How Can I Loose Weight?

Today a colleague asked me; "Is there anything I should be taking to help me loose weight?"

I'm not a huge fan of weight loss pills, as they are full of chemicals, and they don't work very well, if at all. 

So my top recommendations are (and always will be)...

#1 DIET, and #2 EXERCISE.

The good old 80/20 rule applies here. 80% of your weight loss efforts are made in the kitchen. Where 20% of your weight loss efforts are made in the gym.

This means that what you put into your body is 80% more effective at weight loss, than all the diet pills in the world.

Any health care practitioner, doctor, dietitian, or personal trainer will tell you that the two most effective weight loss tools are DIET & EXERCISE.

So, to simplify it a little, I've outlined a few things you can do to incorporate these two elements into your daily routine.

1. Exercise daily. At least 30 minutes of moderate-to-intense exercise is needed to boost weight loss. This can be running, cycling, cardio gym equipment (elliptical, StairMaster, etc), weight lifting, swimming, or power walking.
2. Cut out the following from your diet: Sugar, saturated fat, and sodium.
3. Eat as much fresh fruit & veggies as you can. Try them all! The more variety, the better.
4. Cook your lean meat without added oil. Try grilling or baking.
5. Add fish to your diet. Fish is one of the best meat proteins you can add to your diet.
6. Eat smaller meals more frequently to keep your factory burning, and that metabolism up.
7. Snacking is good, as long as they are healthy snacks.
8. Get a workout buddy! It's always easier, and more fun to have a friend or partner who is also trying to achieve the same fitness goals as you are.
9. Drink your 8-10 glasses of water a day. This will help with hydration during exercise, fatigue, and water retention.
10.  Get lots of sleep. And cut back on your alcohol intake.