Long-term Weight Loss Requires Lifestyle Changes

I'm going to state the obvious here: dieting works . . . at least for the near term. But you can improve the effectiveness of most diets and improve your long-term chances of success by employing a few simple diet changes.

Over the past years, I've compiled a long list of easy lifestyle modifications that combine to build a long-term, practical approach to dieting. Add a few of these changes to your current routine individually until they become habit. In a short while, you'll notice better, more lasting results if you truly absorb these habits. Plus, they'll help kick-start any diet designed to help you loose weight fast.

Ice cold water: drink an ice-cold glass of water (16 ounces) first thing in the morning and prior to each meal. Your body will be forced to raise the water to your body temperature, burning a few extra calories. Additionally, it will make you feel more full when you eat and help keep you adequately hydrated.

Add negative calorie foods: there are a handful of foods out there that consume more energy when burned than are contained within the foods themselves; i.e. they have a net negative caloric impact. Try adding broccoli, asparagus, blueberries, beets, radishes, cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes, and similar foods.

Evening lockdown: don't eat for at least two hours before bedtime. Preferably, make your final "meal" of the day a light salad to tide you over until bedtime. There's no sense feeding your body calories that will not be burned efficiently as your metabolism slows (especially true in the winter time).

Drop your cardio: you are probably aware that you burn calories every minute that you are exercising. But when you stop, your metabolism quickly returns to normal. Combat this by engaging in interval training instead of cardio. Interval training can be completed in 15 to 20 minutes and will boost your metabolism for a full 24 hours. Just make sure you exercise. Muscle burns calories, so build muscle to help achieve quick diet loss.

Eat brown foods: try to stay away from processed foods or foods that increase your blood sugar. Whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, brown rice are good substitutes for white bread, potatoes, and white rice.

3:1 deficit-to-normal ratio: after three days at a caloric deficit, add a normal day. If you're dieting at a 30 percent deficit for 3 days (e.g. 2400 calorie diet dropping to 1650 calories), make the fourth day a 10 percent deficit. That is, in this example, give yourself an extra 510 calories on every fourth day. This will stop any plateaus before they start.

Remember, for maximum effectiveness, add these lifestyle changes into your existing diet plan if you want to loose weight quick. When you stop dieting, retain these habits for the long-term to help you keep off the weight it took so long to lose. It's always easier to maintain than to lose!