negative calorie diet Article

The Real Secret To Losing Weight
By Brent Crouch

Americans spend billions of dollars each year on the latest and greatest diet pills, supplements, shakes, and miracle diets, and yet their waistlines continue to grow even faster than the diet industry. If these products really worked, nobody would be overweight-so clearly, some other method is in order. It would be fantastic if popping a pill could melt away the pounds, but really the only way to lose weight is to stop looking for a magic pill and start taking responsibility for your own health. Once you unlock the power you have in your own mind to change your life, you'll lose weight the natural and lasting way.

Losing weight the natural way needn't cost a single cent. Eat less, move more, replace calorie-laden caffeinated drinks with cool water-nature's healing elixir-and you'll improve your metabolism, burn fat, and feel and function better all over.

5 Quick Steps to Natural and Better Health

1. Tap into the Power of your Mind

You have all you need right now to get fit-no expensive pills, liquid fasts, or gym equipment required.. Realize that food is fuel for your body. It shouldn't be a cure for stress or boredom, it shouldn't be the center of your social life. For too many people, food becomes one of the main sources of day to day pleasure. Make the decision that you won't be one of those people anymore.

2. Get the Facts

Weight loss through dieting alone may work for a little while, but it will eventually slow your metabolism and doesn't offer the same health benefits as combining a sensible eating plan with regular exercise. Contrary to what the marketers of all those pills, tablets, and shakes would have you believe, there is no magic to losing weight. The key to slimming down is to burn more calories than you eat each day. It's just as simple as that. There are no exceptions to this rule. So find a physical activity you enjoy and get your heart rate up for 60 to 90 minutes a day.

3. Pump some Iron

There really is no secret to slimming down. It's just common sense and this basic, hard-and-fast rule-expend more calories than you consume each day. Unfortunately there are quite a few people out there with a serious aversion to a little sweat who will try to lose weight by drastically reducing calories instead of adding exercise to a healthy, reasonable diet. It's true that a deficit in calories, whether through exercise or dieting or both, will lead to weight loss. But consider the long-term-through exercise you build muscle that burns more fat even at rest, you boost your metabolism, and you get a whole host of other health benefits. Meanwhile, dieting alone does nothing for you besides help you drop pounds, and it actually slows down your metabolism so you'll have to eat less and less to maintain your new weight. So get moving!

4. Keep a Log

The sense of satisfaction seeing your accomplishments take shape on paper are often enough incentive to keep people going through the rough times when trying to lose weight and get in better shape. Write down when you exercise, what you did and how long, as well as when you eat and how much.

5. Set Realistic Goals

It's better to indulge occasionally rather than swear off junk food and desserts forever. Your stoicism will eventually drive you to madness and an all-out binge. Use the power of rewards to your advantage-each time you reach a goal or milestone, treat yourself to a taste of your favorite "forbidden" food. Or better yet, reward yourself to a prize that reflects your new healthy lifestyle, like a sports massage, a trip to go biking or canoeing, or new workout gear. Looking at "the big picture" can be daunting-break it up into smaller, more attainable goals to keep your spirits high and the number on the scale low.

Brent Crouch is the owner of WeightLossEtc.org. He has dedicated this site to providing information on effective methods and discussing other issues.