How to Lose Weight

Drink Mainly Water

A sports or energy drink, fruit smoothie, or light beer - each serving contains about 100 calories. Yet these beverages don't satisfy you the way 100 calories of food does, so they're a waste. Other liquids may be high in sodium and carbohydrates, which trick your body into retaining water, puffing you out.

Water, on the other hand, has zero calories and carbs and little to no sodium, making it the perfect slim-down drink. And strangely, it actually helps flush out excess water weight as well as jump-starts your metabolism. If it's just too boring, add lemon wedges or mint leaves. 

Cut out unhealthy carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are your bodies main source of fuel and the easiest type for your body to turn into energy. Once they enter the body they are turned into glycogen, which is energy. Carbohydrate-filled foods are also usually very high in calories. Carbohydrates are the easiest for your body to digest and turn into energy. Your carbohydrate intake should be based on the amount of physical activity that you do. Carbohydrates are energy and the amount eaten should correspond with amount of physical activity. If you are sitting in your office all day, lower your carbohydrate intake. If you have been on a job that is physically demanding, you need to eat more carbohydrates to give yourself energy. When eating carbohydrates only stick to 100% whole grains, baked potatoes, brown rice, salad(low in calories and high in fiber), fruits, etc. Stay away from simple carbohydrates and sugars such as white bread, croissants, pizza, donuts, bagels, and anything made of processed enriched flour. Lots of sugar can also spike your insulin which is a hormone which can cause you to gain fat.

Fats are not bad

A big misconception is that fats are bad and that eating fat makes you fat. That is not true. Consumption of fat does not make you fat. Fat is necessary for your body to function properly and to keep you healthy. Fats help to keep your skin and hair healthy, aging well, keeping organs functioning optimally, and maintain healthy, balanced hormonal levels. But there are good fats and there are bad fats. Examples of good fats include olive oil, coconut oil, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and avocado. These are healthy fats packed with antioxidants. The worst fats for you body that are very detrimental to your health are trans fats. Trans fats should never be consumed and have been found to increase the risk of heart disease, weight gain, and many more unwanted effects. A list of some foods containing or may contain trans fats is anything fried or battered, fried chicken, french fries, donuts, pudding, creamers, ice cream, biscuits, cookies, cake icing, pie, margarine sticks and the list goes on.

Weight training

Aerobic activity is good for strengthening the heart and lungs. It also can hep relieve stress and burn calories further aiding you in your weight loss goals. But sometimes cardio can not only burn off fat but also muscle. Just because you re losing weight doesn't mean you are losing fat. You could be losing water or, even worse, muscle and lean mass.

To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you eat. Stay in a calorie-deprived state long enough, and your body begins to burn through its own tissues for fuel. Presto! The number on the scale goes down. You can make that number drop through aerobic exercise and calorie restriction. But what bathroom scales don't tell you is how much of the weight you lose is in the form of fat, and how much of it is muscle. And losing muscle mass can sabotage your weight-loss efforts.

Muscle contraction is a primary engine of fat loss. The more muscle mass you have to contract, the more calories you can burn. In addition, strength-training workouts that take large muscle groups to a state of burn will increase the release of hormones that aid in reducing body fat. So anyone who wants to lose fat should make every effort to hang on to, and even gain, as much lean muscle mass as possible.

The best way to do that is weight training, which will help you hold on to your muscle tissue while you lose fat. You might even gain some muscle while you're restricting your calories, as long as you're getting enough protein. In turn, this extra muscle keeps your metabolism humming, even as restricted food intake threatens to slow it down.

Protein is mandatory for keeping your muscles functioning, to build more muscle and to lose weight. Protein is hard for your body to digest which results in your body burning a lot of calories in the process of digesting the protein. When you weight train, you are breaking down the muscle fibers. Your body will require more calories to be used to grow bigger and stronger muscle fibers. This will help the food you eat be converted to lean muscle mass instead of unwanted fat. 

Calories in vs. Calories out 

This is the most important step to losing weight and can either be the easiest or the hardest. Simply eat less calories than what your body burns off everyday. Either exercise more, eat less, or both! Usually unhealthy foods are also high in calories.

Try to avoid foods high in calories. Try to limit portions and eat until you are not hungry anymore. A lot of calories can come from juice or soda. It is better to eat the fruit and stick to water to help keep you feeling full.

Eating less calories than what you burn everyday, a mix of cardio and resistance (weight) training, along with cutting out unhealthy and processed carbs and drinking only water instead of beverages, is the perfect formula for weight loss.

Remember this is not a diet, this is a lifetime lifestyle change!