Beauty & Health Suggestions

Want to lose weight fast for a HS reunion, a vacation on the beach, or just for your own peace of mind? While there are many ways to shed weight quickly, losing it too fast can be a shock to your body and thus a danger. Fad diets, diet pills, extreme fasting and other fast weight loss methods may work but they can also make you lose muscle, counter productive to a long term weight loss program, and can cause damage to your heart and other internal organs. Here are some tips to safely drop pounds fast.

Determine how many calories you consume, because burning more than you consume results in weight loss. Carry a small notebook for a week to write down everything you eat. That means everything, every morsel, every sample, every sip of water. Then write down the calories in each of these foods and drinks. There are many websites such as mypyramidtracker.gov that can help with this.

Once you have a list of all the calories you eat, look for ways to ditch them. This can be as simple as cutting down on portion sizes. Remember, most restaurants and even people at home serve portions that are far larger than they should be. There are a lot of other no brainer cuts that don't significantly change what you eat. These include salad dressing, butter, sweets, and juice or soda. The average American consumes 240 calories a day from juice and soda. That's 90,000 calories a year - 25 pounds! Getting used to the delicious taste of a salad with a pinch of lemon juice makes a big difference. Also note that empty calories such as sugars and starchy foods (carbohydrates) are the first things to cut. These are easily replaced in your diet - try whole wild rice.

An easy place to target for calorie cutting is the side dish. This portion of the meal often contains more calories than the main course. Replace these items with healthy alternatives such as steamed vegetables, cottage cheese, or salad (minus dressing.)

Build up some muscle to increase muscle mass and metabolism. That leads to burning more calories even when sitting still. Aerobic exercise is the best for calorie and fat burning. Many experts say to enjoy aerobic activity for 30 minutes a day 3-5 days a week. Hog wash! Find an activity you can sustain for seven days each week, forever..

You have your orders. Get it in gear!