How to Maximize Weight Loss

Losing weight is easier for some than it is for others, that's just the way it is. That's not a reason, however, to give up hope if the scale is not always tilting the way you want it to. Below are some advice on how to maximize weight loss.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Get pumped! The most important thing you will ever need when trying to lose weight is motivation. Set up goals, realistic goals. Don't tell yourself you want to lose 20 lbs in one month, because that's darn near impossible. Keep your goal of losing 20 pounds, but spread it out over 6 to 8 weeks instead. Losing 2.5 pounds per week is more doable than 5 pounds per week. You might be able to lose 5 pounds in each of the first two weeks, but after that it is going to get tough and you don't want to jeopardize your motivation by not meeting your goals.
2. Go with the salad Your diet is the second most important thing when losing weight. Eating right will not only make you lose weight, but it can also make you feel more energized, which will make it a lot easier to get up and go to the gym.
3. Your dinner plate should not look like this, even if it is sushi With all the weight loss shows and magazine columns these days it has almost become common knowledge that eating several smaller meals is better for weight control than three big ones. But just in case you missed it, or don't know why this is better, I'll go over it here briefly.
   When you eat five or six smaller meals a day you keep your metabolism going throughout the day and that means calories are being used up!
4. Snack away, but keep it healthy One thing that people often get wrong when going on a weight loss diet is that they cut out too much calories from their diet. An excess of calories will mess up your weight loss plans, but a shortage of calories is not good either. You need to find a perfect balance.
   When you lower your calorie intake you also slow down your metabolism, which leads the body to start conserving fat for fuel. If you keep this up long enough your body will eventually begin to break down muscle tissue for fuel due to lack of other resources, and then you're really doing a lot more damage than good.
5. These things are called fruits, they taste good AND they're healthy Muscles need calories just to maintain, and if you want to gain more muscle mass you need even more calories. It is fat that you need to cut out of your diet. Eat more lean cuts of meat, or switch to chicken (not fried chicken!) or fish, this will cut out unnecessary fats in your diet. Sugar is also your enemy now, so stop eating candy and other sweets during the day and drink water instead of soda. Fruit and nuts are great snacks to munch on between breakfast, lunch and dinner.
6. Nuts will help you eat smaller meals If you feel you're still eating too much food, but need it just to be able to function normally, eat some peanuts or cashews 30 minutes before your meal. Nuts sends a trigger to your brain telling your stomach that it is not hungry anymore and therefore it will feel like you don't have enough room in your belly for a big portion of food.
7. Another key player in maximizing weight loss is exercise. That does not have to mean going to the gym. Some people don't like going to the gym for various legit reasons, but that doesn't mean they still can't exercise.
   A few suggestions on alternative exercise regimes are taking up a martial arts class, a dance class (but make sure it's high energy dancing, such as samba, salsa, African dance or hip hop), swimming, playing tennis or running up and down bleachers or stairs.
   The key is to move around a lot, work up a sweat and make your heart race a little faster than usual. Also, whatever you decide to do, you have to commit to it and not put up a half-hearted effort.
8. Lower weights, more reps If you like going to the gym you should adapt your workout to maximize weight loss, which means not adding too much muscle mass, unless that's weight you welcome. This means doing more cardio workouts than lifting heavy weights. In fact, when you lift free weights, use lighter weights so you can do around 12 to 15 reps for three sets. This builds muscle endurance more than muscle mass. Cut down on resting between exercises to keep the burn going, it will also get you out of the gym faster.
9. Sweat it out After a workout you can also slip into a sauna for a while to sweat out some weight. However, you will only lose water weight by doing this, but if it helps reaching your weekly goal and keeping your motivation up, go for it.

Tips & Warnings

• To be able to maintain your motivation when trying to lose weight, find a partner that you can do it together with. You will be able to feed off of each others energy and if one of you is having an off day, the other one can get you back on track.
• If you have a sweet tooth and start feeling the urge for sweets, try eating fruits instead. One of the main reasons many people eat candy bars instead of fruits is advertising. How often do you see a candy bar commercial or ad? How often do you see a farmer on TV telling you to buy his strawberries? See what I'm saying? This means when your brain says "I want sweets!" The first thing that pops into your mind is probably candy. Change that.
• Don't drive your car everywhere you go. Take a walk or ride a bike for some bonus exercise.
• Get plenty of rest. If you are working out hard you will need plenty of sleep.
• Don't weigh yourself every day. Weight loss doesn't always happen over night. Step on the scale every two or three days just to make sure you're heading in the right direction.
• If you hit a wall before you reach your goal and can't lose more weight, regroup and change up your tactics and don't just give up.
• Never skip out on meals just to lose weight, it does more harm than good in the long run.