4 oz cup of sharp cheddar cheese (90 calories) or 3 tablespoons of humus (90 calories)  Lunch -- Large salad of lettuce, tomatoes, and small amount of low calorie dressing. 1 cup (8 oz) of vegetables or fruit. Snack on 3 tablespoons of dried cherries (75 calories) or 2 kiwis (90 calories).   Dinner -- 6 oz baked chicken breast, 1 cup (8 oz) broccoli, 1 cup (8 oz) fruit. Snack on 1 cup of unsalted nuts or 1 cup of raw vegetables. Try to eat every three hours to keep your metabolism moving. Keep a food calorie of your typical daily intake, include beverages and snacks. You can add up calories and other helpful nutritional information just by reading these labels. A nutrition label contains many useful facts.  Recommended serving size Calories and calories from fat Percentage of nutrients (and daily value percentage) Footnote - This will list the recommended daily value (DV) of nutrients.