Few people are actually within a healthy body fat percentage range. Unfortunately, there are many mediums out there offering expensive, incorrect, or even harmful ways to lose weight. Here are a few ways of losing weight that you should simply pass over.
The first thing I’ll be talking about is a little fruit from South America, the Acai berry. A lot of people try to tout this berry as some miracle weight loss food, but they’re just trying to make a buck. This fruit simply does not have negative calories, and it doesn’t over-rev your metabolism (it’s just a fruit).
Another no-no is the liquid diet, in which you only consume liquids. Though a liquid diet could reduce some of your calories, you’ll simply have a hard time getting all of the nutrients that come with solid foods. Liquid diets are to be used after certain surgeries, not for those trying to lose some weight.
For some reason, many people think that switching from soda to a healthy orange or apple juice will help them lose weight. Weight loss comes from reduced calories, and fruit juice is not considered a reduced calorie food. When thinking about what you’ll be drinking, stick with water and lowfat milk.
Many people think that they can lose weight by simply increasing their activity level. Fat loss is better achieved through diet than exercise, because it’s easier to regulate the amount of calories you put into your system as opposed to burning them. Also, sometimes people automatically eat more while exercising.
The best way to lose fat is to eat a healthy reduced-calorie diet, and perform regular exercise. Those who diet and exercise lose fat while preserving muscle. Those who diet, but do not exercise, lose both fat and muscle (not good).
I know you’ve seen tons of advertisements trying to sell fitness equipment, all being used by young, fit models. It’s important to get into a regular exercise program before you go out and buy all the hype machines. If you still want the machine / gadget / gizmo after you sustain your workout schedule for a while, then you can go ahead and buy it.
Of course, before starting any new exercise program, make sure that you are mentally and physically prepared (see a doctor). Set realistic goals and don’t be afraid to seek help. Coming up with a plan goes a long way in helping you reduce your calories and increase your physical activity. Good luck!
David Stevens writes advice on how to lose weight with running workouts.
