Weight loss is a tricky subject because of the amount of conflicting information. Americans spend approximately $30 billion per year on diet programs, products, foods, and drinks. Countless publications, experts, and doctors all propose one scheme or another, and most people are left with their own ideas and methods on how to make the process easy, pain-free, and effective; however, these homegrown methods might not be safe, sustainable, or good for you. It's important to lose weight because excess weight is a risk factor in Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, and elevated blood pressure. It's critical to keep in mind that whatever your goals - athletic performance, aesthetics and attraction, or spousal pressure - that you not lose too much and encounter the plethora of problems associated with being underweight such as increased risk of death, immune system weakening, and trouble regulating body temperature.
Some safe, effective, and documented weight loss methods are as follows:
Monitor and reduce caloric intake and increase physical exercise.
Raw plant foods are low in calories and high in nutrients. Try blending a variety and flavoring with berries or apples to nourish your cells.
Eliminate all foods that you know are bad for you like soda, ice cream, and cheesecake.
Don't immediately reduce calories or your body could go berserk. Reduce slowly to counteract any metabolic surprises.
Don't stuff yourself before sleep. There's no way to burn it off while you're snoozing, obviously.
Be healthy by drinking plenty of water, getting some sunshine and fresh air, and getting all your nutrients with raw plant-based smoothies and multi-vitamin/mineral supplements with food sources, i.e. Mannatech's PhytoMatrix. Weight loss is more likely to occur when you have the enzymes, minerals, and hormones you need to thrive.
Nutrition experts generally concur that the only proven way to lose weight is to decease energy intake and increase energy expenditure. In other words, exercise more and eat less. You can try these tips too.
Replace fatty sauces with lemon or lime juice, soy sauce, salsa or different spices.
Eater smaller, more frequent meals to avoid hunger.
Replace simple carbs with complex ones like wild rice and beans. Eat frequently.
Metabolism will slow down if you get starved. Thus, it will be harder to lose weight in the future.
Finally, create a food diary. Keep an inexpensive spiral notebook with you wherever you for a couple of weeks. It can be a valuable asset when you consult a nutritional expert, doctor, ordietitian.
In case you're looking for a way to curb calorie cravings, certain appetite suppressants are also showing success and pulling in media attention on shows like Oprah, 60 Minutes, the LA Times, and BBC News. One such supplement is Hoodithin. It's derived from Hoodia that grows in the South African deserts, and it's been used on long journeys to stave off thirst and hunger. Here's a quote from the Hoodithin web site, "The chemical constituents in HoodiThin™ work within the satiety center by releasing a chemical compound similar to glucose, but is up to 100,000 times more powerful. The hypothalamus receives this signal as an indication that enough food has been consumed and this in turn stunts the appetite."