Best Tips for Quicker Weight Loss

Today, there are an increasing number of diets and exercise and weight loss programs available to choose from. Many of these products and services appeal to the desire to be thinner and more attractive as quickly as possible, and even guarantee dramatic weight losses of pounds or inches within a very short span of time. The fact remains, however, that quick weight loss can be dangerous and even deadly. There are certainly enough credible and scientific sources that confirm this as well as make recommendations that individuals consult with their doctors before losing weight, especially if they have medical conditions, are elderly, or are very obese.

Nevertheless, individuals can still lose weight naturally, safely, and at a much quicker rate than they might even imagine if they avoid common stumbling blocks that often get in the way of successful and permanent weight loss. Furthermore, just because an individual should refrain from lightning fast weight loss does not mean that he or she has to go to the other extreme of very slow weight loss. While there is nothing wrong with losing so slowly, and it is certainly healthy and safe enough, shedding pounds or inches at a turtle's pace may not provide enough incentive to maintain an individual's motivation as he or she tries to reach the desired goal.

If you'd like to speed up your weight loss without resorting to unsafe and unhealthy methods, the following are tips that can make it happen. You wiill also note that they are interrelated so that any success you have in one area will help you in others.

#1. Look for ways to increase, support, and maintain your motivation.
The common denominator in all successful diet and weight loss programs, no matter how different they may be, is motivation, pure and simple. Like a car that cannot run without fuel, the body cannot carry out any desires or actions without the powerful driving force of motivation. So look for ways to increase yours. Additionally, keep reminders in places you can see them every day. For example, if you want to lose weight so you can look as attractive as you did before you gained weight, find your best photo of yourself as you looked when you were thinner and put it in the kitchen or next to the door. Or, if you want to lose weight to look good in your wedding gown, post pictures of brides in attractive wedding gowns on your refrigerator or in other places that will remind you of your goal.

#2. Establish a reward system to acknowledge your results as well as extra efforts. Use a reward system that is based on smaller rewards as well as larger ones, including some that do not take a lot ot ime, are free or low cost, as well as other more expensive or time-consuming ones. For example, you might reward a loss of one or two pounds with special time for yourself to read that great book you haven't had time to look at. Or you might relax and listen to your favorite music or pamper yourself with a bubble bath or massage. You will also want to reward yourself for those extra challenging times when you really had to work hard at controlling your sudden desire to overeat or your inclination to skip your workout routine on a particular day. Also, while it is a good idea to acknowledge achievement of larger weight losses and goals with more extravagent rewards, giving yourself frequent and daily recognition and personal "gifts" for the small successes will go far in maintaining your motivation as well as enhancing your self-esteem and self-confidence.

#3 Focus on the positive. If you concentrate on your weaknesses and what you didn't do right on any given day rather than on your strengths and what you did right, or think that what you are doing is never enough, you will set yourself up for failure. It will also become increasingly difficult to maintain your motivation to lose weight. For example, you can lose one pound and think it is not enough and feel bad about not losing more, or you can praise yourself and reward yourself instead. The difference between appreciating and rewarding your efforts or minimizing them to little to no value will be to either help get you to your weight loss goal sooner or instead, slow you down and sabotage your progress..

#4. Affirm The Present. Positive attitudes should lead to positive action, but unfortunately, this doesn't happen automatically. While it is a good idea to plan for future success, it is important to celebrate the present and be mindful of living in the moment as well. For example, don't wait until you lose weight to look attractive. Start today and improve your appearance as you lose weight. There are many ways to flatter your looks with the right clothes and help create the illusion that you are thinner. Read articles in magazines, talk to people who know fashion, ask your hairdresser for tips on a new hairstyle. These are just a few to start with. Also, don't wait until you lose weight to start becoming more active. Join a club, take up a new hobby, participate in a dance class, or start looking into that new career goal you've been interested in. As you do these things to promote your weight loss progress, you will also be creating greater happiness and fulfillment in your present life.

#5. Know where you are going and plan the route(s) to take you there. Would you ever think of taking a long trip to an unfamiliar place without knowing where you are going or thinking about possible challenges you might experience along the way? While you cannot know everything in advance and may encounter the unexpected, if you start your journey without knowing where you're headed, you will most likely end up somewhere else. Before you start your weight loss plan, determine how much you want to lose and break it down into sub-goals, if too overwhelming. For example, if you want to lose eighty pounds, you may want to break down the total into four groups of twenty pound goals each. Also, can you identify your most troublesome areas? For example, do you have trouble overeating at particular times of the day or eat on the run? Do you eat when you feel stressed or bored? What can you do instead that you might enjoy? Unless you have some way of dealing in more effective ways with your personal stumbling blocks, you will succumb to them without even thinking. For example, if you tend to eat on the run and do not consistently prepare quick and healthy meals and snacks to take with you, you could find yourself running from meeting to meeting or place to place with a tendency to resort to old habits such as grabbing a candy bar or some other convenience food, even if you have a genuine desire to lose weight. Of course, there are stumbling blocks you will not know about as you start your diet, but as you make mistakes and learn from them, you will be able to develop strategies to deal with them. Additionally, you will want to evaluate your plan periodically. That way, you can determine what is working and what needs to be changed.

Other tips involve taking care of yourself and treating yourself with kindness. Be sure to get enough rest, relaxation, and sleep, make healthier selections of food, increase your physical activity, and try to keep unnecessary stresses to a minimum. The kind of changes in lifestyle and habits that losing weight requires are stressful enough on the body without adding to them. While you will need courage to face fears, including even the common fear of success that most of us have, the discipline and perseverence to continue your progress and follow your plan day after day and week after week, and the self-honesty to be realistic about what you can do and what you can expect, applying these tips will help you reach your weight loss goal in less time and allow you to feel really good about yourself in the process as well.