5 Simple Steps to Losing Weight

If you are carrying around a few (I use that term loosely) extra pounds like most of us are, you all know all the reasons why we should take the weight off. It will reduce stress on our heart, reducing the chance of heart disease, cancer, possibility of diabetes; feel better, look more attractive, etc. 

There are 101 reasons why, but it can be a real pain to finally get that weight off. You push really hard, make a little progress, get side tracked, and bam you are heavier then you started.

It’s maddening.  Enough with that hassle, I have put together 5 simple steps to actually losing weight and keeping it off. These steps can be applied to anything, but we are focusing on weight loss here.

1. Know What You Want
2. Know Where You Are
3. Track Your Results
4. Make Course Corrections
5. Being held Accountable

Now all your extra weight will effortlessly melt off.  Yeah right! A simple list of 5 items is not going to do it, so let me explain the intricacies of the 5 items and where the hang up normally occurs when applied to losing weight.

1. Know What You Want

This one is dead simple. Most people that want to lose weight have an idea of how many pounds they would like to lose or how they would like their body to look.

I think we can safely say if your body started looking the way you wanted it, you would know, even if you didn’t have it completely mapped out and detailed.

2. Know Where You Are

This is the big trip up. It is almost always overlooked and is the number one reason for the up and down Yo Yo effect we experience with losing weight. We are unhappy with how our body feels and how it looks and it is painful to zoom in and get an accurate picture of where we are. Unfortunately, we have to know where we are, to be able to accurately judge the results we are getting.

You are on a trip to San Diego, California. You would like to start your trip from Phoenix, Arizona, but you really don’t know where you are. No problem.  You get an Arizona/California map and find that a simple 6 hours trip west on interstate 8 will get you to San Diego.

6 hours later, you have no clue where you are and it is definitely not warm San Diego.  You feel defeated and you want to give up!  Do you blame the car? The stupid maps? San Diego? Yourself?

Now what if I told you, you were actually in New Your City, not Phoenix, Arizona. A 6 hour car ride west from New York City will never get you to San Diego.

If you took the time to accurately find out where you were, you would have been able to choose the appropriate means to get to San Diego and have an expectation as to how long it would take.

This is the same with weight loss and our personal physical condition. In our minds, we think we are starting in a different physical condition then we really are. When the results don’t follow the illusion in your mind, we get upset.


3. Track Your Results

This is conceptually simple. If we have no clue as to WHAT we are doing, how do we know what is working? It might be a simple to do, but is also simple not to do. In the end, most people never track their results.


4. Make Course Corrections

We love to do this one. We have it hands down. It is like step 1 of knowing what you want. We try the new food diet, the super sit up machine, and the cardio hip hop power energy yoga fat burner class.

We might be great at switching it up, but without knowing where we are starting from and a history of tracked results, we have no clue as to what we should change or even which direction we should go.


5. Being held Accountable

No, not accountability! That is an evil word. I don’t want someone to know what I am doing, or more importantly what I am not doing.

So, why do we resist accountability, your secret weapon to weight loss?  Because it works!  If you know someone is going to be watching, you would follow through or at least feel very uncomfortable not following through.

Accountability when used wisely is the ultimate turbo booster to your weight loss. Since you are going to be accountable anyway, you might as well get something out of it.

Using accountability up front, you can achieve the body of your dreams. If you let your body hold you accountable, it will throw on fat in places you don’t want it to be.

The biggest obstacle to weight loss is not taking any action. It doesn’t matter how good the plan is, it is worthless if you don’t follow it. So what do I do now?

First and foremost get Accountable.

Forward this article to someone you respect and care about and tell them I want to be accountable to finally taking off my extra pounds. When they agree to support you, start working through Steps 1 – 5.

5 Simple Ways To Lose Weight

Losing unwanted body weight does not have to involve prolonged workout sessions at the gym or self-defeating fad diet regimens. In fact, most people find that without a sustained lifestyle change, any weight that is lost during a period of diet or extreme exercise is gained back once the activity is no longer practiced.

If you would like to lose pounds and keep them off, then you need to invest in a lifestyle adjustment. By altering only a few important patterns in your diet and exercise routine, you can literally lose weight without much effort. Here are some tips to help you quickly drop those extra pounds:

1. Walk for 30 minutes each day. Walking is not only a stress-reducer, but it is also more effective in inducing fat loss than a 30-minute jog. Here’s why: running helps you burn calories and quickly tone leg muscles because of the repeated flexing and force exerted on the leg muscles. However, because running increases the heart rate to aerobic levels, the heart rate also drops quickly once the activity has been stopped.

Walking, however, increases the heart rate to the fat-burning level. Any activity performed at the fat-burning level will have a longer-lasting impact. Thus, while you might flex and strain your muscles less during a 30-minute period of walking, the heart rate will stay elevated for a longer period of time.

2. Cut the portion in half. Whether you are eating a cheeseburger or plate of fries, divide the dish in half. If you are tempted to nibble on more than half, then give it away to a friend or have it wrapped up to take home (if you are dining out). Cutting your meal in half will not only decrease your calorie and fat in take dramatically, but it will help your body to become accustomed to smaller portions of food.

3. Get a full night’s rest. Many people find, and most doctors know, that getting a full night of undisturbed sleep not only leaves you feeling energized for a new day, but it helps your body metabolize your food much more efficiently. When they body is in the resting state during sleep, it actually works much harder to process energy than if you were to sit on the sofa watching the television. Furthermore, if you are fully rested, you will be more likely to take on projects with more vigor and energy the next day (which will help you burn more calories.) So go on – get those zzzz’s.

4. Call your mother. And take care of other items on your to-do list before they pile up. Undue stress has a very negative physiological effect on the body and contributes to fat storage in the cells. By reducing small amounts of stress in your life, you can quickly and simply reduce fatty deposits on your body, especially in the stomach area. So go ahead: call your loved ones!

5. Drink plenty of liquid. Liquid hydrates your cells and helps them push harmful toxins through your body more efficiently. By drinking plenty of liquid, such as water, juice and even tea, you will help your cells function at their best without much effort at all.

If you drink tea and coffee, be aware that they contain caffeine, which can increase your metabolism while it is in your system, but tends to slow your body down once it leaves. Caffeinated beverages should always be consumed with an extra glass of water to ensure that you do not end up depleting your body of necessary liquids.

To ensure that your lifestyle alterations become lasting, practice them with friends and loved ones. Adjusting to any changes can be easier if you have a friend with whom you can share the journey and help to keep each other on track.