8 Quick Tips For Losing Weight Today And Keeping It Off Tomorrow

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Approximately 44 million Americans are overweight, making that the largest epidemic in the nation. Being overweight greatly increases the risk of several chronic complications. It can take a toll on mental health as well: thousands of products carrying weight-loss claims saturate the market, waiting to take advantage of the low self-esteem and lower will power of millions of overweight people. But losing weight today and keeping it off tomorrow means doing it healthfully, and we have eight tips to help you.

1. Understand the relationship between food and fat

• Your body needs food to use as energy, and any excess energy gets stored as fat.
• Therefore, if you eat more food than your body needs, you will gain weight.
• To lose this weight, you must get your body to use up stored fat.
• Reducing your caloric intake and increasing your activity levels is the most effective way to do this. Enter healthy diet and exercise.

2. Make changes gradually

Studies show that most diets are effective for weight loss; it is the person's inability to adjust to and follow the diet that causes it to fail. The goal is to make permanent, healthy changes; a sudden, radical upheaval of unhealthy eating habits will usually just backfire. Don't try to make drastic changes to your diet and exercise plan; instead, make small changes that will be easier for you to stick with. For example:

• Replace whole fat milk with skim milk
• Make time for breakfast
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator

3. Be more active

Even if you hate the gym, simply taking a 20 minute brisk walk will help you lose weight as long as you are not increasing your caloric intake. Every time you exercise more than normal, your body will burn calories and fat. Look for creative ways to incorporate more movement into your routine, like:

• Walk or ride your bike short distances you would normally drive
• Play outside with your kids or grandkids
• Get up during commercials and walk up and down the stairs a few times

4. Cut some Calories

If you are overweight it is likely you have poor eating habits. If you are trying to lose weight, you simply cannot keep them. Limit sweet treats to special occasions and make healthier choices about day to day meals and snacks. Crash diets (less than 1500 calories per day) will only cause more problems; you must be realistic about your goals. Eating 300-500 fewer calories per day is a healthy and realistic goal that will help you lose up to two pounds a week; over time, this will translate to significant weight loss.

5. Drink more water

Drinking water has myriad health benefits:

• Makes you feel full without adding any calories
• It also boosts your metabolism
• Causes you to retain less water, making you less bloated and appear slimmer
• Improves muscle tone
• Flushes out toxins in the body

Get your eight glasses every day.

6. Write down your weight loss goals

Seeing your plan in writing will help you stay committed. It will also help keep track of your progress, which may motivate you when you see how far you'se come.

7. Be patient

You won't notice results right away, but this doesn't mean your weight loss plan isn't working. It takes time to lose weight healthfully, so stick to your plan. Weigh and measure yourself weekly and record the results in your diary so you'll have proof that you are slowly but surely losing the weight.

8. Get a weight loss buddy

Find someone with similar fitness goals and it may be easier for you to say motivated and committed. It's much more difficult to cheat on diet and exercise when you have someone watching out for you.

Sources: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/loseweight.htm http://www.inch-aweigh.com/water.html