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Steps to Slim Down

More than one-third of the American population suffers from obesity. Causing diabetes and heart disease, that extra "fluff" around the midriff can be burned off with a nutritious diet and regular exercise. It doesn't take crash diets or miracle drugs to stay thin. By remembering a few steps, you can fit back into those tight jeans and begin a new, healthier lifestyle.

  1. Eat a Healthy Diet

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, diet has a greater effect on weight loss than does exercise. In other words, it's easier to eat fewer calories than to try to burn off more calories with exercise. Eat lean protein in turkey, fish and chicken, and avoid high-fat foods like sweets, cheese and butter. Get plenty of carbs, but only from whole grains and vegetables, not pasta or starch. Avoid alcohol and drink eight glasses of water a day. Start the morning out right with a wholesome breakfast.

    Exercise

    • Diet may be able to slim the waistline, but exercise keeps it slim. Whether you walk, jog, ride a bike or climb the stairs, an hour of moderate activity can burn up to 500 calories -- 25 percent of a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days a week, or 25 minutes of high-intensity exercise three days a week. Heart-healthy, fat-burning exercises include swimming, running, jumping rope and playing sports. Strength training, or building muscle, also helps reduce weight by increasing your metabolism. Lifting weights a few times each week can increase your metabolism by 15 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Set Realistic Goals

    • Having achievable goals is an essential part of trimming down your waistline. To lose a single pound of body fat, you have to burn 3,500 calories. Everybody burns calories at different rates, but the National Institutes of Health recommends losing no more than 2 pounds a week. The ideal goal would be to lose 10 percent of your body weight over a period of six months. Losing weight slowly proves more beneficial because it helps establish a new, healthy lifestyle.

    Get Help

    • Staying motivated can prove to be a daunting task. Having a friend or family member to lose weight with you will help ease the burden of a strict diet and constant exercise. A weight-loss buddy can also serve to reinforce your conscience, keeping away the ice cream when you get weak. When all else fails, you can always seek professional help. A dietitian and personal trainer will closely monitor your progress and help you achieve your weight-loss goals.

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