General Weight Loss Tips to Lose Weight Fast, cont.

17.   Know whether you’re considered obese. Being obese simply means that you are at least twenty pounds overweight, according to the medical definition. Since obesity is linked to the development of medical problems like diabetes, heart disease, strokes and cancer it is dangerous to remain obese for an extended period of time.  If you are twenty or more pounds overweight, consider your options now and talk to your doctor about a healthy eating and exercise plan that can improve your overall health through weight loss.

18.  Drinking green tea may help you lose weight. Green tea has many health benefits.  Perhaps the most important benefit for people who want to lose weight is that green tea stimulates the body’s metabolism and increases the rate at which fat is burned.  Consider switching from coffee to green tea in the morning and the benefits will be almost immediately visible.

19.   Adapt your plan. Even if you’ve decided to follow a weight loss program, or join a weight loss center, know that it is ok to adapt this plan to meet your lifestyle and tastes.  For example, if you work long hours it may be necessary for you to forego dinner until 9 p.m. instead of the prescribed 5 p.m.  Or, you may need to have shorter, more frequent exercise sessions. Whatever works best for you is fine. As long as you stick with it!

20.  If you do nothing else, be aware. Being aware of what and how much you are eating and how much you are moving is the first step in the weight loss process.  Even if you make no changes and just focus on awareness, chances are that you will begin to modify your lifestyle subconsciously. What a great way to embark on the weight loss process!

21. Get online.  The Internet is a great place to find resources and communities where you can get much needed advice and support as you lose weight. You will find inspiration, motivation and tips for keeping the weight off at the click of a mouse.

22.  Don’t waste your money on spa treatments. When weight loss is your goal, avoid gimmicky offers by spas and retailers offering miracle machines, treatments, pills and lotions that will supposedly make you lose weight (without having to actually DO anything).  There is no magic way to lose weight – so keep your money and start thinking healthier to give your weight loss a boost. That’s not to say that you can’t treat yourself to a spa treatment. When you feel happier you’ll be more likely to stick to your weight loss plan. Maybe make a trip to the spa your reward for sticking to your plan all week long!

23.   Accept yourself. One of the most effective ways to lose weight is to develop a positive self-image.  Accept yourself the way you are, and recognize that everyone can be improved in some way.  By accepting yourself, you are actually setting the stage for a more rewarding weight loss experience. One way to do this is to make a list of all the attributes you value in yourself. When you become obsessed with your weight you can look at this list and get some much needed optimism.

24.  Talk to your insurance provider. You might be surprised to learn that your medical insurance carrier may be willing to reimburse you for participating in a weight loss program, or even joining a fitness club!  What a great way to offset the cost of making a healthy lifestyle change! And, your insurance provider probably has nutritionists and fitness experts on staff to help you through the process of losing weight.

25.  Talk to your doctor before taking any weight loss pills. All over the television and the Internet there are countless stories about the negative side effects of weight loss pills. Many of the hot selling diet supplements over the past decade have ended up being harmful. Before taking anything – even if it claims to be all natural – talk to your doctor or nutritionist. The short term gains these pills provide are overshadowed by the potential long term risks to your health.

26.  Understand Body Mass Index (BMI). Body mass index is a number that helps you to translate the amount of health risk that you face as a result of your current weight. The measurement tells you the amount of fat that your body is currently storing based upon a ratio between your height and weight. The higher your BMI, the more at risk you are. Losing just a few pounds will allow you to reduce your BMI and at the same time reduce your risk of developing serious health problems now and in the future. Find out your BMI with the online calculator at :  http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

27.  Don’t forget that rapid weight loss is harmful. According to researchers, people who lose weight at a rate of 3 or more pounds per week stand a much higher risk of developing gallstones and other gall bladder related problems. Studies show that the risk is about 20% higher in people who experience rapid weight loss. When you lose weight quickly you are also significantly more likely to put it back on again (and then some!) Aim to keep your weight loss to one or two pounds per week.

Tags: BMI, Body Mass Index, green tea, lose fat, lose weight fast, obese

General Weight Loss Tips to Lose Weight Fast.

1. Set realistic goals. Anyone who has ever set an unrealistic weight loss goal will tell you that not meeting your own expectations is the fastest way to fail at weight loss. You should plan to lose no more than 1-2 pounds per week. In general, people who set realistic goals will exceed it during at least the first few weeks. Exceeding your weight loss goals will give you something to get excited about, and keep the weight loss process positive.

2. Get support. When you make the decision to lose weight, enlist the help and support of your friends and family members. Having people around you who will encourage you through the process is a great way to start. Be careful about telling those people who might be discouraging, either by not supporting your goals or by hounding you every time they see you eat something that they deem inappropriate for someone who is dieting. Neither of these scenarios is helpful!

3. Learn to keep things in moderation. When your goal is to lose weight, remember the old saying…all things in moderation. By following this mantra with eating and working out, you will lose weight at a reasonable pace and feel good while doing it!

4. Join a program. Weight loss groups like Weight Watchers are popular for more than just their diet plans. They help people to form a community with other people who have the same goals. This extended support network is great for making weight loss more exciting – having someone with whom you can share your excitement. It is also a great way to talk through some of the issues that you might be experiencing with your weight loss program. Support is crucial when you are attempting to make major lifestyle changes.

5. Buy yourself a portable music player. Music is one of your biggest allies when trying to lose weight. Listening to music will make exercise time fly by and it can definitely improve your mood. Consider buying yourself a new portable music player (mp3 or CD) when starting out on a weight loss program. You don’t need to make a huge financial investment, and you could easily buy a portable CD player for well under $100.

6. Get a buddy. Having a close friend or family member agree to lose weight with you is an excellent way to get the support you need. And it gives you someone that you can learn tips, swap recipes and try new exercises with. Losing weight with a friend is also good for people who need an understanding friend to talk things through with. Remember, weight loss is more than a temporary process, it is a major lifestyle change and you will definitely benefit from all of the support that you can get.

7. Choose your information sources wisely. If a friend or co-worker offers diet advice over a fast food burger and shake – you need to decide whether their advice is the right way to go. Instead find trust sources of information such as your family doctor, a nutritionist, the trainer at your gym or even a reputable website. Finding someone who can answer questions when you have them can take a load off your mind and make you feel good that you’re making informed decisions about your weight loss.

8. Dress for weight loss success: In order to start thinking thin, pay attention to what you are wearing. Overweight people tend to dress “bigger” than they actually are with baggy or oversized clothing. As you begin losing weight, consider some updates to your wardrobe that will accentuate your best features and help you to remember that losing weight will make you more attractive in your own eyes.

9. Remember, there are no guarantees with any weight loss plan. Keep in mind that there are no guarantees with any weight loss plan. While some people may see temporary benefits from fad dieting or other quick fixes, overall the best way to approach weight loss is by modifying your lifestyle and adopting a healthy way of living.

10. Stay off the scale. For best results, do not weigh yourself more than once a week at the most. Since a healthy goal consists of a plan to lose no more than 1-2 pounds per week, you may not see significant results until several weeks have passed. Spare yourself the disappointment of seeing little change and plan to weigh yourself as infrequently as possible.

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11. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat.11.   Many doctors and nutritionists will hand you a chart that specifies your weight goal according to your height alone. What these charts do not take into consideration is that muscle weighs a lot more than fat. While your doctor may think that you should lose 50 pounds to meet his goal – you may actually only need to lose 10 pounds. Never risk losing muscle to attain a specific weight.

12. Get plenty of sleep. When you are trying to lose weight, it is extremely important to make sure that you are getting the recommended eight hours of sleep per night. Believe it or not, sleep is one of the body’s mechanisms for burning fat and calories. Failing to get the proper amount of sleep will reduce your body’s ability to burn fat and slow down the weight loss process.

13. Keep a food diary. A food diary can be as simple or as detailed as you like. The goal is for you to keep track of everything that you eat – especially in the beginning of your weight loss program. A food diary will help you to realize where your extra calories are coming from and why it is that your weight loss efforts may be stalling. Sometimes seeing it in black and white is all it takes to get the motivation needed to keep going.

14. Thin is not the goal. When starting out on a weight loss plan, your goal should not be to become model thin. Instead, you should focus on developing a plan for healthy living and losing a reasonable amount of weight. And be sure that it is you alone who decides how much weight you should lose. Never let anyone else tell you how much you should weigh. Only you can set goals for yourself and develop a realistic plan for achieving them.

15.  Never starve yourself to lose weight. If you stop eating with the intention of losing weight, the opposite is what will happen. When you do not eat, your body thinks that it is starving and begins to store everything you do eat and convert it to fat. Therefore, you may actually end up gaining weight instead of losing it! Eat less and eat wisely – but never starve yourself.

16. Energy balance is key. It is important to develop a healthy balance between the number of calories that you consume and the number that you expend on a daily basis. The closer to equal that these two factors become, the healthier you will be. Increasing exercise and decreasing calories will also help your body to burn calories more effectively and to lose weight at a faster rate.

Tags: Add new tag, lose fat, lose weight, weight loss goals, Weight Watchers