As America’s obesity epidemic continues to spiral out of control, more and more people are looking for a successful weight loss plan.  The problem begins with the fact that there are thousands of such plans claiming to help you lose weight.  It can be a seemingly impossible task to determine which plans actually work.  There are, however, some key aspects to successful plans.  Here are five keys to a successful weight loss plan:

1.  Above all else, a successful weight loss plan should have its foundation layed upon solid science.  This doesn’t mean that a successful plan has to necessarily be at the forefront of weight-loss science, but its fundamentals must be based upon proven results.  This can be as simple as a proven strategy for cutting calories, an effective workout routine, or the incorporation of new weight loss medicine into your program.

2.  With regards to diet, specifically, you should look for a plan that shows you how to follow a low calorie and high fiber diet.  Obviously, you want to follow a low-calorie plan.  But why high fiber?  Recent studies have confirmed that a diet high in fiber tends to fill a person up quicker than a diet low in fiber.  Therefore, when eating high fiber foods, you will become fuller quicker.

3.  A successful weight loss plan must also incorporate a properly balanced exercise routine.  Typical cardiovascular exercises, such as running, swimming, and bicycling, must be included to burn calories.  But equally important, is that a strength training routine also be part of the weight-loss program.  This is vital, because muscle burns calories at a much quicker rate than fat.  If you can successfully add muscle mass to your frame, then you will be burning more calories by doing the same cardiovascular exercises.  They are two sides of the same coin.

4.  Another aspect of the successful weight loss plan should include firm planning.  Without solid goals in mind, you are almost guaranteeing failure in trying to lose weight.  Not only should goals be results oriented, such as losing a certain amount of weight in a certain amount of time, but also process oriented.  For example, you would want one of your goals to focus on maintaining your planned diet for a certain amount of time.

5.  A final key to a successful weight loss program is including proper motivation.  While it is true that you are the only one who can properly motivate yourself to lose weight, there are certain tools you can be equipped with to achieve that motivation.  Techniques like keeping a journal or losing weight with the group of friends can vastly improve the motivation you feel to lose weight.

Every successful weight loss plan is comprised of many different aspects.  However, there are certain number of key components that you will find every successful plan uses.  Relying upon a solid scientific background, incorporating proper diet and exercise, planning with firm goals in mind, and utilizing proper motivational techniques are five such key aspects of a successful weight loss plan.

As more and more scientific evidence points towards the health benefits of losing weight, people are increasingly altering their diets to achieve healthy bodies.  While maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is surely the most fundamental aspect of losing weight, there are some specific foods one can eat to dramatically improve weight loss results.  Here are five of them:

1.  It may be so simple that you have overlooked it in your diet.  Water is the number one food you can use to help you lose weight.  Not only is water vital to all your bodies systems, but many times you can stave off hunger simply by drinking a glass.  Additionally, replacing just two cans of cola with water per day can shave off almost a pound of body fat per week!

2.  Cereals high in fiber and low in fat are another very powerful group of foods that will help you lose weight.  Recommending low-fat foods for those trying to lose weight is not new — however, recent studies have shown that foods high in fiber tends to fill people up for longer periods of time than those foods lacking fiber.  By adding a high-fibe,r low-fat cereal to your diet, not only will you be delivering valuable nutrients to your body, but you will also be able to go longer between meals without feeling hungry.

3.  You may have heard of a number of different artificial sweeteners claiming to help you lose weight.  One in particular, xylitol, is a particularly powerful food that can help you with your weight loss.  A naturally occurring sugar alcohol, xylitol’s glycemic index is only 7% of that of table sugar.  This means that the energy contained in xylitol is released more gradually into your system then the energy contained in table sugar.  Add that to the fact that xylitol only has two thirds of the calories of table sugar, and you can see why it is such a powerful fat burning food.

4.  Spicy foods containing capsacian can also help you lose weight.  You’ve probably noticed when eating particularly spicy foods that your appetite decreases.  Using this to your advantage, you will be able to eat less and still feel full.  There are also a preliminary studies suggesting that spicy foods actually increase your body’s metabolism, thereby burning more calories than normal.

5.  Candy bars can also help you lose weight.  No, I’ve not gone crazy.  It is important to reward yourself at times for staying on track with your weight loss diet.  The way to do this is to have small prepackaged portions of candy or chocolate available.  By using small prepackaged portions, you run much less risk of binging on your favorite reward snack.

Proper diet is the most fundamental aspect of a weight loss program, and you should strive to keep your diet as healthy and balanced as possible. However, by using some of these powerful fat burning foods when you can, your weight loss results are sure to skyrocket.

New medical studies continue to pile on evidence that maintaining a healthy weight is the number one factor in fending off disease and living longer.  There is also a tremendous social pressure to lose weight for one who has extra fat on his/her body.  The most common area where one usually wishes to lose weight is on his/her belly.  While there are no ways to specifically target the fat around the midsection, a few powerful tips for weight loss in general can be applied to lose that spare tire.  Here are four of them:

1.  It is important to incorporate cardiovascular exercise into your weight loss program.  Anything that gets your heart rate up and leaves you feeling winded when you’re done is generally good for losing belly fat.  Some exercise ideas include riding your bike, walking, running, swimming, or aerobics.  Do any of these activities for 30 minutes, four to five times a week, and you will generally be getting the proper amount of cardiovascular exercise.

2.  There is a powerful misconception that the optimal way to get your calories is by being three square meals per day.  Studies show that eating smaller meals five to six times a day can help you both lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.  The reasons for this seem to be twofold.  When you eat, you naturally use energy to digest your food.  Thus, the more often you eat, the more energy you will be expending trying to digest that food.  Additionally, eating more often means you will be hungry less and therefore less likely to binge.

3.  While slightly counterintuitive, putting muscle on your body can actually help you lose fat. The reasoning behind this is that it takes your body more calories to maintain muscle than it does fat.  Doing some simple strength training exercises such as lifting weights, push-ups, or pull-ups can add muscle to your frame, thereby increasing your metabolism and burning fat.

4.  Most people (Americans in particular) obtain far too many calories from their drinks.  Colas and juices can contain as much as 150 calories per serving.  Just two servings per day can lead to 35 extra pounds of body fat per year.  Replacing these drinks with cold water can help you lose belly fat through two ways.  First, you are eliminating a large chunk of calories out of your diet which contains almost no nutrients.  Also, when you drink cold liquid your body must expend energy to maintain your natural body temperature.

Spare tire, love handle, call it what you will — many people struggle with trying to lose stubborn belly fat.  Belly fat, however, is no different from any other fat on your body.  Using common weight-loss techniques, such as the ones described above, will help you lose weight in a healthy manner.

Never has there been more pressure to maintain a healthy weight than today.  When you take into consideration the fact that the average woman gains 25 to 35 pounds during the course of her pregnancy, it is obvious why so many new mothers are eager to lose that extra weight.  While your health, and your new baby’s health, should always be paramount, there are a few powerful tips that can help you lose that extra weight.  Here are five of them:

1.  Perhaps the most powerful tip on losing weight after pregnancy is simply to breast-feed.  Not only does it provide numerous benefits to both mother and baby, but it burns a massive amount of calories.  Breast-feeding between six and eight times a day, the average mother can burn up to 500 calories in 24 hours.  That’s equivalent to about a pound of body weight per week.

2.  Another powerful tip is to cut out sugary drinks.  Drinking only a couple cans of cola per day can add up to an extra pound of body weight in just 10 days.  Juice, while containing more nutrients, is not much better.  Simply replace these sugary drinks with water and not only will you stay hydrated better, but you will lose your pregnancy weight at a much quicker pace.

3.  Keep convinient and healthy snacks available to you.  New mothers often don’t have the time to cook healthy meals, so it is no wonder that so many of them resort to junk convenience foods.  However, with a little preparation you can put together healthy, convenience snacks for the times you don’t have to prepare healthy food.  Some ideas include trail mix, raisins, sliced fruit, whole grain crackers, low fat cheese, or sliced vegetables with a low-fat dip.

4. Set reasonable goals for yourself.  The average mother games about 30 pounds during her pregnancy.  About 10 of these pounds are lost during childbirth, leaving the mother with 20 additional pounds after pregnancy.  A reasonable amount of time to lose this weight should be between six and 12 months.  Trying to lose the weight much quicker than that is not only unhealthy, but unreasonable and thus will sap your motivation when you fail to achieve your unrealistic goal.

5.  Begin light exercise as soon as your doctor gives you the green light.  While taking small steps, such as going for a 20 minute walk with your baby, may not seem like much, it is important to establish a routine of exercise.  When you are able to become more active you can expand on this, but the sooner you begin exercising, the more comfortable you will be with it in the future.

Obviously, you need to check with your doctor before implementing any of these techniques.  However, when you are ready to begin losing your pregnancy weight, these tips are sure to help him.

For an individual who is overweight, exercising to lose that weight is one of the most rewarding activities he/she will ever embark upon.  However, there are literally thousands of activities you can do to burn calories.  It can be intimidating, to say the least, wondering where to start with such a varied array of exercises.  There are certain activities, though, that can take calorie burning to a whole different level. Listed below are the top X ways to burn calories (note: number of calories burned per activity assume a body weight of 150 pounds and exercise time of 30 minutes).

These activities can be split up into three general groups: Gym activities, training and sports activities, and daily life activities. The top gym activites for burning calories include:

Vigorously riding a stationary bicycle — 358 calories
Step aerobics using a ten to twelve inch step — 341 calories
Stairstep machine without using the hand rails — 307 calories
Vigorously using a stationary rowing machine — 289 calories
Step aerobics using a six to eight inch step — 289 calories
General vigorous calisthenics — 273 calories
Using an elliptical trainer — 245 calories

The top trading and sports activities for burning calories include:

Running at ten mph — 545 calories
Bicycle lane at twenty miles an hour — 545 calories
Rollerblading — 426 calories
Bicycling at sixteen to nineteen miles an hour — 409 calories
Running at seven miles an hour — 392 calories
Bicycling at fifteen miles an hour — 341 calories
Vigorously swimming laps — 341 calories
Practicing Martial Arts — 341 calories
Running at five miles an hours — 307 calories
Playing competetive football — 307 calories
BMX or mountain biking — 290 calories
Vigorously downhill skiing — 282 calories

The top daily life activities for burning calories include:

Moving household furniture — 205 calories
Shoveling snow — 205 calories
Mowing lawn with a push mower — 187 calories
Digging dirt — 170 calories
Hanging storm windows — 170 calories
Caulking windows — 153 calories
Playing moderately active child games — 136 calories
Bathing your dog — 119 calories
Vacuuming — 119 calories
Washing your car — 102 calories
Reading a book — 34 calories
Sleeping — 31 calories

As you can see, there are a number of activities which can be employed to lose weight.  The most effective exercises may not be a surprise to you — running, bicycling, and step aerobics are at the top.  But you may have been surprised to read that you can burn 136 calories just by playing with the child for a half hour.  By using this list you will be able to custom tailor your workout routine to your exact needs.

It seems as if everyone these days is attempting to lose weight.  Given the massive amount of medical evidence mounting that shows the health benefits of maintaining an optimal weight, it is no surprise.  However, the amount of techniques available for losing weight can be quite intimidating.  Recently, there has been interest in using a single, simple element to help people lose weight.  Can water make you lose weight?

Before answering this question, it is important to understand that water is vital to all systems of the body.  As the human body is made up of 70% water, its importance to the body’s functions can only be equaled to that of oxygen.  Without the proper amount of water in your body, you will find it very difficult to lose weight at all.  Your immune system, your circulatory system, your muscular system, your nervous system, and most importantly for losing weight, your digestive system all depend on proper hydration to function.  You are handicapping your attempt to lose weight if you do not drink enough water.  You should drink between eight and ten 8 ounce glasses of water per day for optimal hydration.

Besides drinking enough water, you should carefully interpret how your body conveys both hunger and thirst to you.  Research has shown that many times, when one experiences feelings of “hunger,” he/she is often confusing those feelings for what is actually thirst.  The next time you are feeling hungry, it would do you good to drink an 8 ounce glass of water.  Then, wait 20 minutes and see if your hunger goes away.  Your results may surprise you.

Another way you can use water to help you lose weight is by drinking it as cold as possible.  If you are drinking the recommended 64 ounces of water each day, at 32°F, your body will burn an extra 70 calories warming that water up to your body temperature.  While this may not seem like a lot, over the course of a year, this comes out to be equivalent to about 7 pounds of body fat.  But be careful about who you tell this method to — they might think you’re crazy for telling them they can lose 7 pounds in a year by drinking cold water!

A final way you can use water to help you lose weight is by replacing all your sugary drinks with it.  Sugar filled drinks such as cola and juice are widely understood to have contributed to the obesity epidemic that America is currently experiencing.  A typical can of cola can contain as much as 200 calories.  Again, this may not seem like a large amount, but over the course of a year that is over 20 pounds of body fat.  If you drink a few of these types of drinks per day, you will see immediate and quick results by replacing them with simple H2O.

You may take water for granted, but it can be a very powerful tool in helping you to lose weight.  As part of a healthy and balanced diet, indeed, water can make you lose weight.  Of course, you should consult with your doctor when making any changes to your diet.

It seems as if each new day brings a new scientific study pointing towards the benefits of losing extra weight.  Couple with this the social pressure one feels to lose weight, and it is not hard to understand why there is so much interest in maintaining a healthy weight.  Health experts generally recommend eating a healthy and balanced diet as the best way to go about losing extra weight.  But what exactly constitutes a healthy diet? An ideal diet for losing weight should make up be made up of between 45% to 65% carbohydrates, 10% to 35% protein, and 20% to 35% fat.

When carbohydrates are broken down in the body they take on the form of glucose.  Glucose sugar is the primary source of energy for every activity the body takes on.  Between 45% — 65% of your calories should be derived from carbohydrates.  Virtually all foods contain some amount of carbohydrates, thus the choices available can be staggering.  One who wishes to lose weight should look towards more nutrient rich carbohydrate containing foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.  Foods such as colas, fruit drinks, candy, and cookies, which do not contain any significant amount of nutrients should be avoided.  These foods are often described as containing empty calories.

The proteins play an equally vital role in all the body’s functions.  Proteins are the single largest contributor to helping our immune system and hormonal systems function.  Additionally, they are the essential building blocks for most of the bodies tissues, such as the skin, muscles, and the internal organs.  As with carbohydrates, proteins are found in nearly all foods.  However, not all protein sources are created equal.  When attempting to lose weight, one should strive to obtain the majority of his/her protein from foods like fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, nuts, and lean red meat. The government recommended amount of protein one should intake daily is equal to roughly .35 g of protein per pound.

It may surprise you to read that the body requires 20% to 35% of its daily calories from fat. There are different types of fat however, and one must be careful to strictly limit the types of food that contain more harming fat varieties.  Foods such as processed meats, butter, lard, cream, whole milk dairy products, ice cream, and many processed grain foods contain what is known as saturated fat.  Saturated fat is especially harmful to the body because it can build up in the arteries and contribute to a number of diseases. It is recommended that a mere 10% of your daily calories come from saturated fats.  Trans-fats are even more harmful.  Generally derived from foods containing hydrogenated oils (be sure to check the ingredient labels at the store) the current recommendation for intake of trans-fats is zero. To achieve the optimal balance of fat in your diet, include foods such as peanuts, walnuts, all men’s, avocado, canola and olive oil, salmon and other fatty fish, and sunflower oils.

If you are overweight, changing your diet is perhaps the most important thing you can do to improve your health.  Following a few simple guidelines, such as the advice given above, can bring you a long way towards eating right for weight loss.

With the recent rise in obesity levels, the number of people wishing to lose weight has increased dramatically.  Given the staggering amount of information regarding weight loss, however, it is understandable why so many find it difficult to get started losing weight.  Developing the right plan which incorporates diet, exercise, and proper motivation will guarantee your success in starting a weight-loss program.

Determining one’s diet is perhaps the most crucial step in establishing a weight-loss plan.  The first thing that needs to be determined in establishing a diet is how many calories it currently takes to maintain one’s weight, and also how many calories it will take to maintain one’s desired weight.  There is a simple formula that is useful in determining these two figures.  Simply take your current weight in pounds and multiply it by 14 for sedentary people, 17 for moderately active people (moderately active is defined as 3-4 aerobic sessions per week), or 20 for active people (active is defined as 5-7 aerobic sessions per week).  This will give you the amount of calories necessary to maintain your current weight.  To arrive at the number of calories necessary to maintain your desired weight, simply replace your current weight in the formula with your desired weight.  Now you can see exactly how many calories per day you need to shave off of your diet in order to achieve your desired weight.  It is important to note that doctors generally do not recommend cutting your calories by more than 15% at a time.

The next important step in beginning a weight-loss plan is figuring out which exercises you will incorporate.  Any good weight-loss plan will incorporate a combination of cardiovascular exercises and muscle building exercises.  While your implicit goal may not be to build muscle, building muscle increases your metabolism and will aid in burning fat off your body.  Some examples of good cardiovascular exercises include running, walking, aerobics, riding your bike, or swimming.  Some examples of muscle building exercises include lifting free weights, push-ups, or pull-ups.

A third important aspect of starting a weight-loss program is figuring out how you will stay motivated to lose weight.  Many people start off on the right foot and are well-intentioned in their efforts to lose weight, however, they often lose motivation early on and do not reach their ultimate goals.  One very powerful way to become motivated is to set clear and reasonable goals for your weight-loss program.  By doing so you will be able to empirically chart your progress and thus will be encouraged to continue.  Another technique in keeping your motivation up is to embark upon your weight-loss program with a group of friends.  This group will both hold you accountable for your progress, and lend you support as you attempt to lose weight.

There are obviously a number of important aspects in starting a weight-loss program.  However, the above general steps will be sure to start you in the right direction.  Of course, you should consult with your doctor before starting any new weight-loss program.

“Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.”  This quote by Mark Twain may not seem to have anything to do with losing weight on its face.  However, as you progress in your weight loss program, you may find wisdom in it.  Maintaining proper motivation to continue a weight loss program can be one of the biggest hurdles when trying to lose weight.  There are, however, some tricks you can use to stay motivated.

The motivational trick that many people report working best for them is looking down at the scale and seeing actual progress.  If you are able to get off to a good start, losing those first 5 pounds can turn into a dramatic motivator.  Once you see that your program is working and it is actually possible for you to lose weight, you will be encouraged to stay with it, and the weight loss will continue.

Another way to stay motivated in losing weight is to keep a picture diary of your progress.  Start on day one of your program with several pictures of yourself.  Each week, take new pictures of yourself in the same poses.  If you make any progress at all, it will be very apparent and this can be an extremely powerful motivating technique.

It is also important to set reasonable goals in order to maintain proper motivation.  One can easily become discouraged and quit entirely on their weight loss program by setting unrealistic goals.  It does you no good to try and lose 30 pounds in 30 days, or some such nonsense.  If, however, you set a more reasonable goal of losing say it, 10 pounds in 30 days and you achieve that goal, you will feel as if you are on a direct path towards success.

A final and perhaps most powerful method of maintaining motivation is to lose weight with a group of friends or like-minded people.  Attempting to lose weight with other people can bring a few different benefits to your particular goals.  You will feel encouraged by the support others show you in trying to reach your goal.  Also, others in the group will hold you accountable and keep you honest.

All that is needed to lose weight is proper knowledge and proper motivation.  While knowledge in losing weight can be easily obtained from a number of sources, lack of motivation is often what stops people from achieving their weight loss goals.  However, with the powerful tips described above you will be able to stay motivated and complete your weight loss program.

If you’re reading this, then chances are you’re trying to lose weight.  And if you’re trying to lose weight, chances are you’re struggling.  Losing weight can be a daunting task in today’s society, where you are bombarded with unhealthy food from all directions, and you are pressured to participate in a sedentary lifestyle on your sofa.  It seems as if everybody who attempts to lose weight struggles at one time or another with their progress.  However, using the right techniques, you should be able to answer the question “why can’t I lose weight?”  Here are four such techniques to stop struggling:

1.  The number one reason most people struggle to lose weight is that they simply are not honest with themselves.  Many people claim to count calories, but conveniently leave out that Big Mac they had for lunch or that piece of cake at Aunt June’s birthday party.  On the other side of the same coin, many people are not honest about their exercise program.  It’s easy to stop 10 minutes short of your desired workout length, but doing so consistently will seriously harm your chances to lose weight.  There are two techniques in particular that are powerful in helping you stay honest with yourself.  Starting a written journal in which you write everything you eat, and every exercise you do, down to every last calorie eaten in calorie burned can go a long way towards ending your struggles.  Also, you may want to consider starting a picture journal.  Do this by taking a picture of yourself in the same pose every week.

2.  Another reason why you might be struggling is lack of goal setting.  Very rarely does anybody achieve any significant measure of success, in any walk of life, without setting specific and realistic goals.  Not only will setting goals give you a clear path and end result in your weight loss program, but as you meet these goals they will give you encouragement along the way.  It is important, however, to be realistic in your goal setting.  It will only be a disservice to your desire to lose weight if you set an unrealistic goal for yourself and then use your failure to meet that goal as an excuse to stop your program.

3. Perhaps you may be dieting too much.  You may have been upset with your progress, and decided to drastically reduce your calorie intake.  While on its face, this would seem like a sure way to lose weight quickly, ultimately it will hinder your chances in meeting your weight loss goals.  The reasons for this are twofold.  First, when your body does not get a certain amount of calories, it goes into what is termed as “starvation mode.”  This simply means that your body begins to feed off not only the fat, but also the muscle you already have.  Since muscle increases your metabolism, it is in your best interest to keep as much as possible throughout your weight loss program.  Second, when you are in starvation mode, you are much more likely to binge.  These periodic binges will do more than enough to offset any gain you get from cutting calories.  An effective way to combat potential binging is to keep small portion controlled snacks available where you can access them quickly in case of a hunger attack.

4.  A final reason you may be struggling to lose weight is, quite simply, you’re not getting enough calcium.  It is common knowledge that calcium aids in the building of bones and other tissue of the body, but a recent study by Creighton University’s Osteoporosis Research Center in Nebraska showed those who ate calcium rich diets were up to 70% less likely to be overweight.  Simply reading the calcium on a nutritional information label however, can be dangerous.  Since many high calcium foods are also high in fats, you’ll want to be sure that you’re picking your calcium sources wisely.

These are only a few reasons why you may be struggling with your weight loss program.  There are surely other aspects which are contributing either to your success or lack thereof.  However, if you combine the above techniques, you will be much more likely to meet your weight loss goals.