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Top ten tips for fast, healthy weight loss

By Greg Landry

Most people want to lose weight as quickly as possible while not sacrificing their health in the process. Here are my top ten tips to help you accomplish that goal. (If you are looking for rapid weight loss in less than ten days, read our other article)

1. Do some type of aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, swimming, stationary cycling, aerobic dancing, etc.) on a DAILY basis (preferably in the morning) for 30 to 60 minutes! It elevates several of your body's hormones that tell your body to burn more fat. It decreases hormones that tell your body to store fat. And, it gives your metabolism (basal metabolic rate) a boost and burns calories. Here's the bottom line folks - when you're sedentary, your body loves to hold on to fat. It likes to "store" as much as it can. Conversely, when you exercise, your body loves to "dump" fat. It does everything it can to get rid of fat. DAILY exercise! Forget this twice-a-week stuff. Your body was designed to be active on a daily basis. When you are, the fat will go!

2. Tone your muscles with weight training three days per week. Toned muscles look great and they supercharge your metabolism! This should be done just after your aerobic exercise session so that your muscles are warm and supple and less prone to injury.

3. Do an additional 15 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise in the evening, five days per week. Some people like to do this just before their dinner meal to decrease their appetite, but after dinner is fine too. In the interest of injury prevention and not getting bored with your exercise, try to alternate the type of exercise you do. For example, walking in the morning and cycling in the evening. (Related: How to lose weight during middle age)

4. Incorporate "intervals" into most of your aerobic sessions. Intervals are a powerful tool to help boost your metabolism. They are explained in detail in my article, "Intervals for Weight Loss."

5. Develop a more active lifestyle. Look for the "hard" way to do things - the way that requires the most energy expenditure. Park as far from the store as you can rather than looking for the closest parking spot. Use the stairs rather than the elevator, a rake rather than a blower, etc.

6. Always eat breakfast! Skipping breakfast sends the message to your body that you're "starving" because you haven't had food in 18+ hours (dinner meal one day to lunch meal the following day). As a protective mechanism, your metabolism slows down. Food, especially complex carbohydrates, fuels your metabolism.

7. Find exercise that you enjoy doing. For example, many people enjoy walking in the beautiful outdoors, or if they don't, they make it enjoyable by listening to music or taped books, exercising with a friend, or perhaps by varying their route or the type of exercise they do.

8. Don't weigh yourself every day. Your body has daily fluid fluctuations that show on a scale day to day but aren't reflective of fat loss or gain. Weigh yourself once a week at most and preferably less than that.

9. If at all possible, exercise in the morning. 90% of people who exercise *consistently*, exercise in the morning. If you want to exercise consistently, odds are in your favor if you exercise first thing in the morning. When you exercise in the morning you'll be *energized* for the day! Also, many people find that morning exercise "regulates" their appetite for the day - that they aren't as hungry and that they make better food choices. Many people have told me that it puts them in a "healthy mindset."

10. Train for a local 5k or 10k walk or run in your area or set higher goals and train to walk or run a marathon. This can be great motivation to exercise on a regular basis.

Many of the people that are most successful at weight loss have a specific goal of participating in some type of race. Remember, achieving the goal is not in winning the race but in preparing for the race and participating! I've seen many people transformed from couch potatoes to lean, mean exercising machines, because they decided to enter and train for a competition. Don't think you can't do it...YOU CAN! Get movin'!

Caution: Always make gradual changes in the intensity and duration of your exercise sessions.

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About the author: Author and exercise physiologist, Greg Landry, offers free weight loss success stories and a variety of unique weight loss and fitness programs at his website.