|  | Diet Nutrition | Weight Loss

The Best Weight Loss Techniques

Weight loss is a multimillion dollar industry, reports the Federal Trade Commission. Everywhere you turn, there's a new diet, technique or supplement to help you achieve weight loss faster, quicker and better. Don't fall prey to misleading information. Choose a regimen that works. The best weight loss strategies are the ones that take pounds off slowly with a healthy diet and exercise, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

  1. Face the Facts

    • Losing weight requires burning more calories than you consume. The best way to lose weight is to "eat fewer calories and burn off calories," reports the AAFP. Knowing how many calories you're consuming and burning daily is the first step to safe weight loss.

    Focus on Healthy Foods

    • For safe weight loss, eat healthy foods rather than processed, packaged foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables have fewer calories than most processed foods, and they're full of vitamins and nutrients. Stay away from the saturated fats in fried foods, fatty meats and ice cream. Choose to cook with monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, such as olive and canola oil. Eat more fish, which provides healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

    Remember to Move

    • Exercise will help your weight loss endeavor. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes at least five days a week. Try something new. If you need accountability, exercise classes are great. Ideas for classes include salsa, Zumba and ballroom dancing. Spinning is also an alternative. If you prefer to work out in the privacy of your own home, try a DVD. They range from step aerobics to kickboxing to Pilates. Walk the dog or walk the neighbor's dog. Start an exercise program slowly and with the approval of your physician if you've been inactive for some time.

    Be Realistic

    • Don't expect weight loss to occur overnight. It took time to put the weight on, and it will take time to get the weight off. A safe and healthy amount of weight to lose in one week is one to two pounds. Set short-term goals as well as long-term goals. Your short-term goals might include losing two pounds in one week, exercising for five days a week or drinking eight glasses of water per day. Reaching these goals will encourage your toward your long-term weight-loss goal.

    Be Aware

    • Don't fall for fads or gimmicks, including diet pills. They might offer quick success but they won't help you keep the weight you've lost off and they could have damaging"side effects, says the AAFP. Some gimmicks, according to the Federal Trade Commission, "promise effortless, fast weight loss, then support this misperception by bombarding Americans with spurious advertising messages touting physiologically impossible weight loss outcomes from the use of unproven products and services." Use sound judgment, and remember safe methods of losing weight take time but are worth the effort.

Weight Loss - Related Articles