5 Healthy Weight Loss Tips

Are you ready to start a weight loss program? Don't waste your time trying to find the latest fad diet that promises to magically melt away a lifetime of extra pounds and inches. Instead, focus your energy and attention on making sound changes to your eating and exercise habits that will help you lose weight and keep it off.

Weight Loss Tip #1: There is No Miracle Diet

When you want to lose weight, you have to accept that there is no such thing as a miracle diet that is going to melt pounds away no matter what you eat. The only way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. The real miracle of weight loss lies in the fact that when you burn off more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. Successful weight loss is all about eating fewer calories and expending more energy.

Weight Loss Tip #2: Drink Plenty of Water

Note that this tip does not advise you to drink plenty of liquids. You need to drink at least eight to twelve glasses of water every day. Your body needs water to function efficiently. This is true for people who simply want to be healthy and hydrated, as well as those who want to lose weight.

When you're trying to lose weight, drinking a sufficient amount of water can keep you feeling full throughout the day. Many times people feel hungry when they are actually thirsty, and end up eating a high fat snack when a glass of healthy and calorie free water is really what they need. Additionally, drinking a sufficient quantity of water can keep you from retaining excess water weight.

Weight Loss Tip #3: Don't Starve Yourself

While it may seem contrary to the advice of eating less to lose weight, it is very important to eat when you want to lose weight. Your body needs food to survive. If you don't eat often enough, or if you don't consume a sufficient quantity of food, your body's metabolism will go into a defensive mode and slow down. This means that when you don't eat enough food to keep your metabolism running, you'll actually burn off fewer calories than when you eat a sufficient quantity of food.

Weight Loss Tip #4: Sit Down When You Eat

When you constantly eat on the run, you'll find yourself gobbling down your meals very quickly. This is very bad for your digestion, and can also wreak havoc on your diet goals. If takes your brain about twenty minutes to feel full once you start eating. If you gobble down a meal in five or ten minutes, even if you ate enough food, you'll still feel hungry. This can cause you to seek out more food that your body doesn't really need. When you sit down to enjoy a meal, you're likely to eat more slowly, which generally leads to the consumption of fewer calories.

Weight Loss Tip #5: Exercise Regularly

There are numerous exercise benefits, both for weight loss and for good overall health. It is difficult, if not impossible, for many people to lose weight without exercising. One of the many benefits of exercise is that getting in better shape can actually boost your metabolism so that your body will burn calories more efficiently even when it's at rest.

You don't have to engage in strenuous activities or exercise for hours on end to enjoy the benefits of weight loss. Twenty minutes a day for three or four days per week is a good starting point for those just beginning a diet and exercise program. Many people start out walking, while others enjoy bicycling, swimming, or attending exercise classes. To enjoy the benefits of exercise for weight loss, simply pick an activity that you will enjoy or find relaxing, and stick with it. Before you know it, your increased activity will become a habit and you'll start to notice the benefits in how your body looks and feels.

Weight Loss Diet Help > Articles > 5 Healthy Weight Loss Tips