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Basic Tips To Achieve Healthy Weight Loss
1. Basic Tips To Achieve Healthy Weight Loss
Whether you need to lose weight for your health or you simply want to slim down before you shimmy
into a swimsuit, shedding extra pounds in a healthy way is certainly the ideal. Keep reading for some
basic advice on losing weight without compromising your health.
The most efficient way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than you burn through daily
activities and exercise. If you don't have hours to spend in the gym or you lead a relatively sedentary
lifestyle, you must trim extra calories from your diet. Switch to lower-fat dairy products, consume less
red meat, and add more "whole" foods to your diet, including fiber-rich fruits and veggies, which keep
you feeling full.
Besides making healthier choices, you should also adjust your portion sizes; you may be eating far
more food than you realize. For instance, a serving of cheese equals about four dice. One serving of
meat is approximately the size of a deck of playing cards. If you aren't confident that your portion
sizes are correct, carefully measure them for a week or two until you can eyeball them accurately.
Calories that you drink, unfortunately, still count. You don't have to give up soda, beer, wine or lattes
altogether, but you should take those calories into consideration when totaling your caloric
consumption each day. Switching to diet soda, light beer and low-fat coffee shop drinks is an
effortless way to trim calories from your diet so you can lose weight.
Another key factor in losing weight safely is eating a balanced diet. Heavily restricting your intake to
just a few foods will not only leave you feeling unsatisfied, but it leads to deficiencies in key nutrients.
Ensure that your intake of lean proteins, dairy, grains and starches, veggies and fruits is varied and
balanced. A well-rounded diet will leave you feeling less hungry and more energetic, especially if you
count your calories and manage portion sizes.
Losing weight without physical activity is difficult. Look for ways to fit more activity into your day, from
visiting the gym after work to parking a few blocks from your destination and walking. Regular
workouts not only burn calories, but they build lean muscle and boost your metabolism, meaning that
you burn more calories during your day-to-day activities.
2. Despite their promises of quick success, fad diets are generally not the healthiest ways to lose
weight. Many of these diets eliminate entire food groups, which deprives your body of important
nutrients. Fad diets are generally not sustainable for the long haul, either. The on-again, off-again
cycle of yo-yo dieting is unhealthy, too. Losing weight only to gain it back again quickly puts strain on
organs like your heart, and it can wreck your metabolism. Rather than falling for every hip eating plan
that comes along, eat a well-balanced diet that you can sustain long-term.
Finally, do not deprive yourself of things like chocolate, wine or cheesecake. The occasional
indulgence will not cause you to gain weight, especially if you make a conscious effort to burn the
extra calories or make up for them with healthier eating the next day. When you do have a treat,
savor every sip or bite, and keep the portion size reasonable.
The keys to losing weight without harming your body are truly simple; you must create a balanced,
healthy diet that you can sustain long-term and combine it with some form of exercise that you enjoy.
You may not lose weight as quickly as you would with the latest juice- or soup-based diet, but you will
keep the weight off.
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