Weight Loss Basics

Summer is nearly over, and the amount of bikini-clad bodies you normally see at the pool or beach is starting to diminish. That does not mean you should start slacking in the area of diet and exercise. There are thousands of individuals who struggle with bulge in all the wrong places, many of whom wait until April or May to do something about it. Wouldn't it be nice to have that firm, toned body all year?

Whether your goal is to lose pounds, tone and trim, or if you just want to be healthier, there are some things to remember before you begin punishing your body for not being quite what you want it to be. Most conventional diets do not work. What a shocker! Completely eliminating things like sugar, fat, or carbohydrates from your diet may make you lose a few pounds in the beginning, but the results are not long-lasting, and are not healthy.

Diets such as the Atkins diet, which eliminate just about everything except for protein, can actually make you sick. The point of this diet is to eliminate carbohydrates that cause weight gain. It seems sensible enough, but it is by no means healthy. Your body needs those other nutrients that are lost by removing other foods. While excess carbohydrates can cause unwanted weight gain, eliminating them altogether is no healthier. Do you plan on eating this way for the rest of your life? If you expect this diet to work, you might as well, because guess what will happen the moment you incorporate carbohydrates back into your diet. That's right, you'll gain weight like you never have before. Is this really the life you want? While the Atkins diet aims to return carbs to your diet with time, as soon as you go back to "normal" eating habits, you will gain weight.

This is only one of the many fad diets advertised today each one no more effective in the long term than the next. So, what can you do? A balanced diet including several servings of fruits and vegetables can give you the results you want, without the feelings of starvation and frustration. We all know what eating healthy is. Lose the candy bar, pick up an apple or orange. How hard is it? Switch to whole grains when choosing your breads and other carbohydrate-filled foods. Studies have shown that a single serving of wheat bread makes the body feel just as full as two servings of white bread. Use this information to your advantage. You feel just as full eating less, you lose weight, and it's good for you! I don't' see a downside, here.

Okay, now that you've picked up some healthier eating habits, let's talk about exercise. You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you? Of course eating healthy works wonders, and some may even lose all the weight they want with these simple changes alone. But keep this in mind: you can eat all the apples and carrots and whole grains in the world, and it won't tone your body. Muscle doesn't magically appear, and flab doesn't spontaneously melt off.

The belief that you can "spot reduce", which means to make fat disappear in one certain area of the body, is not accurate. Thousands of crunches a day might build abdominal strength, but you are not likely to actually be able to see the results. A full body workout including aerobic exercise and strength training will burn more calories and tone your entire body. "Problem areas" are simply genetically predetermined places where the body stores excess fat. Incorporating a full body work out along with a healthy diet can make getting rid of excess fat in all areas more possible.

A complete 30-45 minute aerobic workout four to five times a week will burn calories and reduce overall body fat. Spot training can then be used to strengthen the muscles underneath the fat, making them more visible once weight loss is underway. Target problem areas with strength training along with aerobic exercise and healthy eating habits. This will make the body appear trim and toned, and you'll be much healthier, too!