Fast and Easy Weight Loss Solutions

Obesity has become one of the biggest banes of modern times. If it's not unhealthy junk food and sugary drinks tempting you, it's 24-hour programming that has you glued to the TV set and fixed on the couch. Add to that sedentary jobs, video games and general lack of physical activity and you have a recipe for disaster!

But if you're determined to cut excess fat out of your life, let me tell you it's easier than you think. All you need to do is put your mind to it and make a few simple lifestyle changes. To get you started on the path to weight loss, I'll let you in on some slimming secrets that have worked for me:

Lose weight naturally

The first and most important decree of weight loss is to focus on finding healthy and natural weight loss solutions. Popping slimming pills or starting a crash diet in a desperate attempt to lose weight can cause serious health problems. But at times, restricting the consumption of certain food groups becomes necessary to lose body fat. If you find yourself in such a situation, look for diet programs that are wholesome, healthy and provide you adequate nutrition.

Increase water intake

Water intake plays a crucial role in losing weight. Water is believed to quicken the weight loss process as it boosts metabolism and flushes out toxins from the body. So, drinking plenty of water every day is a non-negotiable rule of weight loss. Consume at least 8-10 large glasses of water every day, if not more. Have a water bottle at hand all the time and keep sipping from it every few minutes. You can squeeze a bit of lemon or dip some herbal/green tea bags in lukewarm water for variation.

Eat healthy

It doesn't take rocket science to understand that permanent weight loss is impossible without eating healthy. How does one maintain a healthy, nutritious diet? Here are some simple dos and don'ts:

• Say no to junk, fried and sugar-loaded foods as well as colas.

• Include lots of vegetables, fruit and legumes in your diet.

• Have small, frequent meals and never skip breakfast.

• Avoid late dinners and mid-night snacking.

• As far as possible, prepare your own meals.

• If you socialize regularly, eat before you leave.

• Avoid pre-prepared or packaged meals, bars and shakes.

• Choose whole grains instead of refined; lean meat in place of regular; substitute full-fat dairy with low-fat.

If you are on a structured weight loss program, it will have its own set of eating regulations. Make sure you follow the instructions of the program to the letter if you want to reach your goal.

Exercise regularly

You can try as many weight loss solutions as you want, but nothing will work unless you make regular exercise an integral part of your life. Most weight loss and fitness experts agree 30 minutes of exercise is necessary to not just lose weight, but also to maintain optimal body weight. Thirty minutes of jogging, cycling, yoga, Pilates, aerobics, or whichever form of exercise you find interesting and stimulating can do wonders for your body. Exercise also releases the "feel good" hormone endorphin into the blood stream, making one feel energized and happy. Additionally, make it a habit to take stairs instead of elevators and escalators and walk wherever possible.

Sleep Well

Sleeping is believed to be associated with the production of appetite inducing and repressing hormones. Inadequate sleep elevates the level of appetite stimulating hormone. At the same time, it lowers the level of appetite repressing hormone leading to pangs of hunger in people who don't get enough sleep. Sleeping is also the time when your body rejuvenates and repairs. A good night's sleep prepares your body for the challenges of the next day!

None of the slimming secrets I shared above can be termed "secret" in the strictest sense of the term. These are things we are all well aware of, but choose to overlook for various reasons. It just takes a little bit of grit and determination to make these practices a part of your life. The result, I promise, will show for itself!

Jason is a self-proclaimed fitness freak. He has made the journey from an out of shape 180-pounder to a 155-pound lean machine. The transformation was made possible by the weight loss program he started a few years ago and ever since then, he doesn't spare any opportunity to spread the good word around for these structured weight loss plans.

He lives in New York with his wife of two years. His other interests include traveling and painting. He has painted over 50 beautiful landscapes while visiting foreign countries and he plans on opening an art gallery in New York at the end of the year to display his artwork.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_K_Ramirez

Real Weight Loss Solutions

Much of the weight loss industry likes to focus on overweight Americans. That’s where the money is for them. But the truth is, much of the world is overweight, too.

Studies showed that in 2000, 45% of adults all over the world were overweight. Overweight people are more likely to have chronic health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and knee arthritis. Overweight people also die at younger ages than persons of normal weight.

Many overweight people want to lose weight to improve their health and their appearance. Because so many people want to loose weight and doing it is difficult there are many commercial weight loss programs on the market. Many are expensive, capitalizing on the huge demand. Of those programs many are ineffective.

Each year millions of Americans and Europeans enroll in commercial and self-help weight loss programs. Health care providers and their obese patients know little about these programs because of the absence of systematic reviews. Unfortunately, many patients and their doctors know little about the effectiveness and safety of these programs, either.

Few high-quality studies have assessed weight loss programs. Many of the existing studies present the best-case scenario because they do not account for people who drop out of the program. he evidence to support the effectiveness of major commercial weight loss programs is limited. Patients considering the use of commercial weight loss programs should realize that these programs have not been carefully studied.

So, do weight loss programs really work? Some do in the short term but long term results are doubtful.

The real effective way to lose weight is jsut what we all want to ignore: behavioral change done

diligently over time.

Changing behavior over time and engaging in a regular exercise routine is what will take excess weight off and keep it off. There is no magic potion, pill or program. Change behavior from what you eat to how you eat it, how much you eat and when is the key to long term, sucessful wight loss.

It comes down to more calories used each day, called “burning calories,” than taking in, called “eating.”

If you are fighting obesity haphazardly, start to change your behavior TODAY. Use a smart yet systematic approach to behavior modification. It will take time but the long term benefits and permanent weight loss will be there!

Permanent Weight Loss Solutions

There are many people who attempting to lose weight, some will succeed and others will fail, however the biggest battle for people who are able to reduce their weight, is often to keep to their ideal weight. Many people will find that they have soon returned to the weight that they were before they went on their diet or even that they are actually fatter. This can of course be very depressive and can result in them losing a lot of their self-esteem. What is needed is for a permanent solution to their weight problems.

There are some obvious routes to take in the battle to lose weight. They would include increasing the amount in which we exercise and reducing the amount we eat. It is this eating issue that can be the hardest to control and to reduce as our temptations often get the better of us.

In my opinion what we need to do is to make our house a fat free zone. If we become hungry and start looking through the cupboards and notice for example a packet of crisps, it can often be very difficult not to eat them. Our desire for instant food can become too great and our inner demons try and convince us that one packet will not hurt. If that packet of crisps had not been in the cupboard we would have not been put into that position of temptation and would of course not have been able to eat them.

A number of years ago, when I went about losing my own excess weight, I decided to remove all of the foods from all of the cupboards which I was aware that I needed to stop eating. I also removed certain drinks such as alcoholic drinks which were also something which contributed to my weight problems. I put into the dustbin all of the takeaway menus that I had and basically attempted to make it as hard as possible for me to eat or drink anything that I shouldn’t have been.

When out and about I had to be determined to keep to my diet and to not be tempted to buy any of these items from the shops etc. This was not easy to do as I am somebody who loves all of these fatty type foods.

In my weekly food shop I bought far more fruit and vegetables and was surprised at how quickly my taste buds started to change. I soon looked forward to eating an apple as an example and the weight slowly but surely started to reduce.

After a number of months I reached a weight that I was happy with. My wife stated that I was now able to start eating items such as dry roasted peanuts, this was a particular favourite of mine. This was possibly true but could easily result in a return to my old bad habits and of course weight problems. I decided to stick with the fruit and my cupboards are still free of those foods which I love to eat but which are not good for my weight.