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50 Weight Loss Tips

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If you think about it, in theory, losing weight is rather easy. It's a simple formula of taking in less calories than you burn. These 50 quick and easy weight loss tips will help get you started on the road to lifelong weight loss.

1. Change Your Lifestyle. If you think you'll just "diet" until the weight comes off, then you're setting yourself up for failure. Losing all the weight you want and keeping it off requires a lifestyle change. Stop bringing home the soda's and cupcakes and start a regular workout routine. If you really want to lose the weight and keep it off, it's going to require a change in your life.
2. Start a Workout Routine. You've heard it before, it only takes 30 minutes a day to get your metabolism into a higher gear and start burning more calories. You can even break that 30 minutes up into two 15 minute routines or three 10 minute routines!
3. Eat Smaller Meals More Often. Smaller meals help keep your metabolism charged and helps keep you from getting hungry.
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5. Start Your Day Off with Water. Water is an important ingredient to help keep your metabolism up. Water also helps prevent you from becoming hungry.
6. Drink Cold Water. Your body will have to warm the cold water up before it can use it. This causes the body to use more energy, more energy use equals more calories burned. 
7. Use Smaller Plates & Bowls. You won't be as tempted to eat large portions with smaller plates & bowls plus you'll feel that your plate is full (which it will be) and that you're not missing out on a larger meal.
8. Don't Eat after 7 O'Clock in the Evening. You don't want your body storing fat while you sleep. If you get hungry after 7, drink some cold water or tea. Not only will it help curb your hunger, it will help flush your system.
9. Eat Carbs Early, Protein Later. I try to eat the majority of my carbs early in the day so that my body can be burning them off. I try and eat more protein for the afternoon and evening meals.
10. Park Further From the Store Entrance. You'll walk further and burn a few more calories doing it. When you're into "Calorie Burn Mode", every calorie burned helps.
11. Grocery Shop After Eating, Not Before. Hungry people buy more stuff plus more foods that are not healthy for them. Shop on a full stomach.
12. Make a Grocery List and Stick To It. Shopping by using the list in your head can lead to disaster. Write a list and stick to it and you'll be less likely to pick up that box of Donuts that are calling your name.
13. Drink More Water. Let's face it, most of us don't drink enough water. Not only do I start my day with water, I have a schedule to remind me to drink water. I try and drink at least a gallon a day. Sounds like a lot, but if you'll drink it in smaller quantities more often, you'll be surprised at how easy it is to do. A rule of thumb I found is multiply your weight by .66 and that will give you the ounces of water you need a day. 1 gallon equals 128 ounces. (with this equation, I should be drinking over 2 gallons per day, I'm getting there!)
14. Do Your Workout 1st Thing In the Mornings. Your body hasn't eaten (or shouldn't have!) since 7 the previous night. If all's going well, your body will be using stored fat for energy to get you through the workout. An afternoon or evening workout will likely use the calories you've taken in that day for energy.
15. Incorporate A Weight Training Regime Into Your Workout. It's a fact, muscle burns fat. More muscle burns more fat. See how simple that is? Don't worry about looking like a body builder, I'm sure that most of us won't put in the needed time and energy to get "bulked up". Besides, the "I'm afraid I'll get muscle bound" is a cheesy excuse for not weight training for those of us with more than a 100 lbs to lose!
16. Eat slower. Most research I've seen suggest that it takes around 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it is full (now, can they tell us why the stomach is so slow? Enjoying the food I suppose!). Chewing your food longer will help with digestion and help prevent you from over eating.
17. It's Okay To Eat Your Favorite Foods. Just do it in moderation. If you deny yourself your favorite food, you'll crave it more and eventually, most of us will give in and binge. 
18. Join a Support Group. There are a number of forums online where you can find other people like you to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle (you're on one right now!). 
19. Be a Label Reader. Once you get into this habit, you'll be surprised at how much fat that "Low Calorie" or "Sugar Free" foods have in them.
20. Set Goals and Write Them Down. Having a written goal is like having a road map to your weight loss. You'll be more inclined to stick with your new lifestyle and be successful in your weight loss ways.
21. Have Realistic Goals. It's one thing to have a written goal, but be sure your goals are realistic. There's no use in trying to reach a 50 lb per month weight loss goal when you can't reach it. Start out by setting your main goal, for example, a 100lbs per year. Then break the large goal down, for example, say 8-10 lb weight loss per month. The break that down further by setting a weight loss goal of 2-4 lbs per week. See how easy that was?  Achieving your smaller goals will give you the confidence to achieve your large goal!
22. Take Before and After Pictures: I took my "before" pictures and put them on the fridge and pantry with a caption of "I don't want to ever look like this again". Believe me, it makes you stop and think before raiding the fridge!
23. Start a Food Diary. You should include all the foods you eat each day into your diary. Also, put in the portion amount and the calories consumed. Yes, it sounds boring but it's very important. You'll be amazed at how many of those "just a taste" temptations add up. Keeping a food Diary will help keep you on track and show you the areas you need to improve in. Article on the Benefit of Keeping a Food Diary.
24. Take the Stairs. We've all heard it, but how many take the escalator in the mall instead of the stairs? Remember, those few calories you burn will add up! 
25. Find an Accountability Partner. This can be a friend, co-worker or family member. Their job is to be truthful to you and help you remain on track. This can also be a group such as TOPS or Weight Watchers. 
26. Watch Who You Take Advice From. Many of us wouldn't dream of taking financial advice from a broke person, so why would you take weight loss advice from a fat person? Find people who have actually been down the path you have. (this is the reason I have trouble believing Dr. Phil)
27. Staving yourself doesn't work. Studies have proved this time and time again. Give your body more smaller meals. Your body goes into "survivor" mode when you starve yourself. 
28. All Fats Are Not Bad. Your body actually needs some fats, so don't try and remove all fats from your diet. The good fats are the essential fatty acids that our body and brain need. These have been processed out of many supermarket foods so you'll need to find them in whole foods or supplements. Unsaturated fats are better for you than saturated fats and hydrogenated or trans fats.
29. East More Fiber. Fiber is good for us in several ways. One way is that it tends to make us feel full. Some studies also suggest that it sweeps fats out of our system.
30. Eat More protein. Protein also makes us feel full. Protein is also important in replacing and building muscle tissue. Remember, more muscles burn more fat.
31. Give Up the Sugar. Sugar negatively affects our body in several ways, not to mention it adds calories.
32. Just Say No to Fried Foods. Learn to cook your vegetables and meats by means other than frying. Frying can add loads of fat to your diet. Steaming, baking, broiling, etc. are way better than frying.
33. Forget The Oil. You don't need oil for stir frying. Water or chicken stock will save you a lot of calories.
34. All Calories Are Not Created Equal. A gram of fat in many cases has more than double the calories from carbs or protein.
35. Beware 'Fat Free' labels. Read the labels to see what your getting when you buy 'Fat Free' food. In many cases, you'll find the fat has been replaced with sugar.
36. Spice It Up! Chili's (not the restaurant, the peppers) have been shown to increase your metabolism, even the mild versions. 
37. Variety Is The Spice Of Life. Don't eat the same old foods over and over. You'll get bored. Change up your food and your diet and you'll find that it is easier to lose weight over time.
38. Don't Beat Yourself Up. You're going to have moments of weakness and times when you eat all the leftovers on every ones plate at Dinner. It happens. It's what you do about it that matters. Don't beat yourself up. Just get right back into your calorie burning ways. You might even want to workout a little longer to try and burn some of those extra calories.
39. Reward Yourself. When you reach you goals, it's okay to give yourself a little reward. This might be a meal at your favorite restaurant or a short trip away for a day or so. Rewards can also be incoroporated into your goals.
40. Find an Incentive. This can be a reward, such as "I'll buy a new outfit when I lose 10 lbs." Incentives are better than rewards in my opinion!
41. Buy Smaller Clothes. When I'm losing weight, I have a bad habit of buying big clothes, "just in case". Don't do that! When you've lost enough weight for smaller clothes, get rid of the fat clothes. This is "burning your bridge" to the fat side. If you have no fat clothes to fit in, you'll leave yourself no alternative but to keep losing weight (or go broke buying new fat clothes). 
42. Lite Foods vs. Low Fat. I prefer the Lite foods over the Low Fat foods. As stated above, many of the "Low Fat" foods have sugar added. Read the labels!
43. Plan Your Meals In Advance. Then, only buy those ingredients you need for those meals. You won't be so tempted to buy junk food at the Supermarket this way.
44. Keep a Positive Attitude. By remaining positive, you'll defeat those negative thoughts that like to try and creep into your mind. Positive attitude equals a can do attitude. 
45. Visualize Yourself Thin. Visualization helps train your mind. Your mind controls your body. Many professionals use visualization to help them perfect their games. You can do it too, just practice visualizing a thinner you. Visualize yourself only eating healthy foods. Visualize your self burning lots of calories during your workout.
46. Eat Negative Calorie Foods. There is some research that suggest some foods take more calories to digest than they contain. An example would be broccoli and apples. Do your own research and load up on these negative calorie foods.
47. Take Up A Hobby. Not any old hobby, but a hobby that requires physical activity. While stamp collecting may be fun for some, it burns few calories while volunteering to clean up a neighborhood will burn a lot more. Join a group that gets out and does something physical!
48. Satisfy Your Cravings. If you're craving something, let's say pizza, then satisfy that craving. Now that doesn't mean you have to eat a large Supreme pizza by yourself, but eat a slice to satisfy your craving.
49. Avoid Sugar Substitutes. These can be as harmful, possibly even more so, than sugar itself. 
50. Leave the White Bread Alone. This goes for pasta also. There are great wheat and whole grain bread alternatives on the market now. Wheat bread doesn't have to be that old hard stale tasting bread that it once was.