How to Lose Weight: Simple Tips to Shed Pounds and Keep Them Off

Do you want to lose some weight, look and feel better and just maybe fit into those old jeans you can't bring yourself to throw away? Try these tips:

1. Avoid fad diets

Diets that force you to exclude major food groups while you rely on others can work -- in the short-term. The problem is, they're nearly impossible to sustain. You may lose some weight while on the diet, then go back to eating normally and gain it all back. What you need is not a diet, but a lifestyle that will help you to reach your goal weight and maintain it.

2. Set a realistic goal

It's hard to get somewhere if you don't have a clear destination in mind. Set a realistic weight goal for yourself that you would like to reach. Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat, so you could be super-toned but not reach your "ideal weight." With that in mind, your goal should include an inch count for the major areas of your body: upper arms, thigs, hips, buttocks and waist. Then give yourself a timetable to reach that goal. Keep in mind that 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week is realistic, but if you are putting on muscle while losing fat, your body will shrink but you may not be losing the weight you expect.

3. Weigh and measure yourself weekly

Some people avoid doing this because they don't want to confront the truth, which is just part of the problem. In order to change a situation, you first have to size it up and determine where you're at, then devise a realistic plan to get you to where you want to be. Get a reliable scale and weigh yourself. Then, using measuring tape, measure your upper arms, thighs, hips, buttocks, waist and chest/breast area. Weigh and measure yourself weekly and keep the results in a notebook so you can see what kind of improvements you're making, or not. These measurements should not be reason to get you down - they are merely feedback as to whether what you're doing is working or not.

4. Exercise at least four times a week

It's going to be difficult, if not impossible, to lose weight and keep it off unless you're exercising your body. Work in at least 40 minutes of cardio work at least four times a week, along with some weight lifting if you feel you need to tone up. If you're naturally muscular, but just have fat covering the muscle, then focus on cardio and let the fat-burning exercise do the work. Exercise has the immediate benefit of burning calories along with the long-term benefit of converting fat to muscle and turning your body into a calorie-burning machine. It also has obvious health benefits!

Beyond traditional "exercise time" you should keep yourself as active as possible. If you have the option to take the escalator or the stairs, take the stairs. If you're going a short distance and have the choice to drive or walk, take a walk. You don't have to become Richard Simmons, but you should take the opportunity to get some exercise whenever you can.

5. Drink plenty of water and avoid any drinks with calories

Water is important for so many reasons - 70 percent of the body is water, so clearly it's vital to our systems and their function. It flushes out impurities and helps us feel full. And, it's calorie-free. Avoid sodas, juices and other drinks with calories (except milk, which is a good source of calcium and protein). Avoid diet sodas as well; although these are calorie-free, they are loaded with chemicals and artificial sweeteners harmful to the body. Water is the way to go to quench your thirst - you will not be loading your body with sugar and empty calories.

6. Do not go hungry

This is one of the biggest mistakes that dieters make. The goal is to turn your body into an efficient machine that burns calories easily and at will. By denying your body food, all you're really doing is making it less efficient by forcing it to hold on harder to what it does have. The answer is simple: Eat when you are hungry, and stop eating when you are full.

7. Avoid "diet," fat-free and low-calorie foods

All these foods do is replace fat, which is valuable in small amounts, with sugar, which is one of your worst enemies when trying to achieve weight loss. They also makes you feel deprived, so that you're more inclined to overindulge or outright binge to satisfy your cravings. There's no need to take drastic meaures when trying to lose weight or maintain weight loss. Simply eat sensible foods in moderate amounts.

8. Eat a protein-rich breakfast

One of the biggest mistakes dieters make is skimping on meals, especially breakfast, when in fact, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It sets the tone for your body's calorie-burning activities, and gives you energy -- or not. Deprive yourself of a good breakfast and you'll feel sluggish and tired later in the day. Then, you'll be more likely to turn to artificial methods of gaining energy, which aren't always so health-conscious, rather than just giving your body the nutrition it needs. The ideal breakfast would have plenty of protein.

9. Don't avoid fat

Don't indulge in it either, but fat is necessary for the normal function of the body. Furthermore, if the body is going to give up fat, it has to have fat at its disposal to replace it with. Fat satisfies the appetite and helps you feel full. Without it, you're more likely to give in to the enemy -- cravings and binges.

10. Eat plenty of protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables

The idea is to use food for its basic purpose -- nourishment to give you energy. Eat protein-rich foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Don't avoid carbs altogether, but be selective of which carbs you choose to eat. Sugar is completely devoid of nutrition, and will cause you to spike and then crash, leaving you feeling hungrier and with less energy than when you started. Similarly, processed carbs that have been stripped of their nutrients (such as white bread) are also like eating empty calories. Aim for food that has some nutritional value. And again, don't be afraid to eat some fat in moderation.

11. Don't eat unless you're hungry

One of the easiest ways to sabotage your weight loss goals is to eat when you're not hungry. Whether you're bored, tired, depressed or something else, eating to alter your mood is a sure route to failure. Listen to your body, practice self-control, and eat only when you're hungry.

12. Snack between meals

Snacks -- healthy ones -- keep your body's metabolism going and prevent overeating at meals due to ravenous hunger. If you get hungry between meals, eat a piece of fruit, some nuts, a cheese stick, a yogurt, some carrots and hummus, or a similar snack that will satisfy your appetite. Keep snacks with you at all times so that even when you're on the go, you won't be tempted to stop at the nearest fast food joint or overeat when you finally do score a meal.

13. Don't be afraid to indulge every now and then

If you constantly deprive yourself, you'll just end up binging. If you're working out regularly and eating healthy overall, don't be afraid to allow yourself a little indulgence every now and then. Just keep it in moderation. Instead of eating the whole carton of ice cream, have a couple of scoops. Instead of getting the Super King Size candy bar, get the regular-size one. Once you get over the idea of not being able to have something, you won't want it so much anymore. You'll find that you can take or leave it.

14. If you do overindulge, go light the next day

OK, so maybe you couldn't control yourself and you did eat the whole carton of ice cream. All is not lost. Simply eat extra-healthy the next day. Eat more fruits and vegetables than you normally would, go a little easier than you normally would. Don't deprive yourself, just do what you can to balance off your previous day's mishap.

15. Don't let food control your life

Food has a very important purpose -- to nourish you. Many people forget this and turn food into their arch nemesis. It's a losing battle that surely doesn't involve weight loss.

In reality, losing weight and keeping it off is about changing your lifestyle and your relationship with food. It is about turning your body into a food-burning engine that requests what it needs to function and burns off what it doesn't. It is not something that happens overnight. It's a gradual process that results from changes in the way you regard food.

If you look at everything in terms of what you can't or shouldn't have, you're trapped in the equivalent of a food prison. Don't take food so seriously. You can have almost anything in moderation. The question is should you have it? Don't think in terms of what you can and can't have, but what your body needs. Make wise choices that are aimed at satisfying your hunger and giving you energy and nutrition. Exercise regularly. Keep track of your results and note what does and doesn't work. Don't deprive yourself, but if you happen to overindulge, just take it easy the next day.

Keep in mind that you should not just be losing weight to look like the latest hot celeb, but to improve your health, energy and self-esteem. The end result of your weight loss shouldn't be just looking good, but increasing your life span and having the energy and confidence to go out and have the kind of impact on the world you want. Losing weight and keeping it off over the long-term is possible, especially when you take control, listen to your body and regard food in terms of nutrition, not momentary satisfaction.

Good luck!