5 Tips For Dieting Success

There is no one single cause of obesity. In most people obesity is brought on due to a variety of factors including race, genetics, physical conditioning, age, and eating habits. For the vast majority of people obesity is 100% preventable. If you are obese or overweight here are some simple yet effective steps you can take to begin losing weight right away.

1. Increase your cardiovascular activity. Try to do at least 20 minutes of cardio per day. It does not have to be anything too strenuous. Simply walking at a brisk pace for 20 minutes per day is enough to get you started. As you physical fitness increases try to increase your speed and the length of your workout to 45 minutes.

2. Start strength training: One of the most effective ways to lose weight is to build muscle. In fact it can be extremely difficult to lose weight without doing any strength training. For every pound of muscle you have you will burn an additional 6 calories per day, that is about 3 times more calories than what a pound of fat burns.

3. Start counting your calories: There really is no grand secret to losing weight. In fact the secret to losing weight is not really a secret at all. To lose weight you simply have to take in fewer calories on a daily basis than your body actually needs. It is called a caloric deficit. The only way to be sure you are achieving this goal is to keep a running tally of your daily caloric intake.

4. Eat smaller meals 5 - 6 times per day instead of the normal 3 meals square. Most research has shown that eating smaller meals more frequently creates higher overall satisfaction for dieters. Basically it will make you feel fuller throughout the entire day instead having periods of extreme hunger which often leads to over eating. Dissatisfaction has doomed more dieters to failure than anything else. Dieting takes a long time so you have to find as many ways as possible to make the process as comfortable for you as you can.

5. Diet with a friend. Dieting alone can be tough and leave you feeling like you have no support. If you are surrounded by people eating all of the bad foods you used to eat on a daily basis it can be extremely hard to keep your willpower strong. Having a friend diet with you takes away a bit of that sting by giving you someone who will keep you accountable and likewise giving you someone to keep accountable.

Remember, despite what the diet gurus might say, there is no easy way to lose weight. Dieting is hard and you will go through your share of ups and downs, there might be whole weeks where you see no progress. There might be times where you break down and eat some food you really shouldn't have. Do not get discouraged, that is perfectly normal. Just stick to it. Keep trying and you will definitely see the results you desire.

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