5 Free Tips to Achieve Your Weight Loss Goal in 2008

A new year is almost here, and most people will be making weight loss one of their top New Year's resolutions. Losing weight has never been easy, but there are several tips that you can take notice of in order to make it an enjoyable experience. So, below you will find five free weight loss tips being shared with you to achieve your resolution for 2008 and many years to come.

No. 1. Water, water, water
Drink eight or more glasses of water a day. This has to be the most important out of all the tips you will ever get. Drinking water will jumpstart your metabolism and help begin your weight loss. The high volume of water intake will also give you increased energy.

No. 2. Eliminate sugar
Cut sugar out of your weight loss meal plan. Replace all carbonated soft drinks and fruit juices with water. You can also try herbal teas if you need variation in your diet. If you are able to do this, you will be eliminating high levels of sugar. This one lifestyle change could possibly help you lose 15 pounds in a year just from removing these sugar-laced drinks from your diet.

Substitute sweet desserts, such as cake and cookies, with healthier alternatives like fruit, yogurt, raw vegetables or sugar reduced desserts. The healthier alternatives may be able to satisfy your sweet tooth without adding the extra calories and fat found in the unhealthier foods. However, if you can't resist and have to indulge in one of your favorite desserts, do so in moderation. Eat small portions. Learning to control your portions will help you during your weight loss plan and afterwards when you are maintaining the lost weight.

Read the food labels to make sure sugar is not hidden in other foods that you eat. Sugar can be disguised in the form of corn syrup, fructose, maltose, sucrose, dextrose, etc. (all words ending in -ose is an alias for sugar).

Make sure to eliminate white foods from your weight loss diet. Carbohydrates, such as white pasta, white bread and white flour, convert to sugar. Substitute these foods with whole grain foods instead.

No. 3. Cut or Get off the Booze
Drinking alcohol can halt a weight loss program in more ways than one. Alcohol can take up to 2 days to be eliminated from your body which means your body is not burning fat or digesting foods the way it should during that period. You are preventing your body from losing weight and getting lean if you are drinking every day. So you have two options: reduce your alcohol intake to 1 or 2 glasses per week or eliminate alcohol completely from your weight loss plan. If you are serious about losing weight, this should be a no brainer.

No. 4. Increase your Physical Activity
If you have not exercised in months or years, start off small. Even small amounts of activity provide immediate health benefits. If you are someone who has not exercised in awhile, do not start off running several miles a day in order to achieve a quick weight loss. If you can get to where you exercise 20 minutes a day 3 to 5 times a week and maintain a healthy diet, you will be able to achieve your weight loss goal easily.

No. 5. Set Your Weight Loss Goals
Set action goals focused on specific health activities such as starting a food and activity diary. Write down your weight loss goals and record your food intake and exercise routines. Once you start your weight loss plan, weigh yourself once a week before breakfast. Keep a record of this weight and see if a pattern develops. .