When it comes to weight loss, almost every one of us have at least a few extra pounds that we would love to shed especially when it comes to the summer months. We are always looking for the easiest and fastest way out there to lose this weight as well. The hard part is the fact that there are hundreds of products out there that claim to give quick weight loss results; most of which wind up being false. The problem with a lot of these products is that the weight that they cause us to lose is simply just water weight, and not actual fat. So the question now stands, "How can I lose weight quickly and safely?"

The key to losing weight is to eat less calories than you burn. That’s it. Now that being said to answer the question above, the length of time that it will take to lose your desired amount of weight will greatly depend on your body type, and your determination. The reason I say this is because losing weight is going to require that you change your diet, as well as your exercise levels in order for your weight loss success. How well you can stick to this commitment is going to have either a positive or negative effect on the amount of weight you lose.

Proper nutrition plays a huge role in losing weight. It’s just like I’m always saying, "Your body can only look and feel as good as the quality of food you put into it." It only makes sense that if you feed your body junk, it is going to look and feel like junk, and if you feed your body good healthy foods then your body is going to look and feel healthy. There are a few things that are going to be crucial to remember when planning you meals for the day.

Quality is Key

When choosing foods for weight loss it is very important that you cut out simple sugars, and refined foods, and stick to good wholesome foods that contain complex carbohydrates. These types of foods take longer to digest, and therefore help to curb your appetite. It is also important to note that because complex carbohydrates take longer to digest; it keeps your blood sugar levels from spiking, therefore; minimizing the release of insulin which is known to cause the body to store fat. Foods containing high fiber content are also a great way to slow down the speed at which your body digests foods, helping curb your appetite.

Eat more Frequently

This may sound strange, however; studies have shown that eating 6 smaller meals a day actually helps to burn more calories than eating 3 larger meals per day. This theory is based on the fact that because you are eating so frequently you are constantly full and this means that your body is constantly working to digest the foods that you eat. This means that your body’s metabolism must be kept in high gear, thus causing more calories to be burned off. When eating your meals make sure to eat slowly, and savor the food. Inhaling food very quickly, will cause you to eat more because the food is coming in too fast for your stomach and brain to keep up with each other.

Stop When you Feel Full

In order to make sure that you are not eating too much you could always count calories, and plan out your meals, and I mean this does work, I know I’ve done it, however; there is another option, the idea is to eat until you feel full. The problem is that most people eat until they are stuffed and this is when overeating comes into the picture. The best way to think about it is to rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being starving, 10 being stuffed. You want to stop eating when you reach about a 7 and eat when you get to about a 4. This little trick will greatly reduce the chances of overeating.

Two of the biggest problems in today’s society are unhealthy eating and the lack of exercise. These problems definitely help to explain why the nation’s obesity rates are climbing at a steady pace. Exercising is just as important as what you eat. Exercise not only helps to burn extra calories but also helps to strengthen your heart, immune system, muscles, joints, and helps to keep your body running in tip top shape. Exercise is so important that researchers say that the average person should be getting 30-45 min of exercise a day 3-5 times a week.

Exercising does not have to be complex or work yourself into a coma hard. No matter what type of exercise you chose to do it will be burning calories. Most people when losing weight tend to do exercises that get their heart rate up such as running, jogging, swimming, cycling, or aerobics these help to burn the most calories. You could also join a sports league or just play sports with your friends. Even things such as housework, gardening, cutting the lawn (push mower), or yard work helps to burn calories and counts as exercise.

Sticking to these new lifestyle changes is going to be hard at first, but I can guarantee that as soon as you start seeing results, and make it a habit, you will not want to go back to the old lifestyle that got you overweight or unhealthy in the first place. In order to help keep yourself motivated I would strongly suggest keeping a log of your results, and trying to exercise with a buddy, or group of people.