Top Ten Keys To Natural Weight Loss

If you are like most people, you want a quick summary of what you should do to lose weight. We Americans are programmed for “instant gratification”. Unfortunately, since it took years to gain your current weight, it will take at least weeks and months to loss that weight. So set some realistic expectations. But to satisfy your need for “what can I do right now”, in as few words as possible, I have compiled a top ten things to do to start your weight loss program.

1. First, adopt healthier eating habits. You can use natural low calorie seasonings such as scallions, peppers and onions to enhance the taste of your food. I try to use spicier things, like jalapenos to substitute for the fat and butter tastes. This is proven for long term health and fat maintenance, and masks the overall diet. A good rule of thumb is…if it looks like it has lots of calories, it darn well does!

2. When preparing chicken, pork or meat, trim off the fat, or remove the skin in the case of chicken.

3. People tend to be more dedicated when they know they need to report their results with someone. Find someone to exercise with, a friend or even someone on a diet. Share your goals! Doing things like dieting and exercising with a buddy creates the common goal attitude.

4. Write down what you eat and I mean everything you eat. You’d be surprised at how many extra things you are eating when you start to see your total intake on paper. Plan ahead with your food intake and simply don’t eat anything not on your plan.

5. If you must fry things, use a non-fat cooking spray. The difference in these two products is almost 10 fold in calories.

6. Don’t ever give up! Take pride in your ability to stand alone in the decision of what you put in your mouth. Change your lifestyle. Adapt to those around you, but do it positively. Don’t let someone take you off your game. You can only fail if you quit. Nothing can take the place of dogged persistence! Not intelligence, not talent, and certainly not Cheetos!

7. Blend in exercise with reduced calorie consumption. Start exercising slowly and build up. Remember that exercise cannot remove the need to watch your intake completely. There was a time when I was running 60 miles a week where I was eating anything and everything I wanted, but that level of exercise is very hard to build up to that level, and even harder to maintain. Aerobic exercise burns fat! Find the heart rate for you that optimizes fat burning. As you lose weight, your exercises become easier and you can extend the duration. The duration of an exercise is more important than the intensity of the exercise when you are trying to burn fat.

8. Alas, cut back on alcohol intake. As my doctor said (and I hated him for it), those are empty calories. Sure doc, but they help with the post work day relaxation. If you really want a drink, have a glass of red wine, which has several known anti-aging and other positive health attributes.

9. Do not weigh yourself every day. Fluctuations in fluid levels will cause short term ups and downs, and make you feel like you failed when you are really sticking to your diet. Weigh yourself once a week at the beginning, and less frequently as time goes on. This is a marathon, not a sprint!

10. The real key to losing weight is consistency. If you mess up one day, climb back on the horse and get back with your program. One bad meal, or even one bad day isn’t reason to quit your overall goal.