How to Lose Weight the Right Way - Ten Top Tips to Lose Weight

It is a well documented fact that diets do not work, this is because dieters do not know how lose weight the right way. Over 90% of dieters fail to lose weight permanently. You do want to keep the weight off permanently, right?

The restrictions that accompany all diets are too much of a burden for you to follow long term, and for those few who manage to adhere to them long term and lose weight, what happens when they finally come off the diet? The weight comes back, slowly but surely. So if you want to lose weight permanently, you must make permanent changes to your lifestyle, so that when the weight does come off, it stays off.

So what changes can be made? You should be looking for multiple small changes to your diet, changes that are easy to make and and easy to keep to. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you will be able to handle the change for the rest of your life. If you answer "no" to this question then it's probably better not to take on the change in the first place, because you will probably soon pile the pounds back on after discarding the change.

Try using skimmed milk, sugar substitutes, low-cal soda, in fact there are low-calorie alternatives for most of today's popular foods. Drink more water, eat more fresh fruit and veg. You know this stuff, it's not rocket science, but it does need you to commit. Maybe today will be the day?

No weight loss program can be successful without exercise. Even the fad diets all proclaim that they will be ineffective without exercise. The "E" word can be pretty scary for many people, because it drums up images of leotards, gymnasiums and sweaty bodies. Exercise doesn't need to be like this, there is only one rule when it comes to exercise; whatever it is, do it EVERY day without fail, (or at least five days a week). So it could be something as simple as walking or cycling.

In the long run, fifteen minutes' walk each day is more effective than a two-hour gym workout. For most of us the gym workouts will stop some time in the future - let's face it, most of us don't need much of an excuse to skip the gym today, do we? By contrast, a walk is something that we can do every day, without the need to give it up.

The equation for weight loss is as simple as it ever was: burn more energy than you eat. This can be done through reduction of energy intake or an increase in energy burn - preferably both. In short, eat less and move more. The top ten tips to lose weight are based on these principles. If you want to lose weight fast, this list is probably not for you.

Yes, it is possible to lose weight fast, but it is also highly probable that you will put it all back on as quickly as you lost it. This is a long term plan, it will take six to 12 months to have significant effect. This can be quite a demoralizing thought, but remember; a pound lost using this system is a pound lost permanently.

1. Forget fad diets they don't work

2. Make a decision to exercise each day. Start tomorrow. Walk, cycle, swim - anything is fine.

3. Explore the possibilities of small changes you can make to your daily energy consumption.

4. Stop eating fried food. Broil, steam, bake, roast, boil, microwave but DON'T fry!

5. Set a time in the evening - say 6 0' clock. Make a rule NEVER to eat after that time.

6. Get at least 8 hours' sleep each night. If you are tired out during each day you will resort to high energy candy bars, cakes and cookies to boost your flagging body.

7. Eat breakfast. Yes, you've heard it before - don't ask the reasons why, the statistical fact is that almost all people who lose weight permanently also eat breakfast. So just DO IT!

8. DON'T cut out carbohydrates. Your body and brain need carbs (NOT from sugar!) so eat them, preferably with fiber, eg wholemeal bread and pasta, potatoes with the skin on.

9. Eliminate fat. This is the most important change you can make. Fat has a massive calorific value, so do your best to find alternatives. Yes, your body needs fat, but don't worry, no matter how hard you try to eliminate it, thanks to today's processed food environment you will always eat some of fat no matter how hard you try not to.

10. Don't be impatient, you want to lose weight permanently, not lose weight fast. This is a long term deal.