Quick Weight Loss Advice

Concentrate on the small, healthy changes you can make to your lifestyle, and you will lose weight quickly. Eat fewer calories than you use, and you will burn fat. Don't be afraid of strength training. It will tone you and help keep the pounds off permanently. In the end, a healthy lifestyle is the quickest path to permanent weight loss.

Diet

• You may be tempted to starve yourself in order to lose weight quickly. But fasting triggers your metabolism to go into starvation mode, causing your body to conserve a greater percentage of calories as fat. A better plan is to eat five or six small meals a day. This tricks your body into thinking it is eating as much as ever. The student health advisory committee SNAC at UCLA says that your body will burn more calories if you eat five small meals than if you ate that same amount of calories in one or two meals.

  The types of food you eat are important as well. Fiber makes you feel full, so eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You should also have some protein in your diet. Choose low-calorie, healthy protein sources such as skinless chicken, tofu, eggs and low-fat dairy products. Avoid foods that are full of calories but don't fill you up. High-fat foods may taste good, but they have twice the calories of carbohydrates and proteins. Also, be sure to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

Exercise

• Exercise is important not only for weight loss, but also for your overall health. Strength training exercises combined with proper nutrition will lead to muscle gains. Some people are nervous about building muscle, thinking that it will make them look bulky. But a pound of muscle is 1/3 the size of a pound of fat (even though adding a pound of either requires the same amount of calories: 3,500). Your clothes will fit better and your body will be toned after you add muscle mass. Also, muscles burn more calories, even while you are resting. According to UCLA, "One pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day; 1 pound of fat burns only 2."

  Aerobic exercises burn a lot of calories. Jogging, brisk walking, swimming and aerobics classes are great weight-loss workouts. The National Institutes of Health recommend 30 minutes of exercise every day. Try altering your daily routine to increase activity. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or walk instead of driving.

  Overall, UCLA says your goal should be to lose one to two pounds a week. If you try to lose much more than that, you may start to lose muscle instead of fat. Also, your metabolism may be thrown off. Form a weight-loss plan with reasonable goals, stick to it, and concentrate on reaching your goal. And don't forget to reward yourself when you finally reach your goal--but not with food.