Top 5 Tips on How to Cut Weight

If you are spending lots of time trying to find diet secrets or trying to figure out how to cut weight fast, I have news for you. There is no amazing secret diet plan out there that will work for everyone. In fact, there are no diet secrets out there that will even work for most people over the long term. The fact is that you already know the 5 best diet tips needed to lose weight. You probably just aren't following them.

We have all seen countless ads telling us we can lose weight fast. Lose 10 pounds in 7 days is an often used slogan, and there's a reason for it. We all want to achieve this. The problem is, fast weight loss does not teach us how to really change our lifestyle for the long term. You can certainly take weight off fast, but in doing so you are shortchanging yourself the opportunity to learn how to live for the long term, and when you relax after achieving your goal the weight will start to come back.

The first tip to cut weight is simple - lose no more than 1-2 pounds per week. This will allow you to absorb the changes you are making in your life and turn them into habits. To lose 1 pound in a week you need a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories for the week. Do that, and the pound will come off.

If you are trying to lose weight there is no getting around the fact that you need cardiovascular exercise. That means you want to get your heart rate up into your target heart rate zone for at least 20-30 minutes 3 times per week. It doesn't matter what you do. It only matters that you do it.

Exercise gives you energy which makes it easier to exercise. It's a cycle. You just have to get started and it will get easier and easier. Losing weight with diet alone will work, but it won't last. You need to change habits to keep your weight down in the long term, and the long term is what you want to focus on.

You don't have to go crazy to get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise. Just start somewhere, like with a walking routine. You will be amazed at the results on how you feel.

Cardiovascular exercise makes your heart healthy and burns calories on the spot, but weights build muscle, and muscle burns fat. The best way to lose weight is to include diet, cardiovascular exercise, and weight lifting of some kind. It's the trio you need to lose in a healthy way and attack the problem from all fronts. Adding muscle to your frame increases your metabolism and burns more calories.

After a weight lifting workout, your body will continue to burn excess calories for hours. You don't have to go for big arms here. You just need a simple weight lifting routine that works your largest muscle groups 2 times per week or so. That will add the muscle you need to rev up your metabolism.

When you sit down to a meal you have to make a choice. Are you going to feed your body something it needs or something it doesn't? You know what it needs. We all do. Of course, feeding our bodies what they need is easier to say than to do. The bottom line is this. You can get your calories from any food that you want.

From a scientific perspective, a calorie is a calorie, so getting it from a cookie is the same as getting it from a grapefruit. However, you know that plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and plenty of water is what you should be consuming, so lay off the bad stuff, but don't give it up completely. Just eat sweets in moderation. You want a diet you can live with for the long term.

Remember that you need to make a diet and exercise plan that you can stick with for the rest of your life. A person won't do that if they hate what they are doing. You need to include some of your favorite foods in your diet plan. Work them into your week and calorie count but eat them in moderation.

Don't deprive yourself of all that you love to lose weight. Doing so will cause you to crash at some point in the future. With exercise, do things that you like. If you hate the treadmill don't use a treadmill. You will not keep it up in the long term. You can get your heart rate up and get a workout in by doing so many things, so you should pick one that you enjoy. Maybe a game of basketball is for you. Perhaps rollerblading on a paved trail gets you motivated. Whatever it is that you enjoy, do that and you will keep doing it.

There is nothing earth shattering here. Be proud to lose 1 pound per week doing it the right way. You will be much more successful in the long run and a year from now you really won't care that you didn't lose weight fast. You will just be happy that it is gone.

Do the right thing. Take it slow, get your cardio and weights in, eat right, and don't forget to enjoy a treat once in a while. Don't forget to also get enough sleep or take a nap when you really need it. Your chances of keeping excess weight off will go way up if you follow these 5 tips on how to cut weight.