Perhaps you saw it coming for quite a while, and knew it would get to this point. Or, maybe you looked in the mirror one day and all of a sudden realized just how much weight you have put on over the years. Chances are good that the second scenario is more likely. Most of us don’t want to be overweight. And while we may have a few clues as to how we got here, it still comes as somewhat of a shock. Either way, you have finally made the decision to shed those extra pounds once and for all, and you want to lose weight fast.

Hold on! That is an admirable goal, but you need to step back for a moment and put things into perspective. To put it another way, you need to be realistic and specific. How much weight you want to lose and how quickly will play a bog role in which diet and exercise program you choose.

You still have to be realistic though. If you want to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks, then you’re not going to have much luck. Not only that, but any diet that makes such promises is most likely lying at best, or bad for your health at worst. It simply isn’t safe to lose that much weight, except for a few rare exceptions, and only if you are doing so under the guidance of a qualified medical professional.

Most experts agree that losing 1 or 2 pounds per week is safe and effective. However, you may be able to bump that up to 5 pounds in the first week in some cases. For most people, 1 to 2 pounds is ideal. It’s not only relatively easy, but you will be more likely to stay on such a diet. If you have a choice between losing 20 pounds over two months, only to regain it; or losing 1 pound per week over the course of 6 months, but keeping it off forever, which one would you choose.

The good news is that you don’t really have to choose. You can still lose the 20 pounds, but if you take the right approach, you will be able to keep it off. It’s all about a simple formula: 3,500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound of body weight. That means if you take in 500 calories less per day for a week, you will lose 1 pound. Or, if you burn off an extra 500 calories per day, you will lose a pound.

So, here’s the real “secret” to lose weight fast: do both! Take in 500 calories less and burn off an extra 500 calories. That’s 1,000 calories per day in your favor. That’s a loss of 2 pounds per week, or just over 100 pounds in a year’s time. And the best part it is that it won’t be nearly as hard as if you were depriving yourself, and that means you will be able to keep the weight off for good.

Tags: Admirable Goal, Calories, Diet, Exercise Program, Formula 3, Guidance, Health, Healthy Diet, Lose 20 Pounds, Lose Weight, Losing Weight, Mirror, Perspective, Promises, Rare Exceptions, Shock —

Weight loss and self-esteem are like the scales of justice, as one side goes down the other side goes up. Usually, the more weight you lose, the higher your self esteem goes up.

No one should think that they have to be ‘perfect’ whatever that means anyway. Perfect is an impossible standard to have, or to achieve, no one is perfect. Even all the ‘perfect’ super models and actresses you see on t.v. aren’t so perfect if you would see them without their makeup and flattering lighting.

Just find the weight that is perfect for you and your body type. Once you have set realistic goals for yourself, stick with a program that will give you every chance of attaining those goals.

I have a friend who is getting married in the spring. She wants to lose about 60 lbs. by then. She has given it a lot of thought and has set a ‘start date’. She plans on starting an exercise routine and a healthier eating plan starting on that date and continuing for the rest of her life.

By gearing up to make these changes in her life, she is allowing herself to get her head around the whole thing. That will greatly increase her chances of success. Since she has a clear and realistic game plan and a reasonable time frame, she will almost assuredly meet her weight loss goals.

She has also enlisted the help of friends to accomplish this goal. Fortunately for her, some of her closest friends are work out nuts so they can help her and bolster her when she hits a rough patch, which she probably will.

Even after just having lost a few pounds, you can already see a significant boost in her self esteem. It’s more than just the fact that she has lost a few pounds, it’s also about the fact that she has set a goal for herself and slowly but surely she is accomplishing that goal.

Being able to set a goal and see that goal met is extraordinarily fulfilling. It can really make you feel great about yourself above and beyond just the physical changes you can see in the mirror or feel in your clothes.

This is why weight loss and self-esteem can be such a powerful combination. It really is a two for one: you become better looking and you are able to set and meet a goal for yourself. Both of those things on their own can be incredibly powerful, when you combine them the benefit can go up exponentially.

If you want to see the benefits of weight loss and self-esteem increase for yourself, just set a weight loss goal, make a plan, find a friend or two to help you along the way, and go for it. Do not make it harder than it needs to be by setting yourself up for failure with unrealistic expectations. Take it slow and steady and you will get where you want to be.

Tags: Actresses, Clothes, Eating Habits, Exercise Routine, Game Plan, Healthier Eating, Lighting, Losing Weight, Loss Weight, Lot, Makeup, Mirror, Nuts, Physical Changes, Realistic Game, Realistic Goals, Rough Patch, Scales Of Justice, Self Esteem, Super Models, Time Frame, Weight Loss Goals —

Yuck! You feel fat! Maybe you just caught a peek of yourself in the mirror and weren’t happy with what you saw. Or, maybe it’s more serious. You had a doctor’s appointment and you were told you could die early as a result of how much you weigh. regardless of the reason, you are now at a point where you want to know how to lose weight. Even if you’ve tried dropping a few pounds before, this time you have to do it, anything else simply isn’t an option. That’s good! If that’s your attitude, then you are already well on your way to losing weight.

However, if you are looking for some of secret, or “latest diet breakthrough” then you will be let down. On the other hand, if you are only concerned about results and melting away that unsightly flab that has invaded the wrong parts of your body, then you’ll want to pay attention.

You should know, no matter how you feel now, it is entirely possible to lose weight. Notice I said “possible” and not “easy”. It may be easy for you, or it may not. But it is possible. My guess is that some of the techniques will sound a little goofy, but they worked. Besides, you have to stop worrying about what others think if you’re going to do well. For the record, none of what follows is theory. They are all things I did to drop 22 pounds in a few weeks. Use as many of them as you like and celebrate the victory of each pound coming off.

I’m about to use a word that I used to despise. I liked to watch TV and play around on the internet, in fact, I still do. Oh yeah! What is the word I’m referring to? Exercise.

If you are cringing at the very word, then we may have already zeroed in on part of your problem. Who likes to exercise? Sorry, it doesn’t matter. You have to engage in activities that put your metabolism into high gear, and that’s what exercise does. It’s not as bad as it sounds as you will see.

Just as the word “diet” conjures up negative images of torture and self-deprivation, so to does the word “exercise”. So call it something else. “Activities”, “play”, “fun”, “sports” or…”movement” are all good alternatives. Whatever it takes to get you to change your perception of it into something more positive.

You don’t need any fancy equipment, or any equipment at all to get started. Go for a walk around the block, climb up and down the stairs an extra time, run in place, lift large soup cans, work in the garden, anything and everything that is extra movement will burn extra calories. Even if you only burn a few, they will add up over time. Of course you can always jog, go to the gym or join a local amateur sports team if you like. Whatever you enjoy doing is fair game.

The final tip is to try to keep moving. At any given moment during the day you should be engaged in some kind of movement. Even something as inconsequential as twiddling your thumbs or tapping your foot. Sure, people may think you’re nervous about something. But, remember, you don’t care what they think anyway…you’ve got weight to lose! You can do it!

Tags: Appointment, Attitude, Calories, Diet Breakthrough, Exercise Plan, Fancy Equipment, Flab, Guess, Healthy Diet, Lose Weight, Losing Weight, Metabolism, Mirror, Negative Images, Peek, Somethin, Torture, Victory, Word Diet —

A Simple Way To Lose Weight And Keep It Off

Funny how those few extra pounds seem to creep onto our bodies without notice. Then, one day, it’s almost as though they have all been added at once. Perhaps it a glance in the mirror, or worse, a comment from a friend you haven’ t seen in a while. Whatever it is, you are ready to lose weight. You want to look and feel better. At the same time, there’s so much conflicting information about the best way to lose weight. What’s a person to do?

What follows may not be at the top of everybody’s list for ways to lose weight quickly, but it works. At the very least it should be added to your bag of tricks for dropping those extra pounds. Some of the tips may sound a little silly, but you can’t argue with results. So, what is this method? Portion control. And it can actually be a lot fun!

For starters, when you focus on your portions, there’s no need to carry along a bulky calories counter guide when you go out to eat. I used to hate trying to be “casual” when using those, because I just knew all of the other diners were watching me; thinking to themselves how fat I was.

The most basic way of controlling your portions is…get ready…this is good…putting less on your plate. See? Easy. Not so fast! If it was that easy we would all be at our ideal weight. Yes, by all means, make an effort to put less on your plate. Here are a few more tricks to keep portions limited so you can lose extra weight.

Don’t worry about cleaning your plate. In fact, make it a habit to always leave a few bites on your plate. Speaking of your plate, using smaller dishes will give the illusion that there is more food on them. You can even eat on a saucer instead of a large dinner plate. Granted, you may have to fill it a second time, but all in all, it’s an easy way to limit the amount of food you’re eating.

A big problem for a lot of people is that they eat so fast that they are technically full long before they feel full. Slow down the speed with which you normally eat. Doing so will give your stomach more time to signal the brain that it’s full.

The beauty of doing it this way is that you can eat the same foods you enjoy now. You should still add more healthy foods, but you don’t have to give up any foods if you can keep the portion sizes under control. Once you get used to it, it’s as close to automatic weight loss as you can get. There are many other things you can do, too. Imagine looking good in the mirror, or being complimented by a friend the next time you see them.

Tags: Best Way To Lose Weight, Big Lot, Big People, Calories, Calories Counter, Diners, Dinner Plate, Dishes, Eating Habits, Extra, food;, Fun, Funny, Glance, Habit, Ideal Weight, Illusion, Limited, Losing Weight, Mirror, Portion Control, Second Time, Starters, Ways To Lose Weight —