How to lose weight

You don't have to put on sweats and sneakers or hit the gym to lose weight. You can do some garden work and vacuum the floor on your own property. Picking up toys is good exercise, too. Keep a fitness log: Get a blank piece of paper and draw about forty small squares or print a spreadsheet from Microsoft Excel a spreadsheet. Try to figure out your most common exercise-related activities and make two letter (or number) codes for them. Add a few more activities to get you moving. Set a date to complete all of your squares.

Consider going over your log daily to fill in the squares, as you will not remember what activity you did three weeks from now. Make sure that your date goals are reasonable and timely. For physical activity, try something different. Maybe you’ve stopped going to the gym because it's boring. Do something unique and preferably something that involves a long-term commitment and contract, such as swing or salasa dancing, swimming lessons, fencing or martial arts. Choose a school or instructor you like--you're more likely to show up, especially if there's someone holding you accountable. The more expensive the contract, the more likely you are to stick with it...unless you're filthy rich, in which case you can hire a personal trainer.

If you are having a hard time getting started or maintaining an exercise routine, use Monday as the day to recommit. Instead of making it a New Year’s Resolution or something you start doing on your birthday, using Monday gives you fifty-two chances to get on track. To lose weight consistently, take the stairs instead of escalators and elevators and take brisk walks everyday. Don't over exercise or lose too much weight. Check with your doctor if you are going to start a new and more healthy diet before you begin. Make sure you check your BMI for improvement and make sure you aren't losing too much weight (that's not good). Being underweight is also unhealthy and can increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Consult your doctor before making any major changes to your lifestyle if you have a medical condition that could be affected. Consulting your doctor can also help you rule out medical conditions that could be contributing to your weight. Don't lose weight too quickly. The harder you push yourself, the higher the chance of relapse. Slow and steady wins the race. Remember that being healthy overall is more important than losing weight. Preventing obesity should be like preventing diabetes or cancer or hypertension; you are preventing a disease. Never do anything unhealthful to lose weight. You don’t want to substitute one disease for another. Carbohydrates are not necessary for life; when in ketosis, the body produces glucose from protein. This is healthy in the long-term and the most effective way to lose weight, provided you make it a lifetime commitment. Constantly switching from carbs to no carbs and back is more dangerous than just eating the carbs and staying fat