How To Keep The Weight You Lost From Finding You Again

     We've all done it, well at least those of us who have dieted. We have lost weight only to regain the pounds in a matter of weeks or months. Don't get frustrated and give up, there is hope!

For starters you have to realize that weight loss programs do work if they are followed correctly. It is also necessary to combine exercise along with a balanced diet and adequate water intake regardless of what specific diet plan you have decided to follow. Sorry, all the late night hype commercials that tell you can lose 30 pounds just by taking a pill and laying on the couch are just that, hype! The only way you will lose 30 pounds that easily is by cutting off a leg. The key to a healthy diet plan is to find one that you can follow long term; it has to be a lifestyle change. The short term crash diets are the biggest reason for failure to keep the weight off.

The other big killer in keeping weight off is exercise, as I alluded to above. A long term weight loss plan must include a regular exercise regimen as well or it is doomed to failure. A good exercise program will help you to build lean body mass, help your heart, and increase your metabolism to burn fat. Exercise will help you get your body in great shape and keep it there. If you attempt to diet without exercise it is highly probable that the weight you lose will find you again.

Fad diets like Atkins, South Beach and others will not work long term. They are not healthy and they are difficult to stick to. A healthy diet for the long term will include foods from all of the major food groups as shown in the USDA food pyramid from the government web site or from the Mayo clinic. The key to weight loss isn't restricting certain foods as much as it is the amount you eat and the caloric intake. It's pretty simple if you eat 3500 calories less than your body needs you will lose a pound. You just have to find the magic number of calories that your body needs to operate on.

People who are considered obese and are more than fifty ponds over weight very often will go for the low carb diet approach in order to lose weight rapidly. This works for some people in the short term, however as I have stated before the long term success of such weight loss programs is doubtful at best. A combination of exercise and a healthy diet while realizing it is a lifestyle change is the secret to losing the weight for good.

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