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3 Weight Loss Tips that Really Work

By Diane Hanson

All of us know that a healthy diet coupled with a regular exercise routine is the best way to lose weight, but it can be really hard to stick to for some people. If you are tired of going on and off diets that leave you feeling cranky and terribly hungry all day, maybe it's time you steal a few of the best weight loss tips proven to help drop pounds healthily and keep it off for good.

1. Never Skip Meals

It may sound counterproductive, but skipping meals is not a good way to lose weight. The reality is it may actually cause you to pack on the pounds because your body is likely go into "starvation mode". This simply means that your body will be panicking to store any food it gets into your fat reserve, and starts using your muscles for fuel instead of body fat. When the amount of muscles you have in your body decreases, your metabolic rate will also slow down, leading to weight gain.

Moreover when you skip meals (breakfast, for example), you will feel ravenously hungry that you overeat at lunch to compensate for the missed meal. For that reason, you want to eat 5-6 smaller meals more often throughout the day to help control your appetite and calorie intake. Also, make sure these small meals are around 300 to 400 calories each, low fat and packed with protein as well as complex carbohydrates to give you a longer-lasting energy supply.

2. Adequate Fluid Intake

The other great way to naturally increase your metabolic rate for more efficient fat burning and faster weight loss is drink at least 8-10 glasses of water per day. If you are not getting enough fluids, blood volume will be reduced, which in turn will cause a reduction in oxygen supply to your muscles. When your muscles are not receiving adequate oxygen supply, you will feel tired and probably won't be at your best during a workout.

Furthermore, your fat-burning process will become sluggish because it needs adequate water in order to function efficiently. Also, water helps flush out accumulated toxins and impurities in your body while getting rid of fluid retention and bloating from water weight.

Drinking a tall glass of water before every meal will also help reduce the amount of food you consume because it fills up your stomach very quickly and leave less room for food. However, avoid drinking water, particularly cold water, with your meals as it can dilute stomach acids and enzymes and may cause indigestion and acid reflux in some people.

In addition, sipping water throughout the day also helps fight off strong food cravings and temptation so you are less likely to snack on unhealthy foods in between meals. But make sure you avoid beverages doused with sugar such as soda drinks. If you simply hate the taste of tap water, try flavoring it with a few lemon slices, lemon grass or mint leaves (bruise with your fingers).

3. Cardio Work and Strength Training

Most health and fitness experts agree that regular exercise is a critical component in any weight loss program, but not all types of exercise are created equal and some exercises are better than others at fat burning.

Cardio exercise (also known as aerobic exercise) uses large muscle groups in rhythmic motions over an extended period of time, is especially great for fat loss. It is said that early morning aerobic exercise on an empty stomach helps burn 300% more body fat than exercise done later in the day. The reason is your body does not has any glycogen (stored carbohydrates-sugar) in the system to burn so it uses stored body fat as an energy source to complete the activity.

Strength or resistance training promotes weight loss by helping you maintain and build more muscles to burn off extra calories at a faster rate. Did you know that for every extra 1lb of muscle you have, your body will burn roughly an additional 50 calories per day? So if you have an extra 10lb of lean muscle, you will melt away 500 calories a day and lose 1lb a week without even doing anything at all.

Therefore, to see significant weight loss results, you have to incorporate both cardio work and strength training into your exercise routine. Also remember that exercise does not mean running on the treadmill until you drop or lifting the heaviest weights at the gym. Too much exercise may lead to injuries and keep you out of an exercise routine for several weeks. So start slowly if you have not been very active for awhile. Aim for moderate exercise 10-20 minutes per session for the first week and then gradually increase the duration to about 30-40 minutes, 3 to 4 times a week.

Aside from jogging and step aerobics to tone muscles and burn fat, kickboxing, rollerblading, swimming as well as fast-paced dancing (rumba, salsa, swing) will also give you a great cardiovascular workout.

Not only will these fun activities help burn hundreds of calories in an hour, they are also excellent stress busters. High levels of stress has been shown to cause the body to release excessive amounts of the hormone cortisol, which leads to fat storage around the abdomen.

Besides, stress can make you to eat more than you normally would, which usually means consuming large quantities of fat-laden, sugar-rich comfort food such as chips, buttered rolls, candies and ice cream.

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