Jump Start Weight Loss Tips

Losing weight is one of the easiest ways to get healthier, and getting a good quick start is a great way to get motivated and keep going on your diet. There are a few things that can help guarantee a great first week, no matter what diet plan you follow. Fit these things into your food plan, and you'll have an impressive first week's loss.

Water

• Drink water. It sounds simple, but almost nothing will help you guarantee impressive weight loss your first week like drinking lots of water. Get in a minimum of eight glasses a day. Water flushes out impurities in your system, helps in digestion, and makes you feel fuller. Many times you think you are hungry when you are actually thirsty. Drink water before every meal.

Eat Often

• Skipping meals will not help you lose weight. If you tend to skip breakfast, you are often so hungry by lunchtime that you will eat twice as much as you should. Eat regular meals throughout the day, including snacks between meals. An apple or some cheese and crackers can stave off hunger two hours before dinner.

Plan Ahead

• Know what you're going to eat before you eat it. It's very easy to get off track when you're just improvising. Sit down the day before and plan out all of your meals and snacks for the entire day. Write your plan down and stick with it. Make sure you include some treats so you don't feel deprived.

Eat Enough

• Eating less doesn't always translate into losing more. If you don't eat enough, your body may interpret this as deprivation and go into what's known as "starvation mode." It thinks it's not going to get enough food, so it hangs onto every calorie it can. Food is fuel for your body. To burn off the extra weight, you have to eat. Find a healthy calorie goal for steady weight loss, and make sure you eat this amount every day.