weight loss diet

Copyright 2006 Mike Ramsey

Does any of the following sound familiar?

You desperately want to lose weight
but you’ve tried so many different diets and failed over the years that you’ve grown discouraged.

Let’s face it
most diets aren’t easy to maintain -- they’re designed to get weight off … not for your personal convenience. And once you go off the diet
the weight comes right back
along with a bit more. Thus
you end up worse off than before.

No matter what diet you try – from the cabbage soup diet to the Master Cleanser to low-fat diets such as the Atkins Diet – one of two things usually happens:

• You lose some weight – along with your sanity as life becomes an unbearable drudge of boring food and not enough of it.

• You don’t lose weight because you just cannot stick to that diet.

In either case
you feel bad … discouraged … maybe even like a failure. But
take heart
losing weight is possible. In fact
here are five simple yet sound tips that when followed could easily enable you to lose five pounds
or more
a week!

Tip #1 – Cut the Carbs! Cutting down on your carbohydrate intake
particularly white carbs (that is
carbs from white bread
potatoes
etc.) and instead eating more high quality lean proteins (such as chicken and fish) is a great way to drop a few pounds quickly. But don’t cut carbs completely! You should still eat fibrous carbs
such as berries
spinach and apples.

Tip #2 – Stop Eating Processed Foods! Instead eat more fruits
vegetables and whole grains. Often
people who are used to eating a lot of junk food will discover they can actually a higher quantity of delicious fruits
vegetables and whole grains without gaining any weight.

Tip #3 – Cut Down on Your Sugar Intake! In particular
watch how many sodas or juice drinks you consume. The sugar in these beverages can add up quickly and these drinks aren't filling. You should also watch out for "fat-free" products. Sugar is often used to replace the flavor that is lost when the fat is removed. You will also want to be careful about how much sugar you add to coffee and tea.

Tip #4 – Drink More Water! Water naturally helps to suppress your appetite and drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day will help you lose weight and burn fat. On the other hand
if you don't drink enough water every day
your body may store water and fat that you don't need. To determine how much water you should drink: multiply your bodyweight by .66 to get the required number of ounces per day.

Tip #5 – Exercise More Often! The healthiest way to lose weight is to exercise. Someone who increases the amount they exercise
but maintains the same diet and calorie intake
will almost certainly lose weight. Plus
excessive sweating from cardio activity
such as running
walking and using aerobic gym equipment
will help you de-bloat and lose inches and pounds quickly.

But a word of caution
if you haven’t exercised in a while be sure to check with your physician first and also be sure to start any exercise program slowly.