Weight loss is a global issue and excessive fat has been linked with diabetes, heart diseases etc. Most people don’t think carrying extra pounds is a health risk. But the harsh reality is that being obese can lop as many as 20 years off your life.

Fortunately, losing even a small amount of weight can reduce and sometimes reverse the risks. Here are 12 tips to aid you lose excess weight:

1. Set a realistic goal:

Most people expect to reduce weight overnight. This will NEVER happen. It must have taken you a considerable amount of time to accumulate the excess fat on your body, as well as unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise etc, and you can be certain that losing all that excess fat will also take considerable time. Setting unrealistic weight loss goals will only aid in discouraging you when you don’t meet your target at your specified time.

You can start by first setting a monthly goal and in your first month aim at limiting unhealthy habits and increasing healthy habits.


2. Reduce your carbohydrate intake:

You can expect to do the same thing and expect a different result. It is neccessary that you cut on the quantity of carbohydrates you eat at each meal. A drastic cut is not neccesary, start by reducing your portions in bits and with time your body system will get used to not having the same quantity per meal and eventually it will adapt and your cravings will reduce. Evidence is mounting that excess sugar, and fructose in particular, is the primary factor in the obesity epidemic, so it’s definitely a food you want to avoid if you want to lose weight.

3. Eat regularly but in bits:

It is a general wrong practice by many people who intend to lose weight to decide to skip meals just to lose weight. The truth is that your body needs a constant supply of food so your aim should be to eat regularly but reduce the quantity and increase the quality of food you eat.

4. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables:

This cannot be over emphasized. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar which can help keep appetite in check which will aid you in achieving your weight loss goal.

5. Avoid sugar and sweets:

Added sugars (like sucrose and high fructose corn syrup) contain a whole bunch of calories with NO essential nutrients. For this reason, they are called “empty” calories. There are no proteins, essential fats, vitamins or minerals in sugar… just pure energy. When people eat up to 10-20% of calories as sugar (or more), this can become a major problem and contribute to nutrient deficiencies. It can have harmful effects on metabolism and contribute to all sorts of diseases.

6. Drink water before or between and not after meals:

Drink one glass of water 30 minutes before a meal to help digestion. Remember not to drink too soon before or after a meal as the water will dilute the digestive juices. Occasional sips during meal is okay but in small quantities to aid digestion. The best practise is to drink water an hour after the meal to allow the body to absorb the nutrients.

7. Exercise:

Even if you don’t have the time to go to the gym, you can squat, do sit ups, press up, leg ups and even skip right in your bedroom. At least 30 mins of exercise daily is ideal to enable you reach your ideal wight loss goal.

Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. You don’t need to set aside large chunks of time for exercise to reap weight-loss benefits. If you can’t do an actual workout, get more active throughout the day in simple ways — by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or revving up your household chores.

8. Drink lots of water:

Water does not have some magical property that burns fat (sorry!), but it definitely can help you with your weight-loss efforts (hooray!). First off, staying hydrated could help you avoid overeating. A lot of people confuse thirst for hunger, so they’ll tend to eat rather than drink water.

9. Avoid fatty foods:

You are more likely to gain weight with fatty foods and obesity predisposes to many diseases. Researchers assessed the daytime sleepiness/alertness levels of 31 healthy, non-obese people, aged 18 to 65, who were normal sleepers. Then they looked at the meals they ate. Higher fat consumption was associated with increased daytime sleepiness while higher carbohydrate intake was linked with increased alertness. There was no relationship between protein consumption and sleepiness or alertness.

You can try swapping fatty foods such as fried chicken with boiled fish. Swaaping unhealthy meals with healthy ones will greatly aid in your weight loss journey of reducing excess fat.

10. Be consistent with your goals: It is important to be be consistent in order to reach your weight loss goals. Athletes still wake up first thing in the morning to exercise even when they don’t have a competition close. Weight loss is all about consistency and even after you have reached your goal it is also important to keep fit in order to avoid re-adding the excess weight and fat you’ve lost.

Source: http://healthyfitnessreport.com/index.php/free-healthy-weight-loss-report/

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