Diet to Lose 20 Pounds

Twenty pounds doesn't seem as though it is a great amount of weight to lose. Unfortunately, many people find it nearly impossible to lose any amount of weight at all. One trip to your local bookstore will show you that there is no shortage of diet books and programs on the market. None of these diet programs and books has offered the magical solution to weight loss.

Healthy Diet

• Everyone seems to be looking for the magic potion or pill to help them drop those 20 pounds, but the truth is that a healthy diet is the only real solution.

  Starvation and fad diets can help you to lose weight, but there is a consequence to these programs. Often when the diet is completed and the weight is lost, there is no solution for maintaining the weight loss. These diets don't offer lasting results.

  Hitting a plateau is common in a weight-loss program, and sometimes those last 20 pounds are hardest to lose. A plateau is your body's reaction to your weight-loss efforts and it will take a little extra effort to get rid of the final frustrating 20.

  Adding fiber to your diet is one way to break through a plateau. Fresh vegetables are a great source of additional fiber for your diet, and eating more of these foods instead of less food will help you lose the final 20 pounds.

  A boost for your metabolism will also help. Green tea is thought to boost the metabolism. Also try eating more frequent meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism moving.

  A successful diet is one that can be used to lose 20 pounds and continue for the rest of your life. When beginning a diet plan, determine if the eating plan is something that can be maintained. A diet should contain all the nutrition you need to sustain your body indefinitely.

  A well-balanced diet must contain protein, carbohydrates, fiber and fats in sufficient quantities to maintain good health. A diet that restricts any of these nutrients to dangerous levels to lose weight will not be sustainable in the long term.

Exercise

• Exercise is vital to losing 20 pounds and maintaining a healthy and active body. The benefits of including exercise in your daily life extend far beyond the temporary benefit of dropping 20 pounds.

  During a weight-loss diet, exercise burns extra calories that result in weight loss. When losing weight, your body is taking in fewer calories than it needs to function. Exercise can increase the amount of calories required to be consumed to maintain your current weight. When the calories are restricted and burned at the same time through exercise, weight loss will be the result.

  Weight training is one way to break through a plateau and take off the final 20 pounds when weight loss has halted or slowed to a crawl. As you build more lean muscle, the body will burn more calories at rest. Include weight lifting in your program to take advantage of the increased metabolism a lean body provides. Weight training can speed up your metabolism and eliminate those final 20 pounds.

Maintenance

• Maintenance of weight loss is a sure sign of a successful diet. Once the 20 pounds have come off, the lifestyle changes must continue.

  It's perfectly reasonable to have unhealthy foods occasionally, but it should not become your daily habit. Keep a close eye on your consumption of sweets and snacks.

  If you gain any weight back, take action immediately. It is far better to work on a couple of pounds than to wait until you again have 20 pounds to take off.