Three Tips to Losing Weight You Didn't Know You Had Yet

In today's world, where much of America is overweight, many of us are trying to lose that extra poundage and get back to our slimmer, healthier selves. Most of us want to fix-it-quick and aren't interested in waiting months or years to lose the extra twenty pounds we're packing. I'm going to let you in on a secret: it's possible to lose weight a lot faster than you might think. Not as fast as liposuction, maybe, but faster than the traditional 2-4 pounds per month plans you're used to seeing.

How? Not by cutting corners or "cheating," but by utilizing smarter methods that raise your metabolism and cut out the bad habits working against you. This is all about finding that edge that puts you ahead and gives you the boost you need to get the pounds off and then keep them off.

First, Eat Frequently

What? Seems counter-intuitive, trying to lose weight by eating more. Right? Well, it's not. Eating more often (not more, just more often) will even out your intake and blood sugar levels. This will remove the "rhythm" you've had for your metabolism to follow and instead give it a steady, working pace. This is the first and most important step towards getting a stronger metabolism to burn off more pounds quicker. Spreading your usual 2 or three meals a day into five or even six a day, just in smaller portions, will give your metabolism an even keel to guide it and keep it steady. This means no ups and downs, starts and stops, so it'll work harder for you because it's steadier work.

Of course, with this comes responsibility. If half your meal is ice cream, that's obviously a problem. Eating healthier foods is a big part of this process, so cut out the fat and eat more vegetables and fruits.

Eat a Big Breakfast

Yep, I said it. Your first meal of the day is the most important one. Why? Well, breakfast actually got its name because when you wake up in the morning and eat your first meal, you are breaking the fast you were taking overnight. Since your body hasn't had anything to sustain it for eight or more hours now, it's time to give it a big boost and get your metabolism back on track. A good breakfast will do that. Make it full of vitamins and fiber to get a good start off. Then balance it by eating healthy, smaller meals throughout the day.

Cardio and Strength Training For Metabolism

Now that you're on the path to losing weight, you'll want to get the next half of the metabolism machine working for you. This part requires more lean muscle because that's what raises your metabolism and gets your calorie-burning, fat-burning machine working. Train portions of your body each day, moving through two or three major muscle groups in a cycle. Work your legs one day, your abdomen the next, your shoulders and arms the next, then back to the legs. You don't have to beat yourself up or flex in front of the mirror like a pro wrestler, just work until you feel the burn, then a little longer, then stop and rest. Then again. Do it two or three times each workout. Do a short cardio train each day as well, getting your heart rate up and holding it there for a few minutes: fifteen or twenty minutes is usually enough, though after a while you'll find that thirty minutes or longer is not so bad.

Of course, you should talk with your doctor before you begin any workout regime or diet, but these three simple tips are what make or break most weight loss programs. You can eat all the fancy diet foods you want and take all the magic pills you can buy, but they won't work. This will.