Losing weight and getting fit can be a tough challenge for most people however if you have been struggling to keep the extra weight off then do not lose hope because the next approach you try can be the answer to your problems. There are some basic concepts you need to understand when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off. Here is a simple formula you must always remember:
Number of calories consumed – Number of calories burnt = weight gain if positive and weight loss if negative.
So if you are gaining weight then it means that you either need to increase the number of calories you burn each day or decrease the amount of calories you consume. Here are some more tips to keep in mind:
Tip 1: Eat less more often
Starvation or extreme low calorie diets rarely work and can actually be bad for your health. One potentially effective approach is to eat less food but on a more frequent basis. This means that you eat something at least once every 3 to 4 hours but the portions are smaller. If you eat less then you will more than likely get hungry within 3 to 4 hours.
This tactic can be useful because it lets your body know that you are feeding it on a regular basis which will then help to increase your metabolism which is the rate at which your body burns calories. One way to approach this is to eat a medium sized meal followed by a small snack like an apple 2 to 3 hours later and then another meal 2 to 3 hours later.
Tip 2: Exercise to increase metabolism
One of the best ways to increase your metabolism or the number of calories you are burning is through exercise like aerobics and strength training. Aerobic exercise means to exercise with air or oxygen and it offers many benefits including weight loss. There are many things you can do in order to get a good aerobic exercise workout and they include running outdoors or indoors on a treadmill, biking, a fast paced walk, or using a stairclimber.
Joining a gym is often a great idea as it will give you access to a wide range of exercise equipments so you can have more variety in your workouts which will make them more fun which means you are more likely to stick with the program and see better results. Do not forget to also do weight training on a regular basis as this will add the muscle your body needs in order to stay strong.
You do not need to spend hours and hours exercising in order to see good results. Doing aerobic exercise 3 to 4 times a week, 30 to 45 minutes each time can often be enough. Weight training done once to twice a week can be sufficient. Remember that exercise is stressful on the body so do not overdo it otherwise you will end up over training which will make weight loss even more difficult. Follow some of these weight loss tips to help you get into better shape.