About Easy Weight Loss

Everyone wants to lose weight as quickly as possible and with as little effort and sacrifice as possible. Successful weight loss involves nutritional education and some effort on your part. However, a number of weight loss programs, tips and techniques can make your quest for a thinner body a little easier.

Function

To lose weight, your body must burn more calories than you consume. While that is the ultimate bottom line in any weight loss program, it's simplistic and does not elaborate on the variety of techniques available to achieve this goal. Some diets result in a higher metabolism, increasing the amount of calories your body burns. Others restrict not only your calories, but also the type of calories you consume. Depending upon your own preference, one weight loss program may produce better results.

Features

Low-carb diets severely restrict the amount of carbohydrates that you consume in an attempt to put your body into a state of ketosis, where it begins burning fat rapidly. The Atkins diet is a well-known low-carb program that might be easy for you if you enjoy eating meats and can do without breads and sweets. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and the South Beach Diet are examples of weight loss programs that provide members with menu breakdowns and even prepackaged foods. These diets offer personal encouragement, which makes weight loss easier for some people.

Size

Everyone has their own perception of what a body should look like and no two opinions are identical. However, a mathematical equation, resulting in a body-mass index (BMI) number, helps determine a healthy weight, based upon the amount of fat in your body in proportion to your height. Use an online BMI calculator to determine your personal BMI number and what it means (see Resources).

Considerations

You need not join a weight loss program in order to shed a few pounds. Some common weight control techniques include adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet, reducing the portion size of food on your plate, not skipping breakfast, choosing fresh foods over processed foods and keeping a food journal. One popular method of losing weight works on the assumption that many people snack throughout the day without realizing it. By keeping a small notebook handy and recording everything you eat and drink, you will become more aware of your eating habits.

Potential

Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and other medical conditions. By researching the different types of diets that work for other people, you may find one that suits your lifestyle (see Resources).