How to Lose Weight
With 5 Great Tips

The standard of how to lose weight seems simple; eat less and exercise more.  Yet, many people who are overweight already exercise and many eat few calories.  Then we are told it's hard to lose weight because by eating less, we have made our metabolism sluggish.  So which is it, and where do we start?

Many of us need help losing weight.  With a ton of diet programs and supplements flooding the market, it's easy to get confused and overwhelmed.  So take a break, sit back and read the following guide about how to lose weight.  When all else seems overly complicated, there are still basic guidelines that can help in your day to day life.  If you make them daily habits then you'll be well on your way to successful weight loss.

How to Lose Weight - The 6 Essential Tips

How to Eat Right – The bane of many dieters is sticking to the right foods. There are a number of reasons for this, and some may not be your fault. If you crave starches and sugary foods, it may be because you truly are physically addicted.

Many “diet” strategies tell us how to lose weight and consist of grazing or eating foods, including breads, rolls, or white flour wraps, every few hours. Unfortunately, many of these are starches, with high glycemic indexes. Why is this a problem, if you are not diabetic?

First, it helps to understand what these foods are; most breads and rolls (even wheat or whole wheat), bagels, white rice, waffles, pita breads and even cereals you might consider “healthy” like Grape Nuts. Starchy foods have a glycemic index similar to sugar – meaning they quickly break down into simple sugars to absorb right into your blood stream. Many of these starchy foods have a higher glycemic index than even a candy bar or glass of soda. (1)

The problem with high-glycemic foods is that they boost a hormone called tryptophan, which makes us sleepy. Tryptophan increases serotonin, the “feel good” hormone while another hormone, dopamine (the same hormone behind cocaine addiction) is stimulated (2), creating a highly mental and physically addictive state. And lastly, my biggest issue with these kinds of foods is they cause your body to burn these sugars for fuels at the expense of burning fat. This creates fat storage and promotes weight gain.

At the same time, you are bombarded with commercials, photo ads, and billboards of food. You may smell food cooking as you drive down the street, which can trigger cravings. With all the temptation, how can you eat right?

How to Lose Weight by Replacing Certain Foods - Think about replacing your foods instead of avoiding them altogether. Consider the times you eat a bagel or muffin at work, a sandwich for lunch or rice with dinner, then find a healthier alternative. This may include whole grain bread or rolls (especially sprouted), brown or wild rice, or bulgar wheat.  That one small muffin may seem like no big deal, but it can sabotage all weight loss efforts.

But don't limit yourself to only avoiding starchy carbs. Consider replacing any foods that do not fit in with the guidelines of the diet or weight loss program you are following. Fruits and vegetables make excellent snack replacements; especially if you desire the crunchy kind. Apples and celery both provide the crunch and cashew or almond butter can make these snacks a tasty, and healthy treat.

Don't skip meals as it may sabotage your efforts. Often you find diet strategies that say to never miss a meal, so it sounds like an average breakfast, lunch or dinner should work fine to help you lose weight, especially as long a it does not include dessert or sugary soda. As we find so often, the devil is in the details.

How to Lose Weight by Eating the Right Foods - By eating the right foods and keeping a schedule of eating breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack, you can ensure you consume enough nutrition and stimulate your metabolism. But the right foods must be eaten, with a focus on fresh vegetables and fruits.

For example, snacking on a bagel can trigger addictions and sabotage your body's fat burning abilities; it's just not worth it. Instead, apples and pears are known to stimulate metabolism and the organic versions are easy to find. Citrus fruits are sweet, speed metabolism and contribute to beautiful skin and a healthy immune system. Think about your meal replacements and find the healthy alternatives to keep your fat burning abilities stimulated.

Don't eat at restaurants. As many of us have experienced, it is easy to walk in with good intentions to eat right, stay on track and find healthy menu options. Then something happens; the smell of temptation overpowers us along with the thought of, next time.  Justification can become a pattern or habit all to easily.  When learning how to lose weight, it is best to avoid restaurants altogether, until you get used to making your own meals.

How to Lose Weight with Restaurant Foods - If restaurant food is a must (no kitchen, no time to even prepare), then find the right restaurant. Healthier options are all around us in these days of conscious eating. An even better option is to locate a local health food store, local or chain, as they often have healthy buffets, pre-made sandwhiches and wraps and even fresh made vegetable juice. Just be careful when choosing and remember to avoid starchy carbohydrates.

Drink plenty of water. Drinking only one 12 ounce soda per day can translate into over 12 extra pounds every year. This does not include the excess sodium (that packs on unhealthy water weight) and the sugar rush to the brain while interrupting your body's fat burning capacity.

Bottled fruit juices are not much better while 'sports' drinks all to often contain excessive sugar and sodium for the non-professional athlete. Drinking beverages with artificial sweeteners is no better as research uncovers negative side effects such as weight gain, brain tumors and various cancers. (3) Opt for clean, fresh, spring water instead, to help rev metabolism, keep your liver healthy so it can continue to burn fat and help keep all systems functioning.

Stay Busy - This can help keep your mind off of snacking. Sometimes we can get into habit such as watching television at the end of a long day, and so we snack. Try doing something else to get out of this habit and into another, healthier one like reading a book, instead, or going for a walk.

If you like to watch television, do something with your hands instead of snacking such as stretching, sit ups or crunches for your abs, play with or groom your pets, soak your feet in a luxurious bath soak and give yourself a pedicure, clip coupons, laundry (fold the clothes or iron), or facial exercises for anti aging.

There are plenty of other hobbies to do in place of tv such as; sewing, making candles, scrap booking, and arranging your photos.  Some fitness buffs say we should make health our hobby, allowing good habits to occupy our time in the quest of how to lose weight.

Exercise is the most common factor in those who successfully lose weight. The types of exercise range from brisk walking for 30 minutes a day to lifting weights at the local gym. If you can afford it, these days gyms have a variety of things to do to suit many different people. A variety of cost effective classes are often found around town, in gyms or even community and recreation centers. These may include exercise as intense as spin class or relaxing like yoga.

Look around your neighborhood for hidden, local trails, grab a friend and take a hike.  At-home exercise is all around us from home bikes and treadmills, home jumping units (rebounders) to make exercise fun, and DVD's that can teach you kickboxing, self defense and kundalini yoga poses. The variety is there and if we look in the right places, we can find it for the right cost. 

Once you learn all that can be incorporated into your lifestyle, figuring out how to lose weight will become less of a battle and more natural in our daily lives.

How to Lose Weight with Tips That May Not be Essential, Yet Helpful

Detox Drinks - Many people incorporate detox drinks into their daily regimen. These can help you lose belly fat or stimulated metabolism. These types of beverages are easy to make and don't take a lot of effort, so including them may be a great way to help your body burn fat, lose weight and can take your mind off of unhealthy snacking.

Weight Loss Cleanse – This type of program is for those who have a difficult time dieting,  or who simply do not have success with dieting. Often, this type of program can be something different, making it more stimulating to try. The foods are in line with a healthy eating plan while the supplements can help give you that extra boost you need.

Body or Colon Cleanse - Kick start your body with a cleanse.  Clear built up waste, proteins, pathogens and environmental toxins that can interfere with your weight loss goals.  Check out the 3 steps below to see how cleanse at home.

Resources:

(1) Glycemic index and glycemic load for 100+ foods” Harvard Health Publications

(2) Lennerz BS, Alsop DC, Holsen LM, et al. Effects of dietary glycemic index on brain regions related to reward and craving in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jun 26. doi: 10.3945.

(3) National Institutes of Heath; Sugar substitutes; Health controversy over perceived benefits