Great ideas to get you in shape

Weight loss can be achieved through 2 means. One is calorie/food reduction and the other is exercise. Both methods work well though one may be better for some people than others. A combination of both is best. Let's find out quick and easy ways to lose fat. Read on …

Yes you have heard it and you already know it but do you stick to it? Fat contains more calories per "gram" than carbohydrates and protein. Reduce or try and eliminate fats BUT BE CAREFUL. Do not replace low-fat foods with others which contain sugars.

Most low fat foods may be correctly labelled in that they are low fat but read the labels please. You will find that they have replaced the fat with carbohydrates and sugars. Be aware of this.

Make sure you include some proteins in each meal as this will satisfy your appetite a lot more than carbohydrates and fat.

Snacking the wrong way is a sure fire way of not losing fat. You may ask what does this mean? Snacking can be done in two ways. Bad snacking or smart snacking. Bad snacking is eating sugary foods full of carbohydrates or even worse, fats.

Snacking on protein rich foods such as a soya bar or nuts and seeds can actually be good for you. It can reduce your cravings and give you essential fats and maybe even lower cholesterol.

Don't snack late at night. Most people get into the habit of eating here and there after dinner all the way up to going to sleep. Don't do it. Make sure your stomach is empty up to 4 hours before going to sleep. Just drink water. Sleeping recudes your metabolism by up to 20%. You really don't want to be eating before sleeping!

This can be small changes and big ones.

Small changes are like not having fatty/sugary sauces on your foods, replacing juices with water, not putting sugar in your tea/coffee.

Big changes can be things like not going out to eat fast foods, take aways or pastry and cookies.

Live the "lifestyle" of a fit, lean and fat-free person and you will soon look like them. It is as simple as that.

Learn to say no to people. If your friends top a meal with cheesecake, refrain. Say no. Have a diet drink which tastes sweet instead. Work at it. Small changes lead to big changes. You have to start somewhere.

Don't fill your plate up. Make sure from today you put at least 1/3 less food on your plate. Make sure you are not over doing it with carbohydrates. Eat protein and vegetables too. Eat less. Get your stomach used to it and it will shrink and in turn ask for less food. You don't need to take drastic measures like some people who have it stapled! Practice some discipline. It is a lot more natural!

Losing 10% of your body fat in about 6 months is a good goal. You can lose more by taking fat loss supplements but more than 15% in 6 months is not good. You will probably put it back on if it is too drastic. How many times have you seen someone lose a great deal of body fat and a year later they are back where they started from or even worse?

You didn't get fat overnight so you won't lose it overnight. Be patient. See this as a healthy lifestyle change, not a "January" or "July" thing.

Fasting, not eating or starving yourself will mean your body gets scared and keeps more food when you next eat! How counter productive is that? Don't do it. Eat small, healthy meals regularly.

Have you noticed that people with more lean muscles are usually better at burning fat, sometimes without doing anything? Wondered why? The base metabolic rate can increase up to 15% for every pound of muscle! That is a very good reason to hit the gym and get some muscles ASAP!

Imagine losing fat while you are sleeping or sitting or walking or doing nothing. It is possible if you build more muscle tissue.

Get yourself to a reasonable shape with at least 3-4 more kilograms of muscle and you will see the fat come off.

Just do it. Start and carry on with it. NO EXCUSES. If you put the effort you put into making excuses to going to the gym even just twice a week you would see such a difference.

There is no excuse for not exercising. You probably do it every year and before you know it 10 years have gone by and you have yet to see the inside of a gym (not all of you but many of you will know!).

The saying goes "winning starts with beginning". If you want to win the battle of the bulge, especially if you are getting older, then you need to plan your week and put in at least 2-3 gym sessions.

Aerobic exercise is best but weight training will also do. Any activity is better than none. Running, rowing, stepping, aerobics, weight training, boxing, they are all good.

Don't forget to drink lots of water every day by the way. No fat loss regime will work without water.

Good luck and remember to stick to this new "lifestyle" and see it as such.