How to Lose Weight Without Diet Pills

By eHow Health Editor

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Being overweight increases your chances for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and many other illnesses. Losing weight can effectively reduce those chances; however, you should avoid the temptations of the vast array of diet pills available. Not only can diet pills add to your risk for heart disease and high blood pressure, they are expensive, cause dependency and can destroy your natural metabolic balance for good. Losing weight is not simple, but you can do it without pills.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Step1

Decrease your daily caloric intake by 500 calories to lose between 1 and 2 lbs. each week. While counting calories may be slower than powerful diet pills, it is a safe, natural and sure way of shedding pounds. As a general rule, if you are inactive you should take in about 2,000 calories a day. If you are more active, you can eat up to 2,500 calories and still lose weight.

Step2

Burn more calories than you eat by adding 30 minutes of brisk exercise to your daily routine. Your choice of exercise will depend on your body type, weight and personal preference. For people carrying 100 extra pounds or more, a simple stroll through the park or cleaning the house is probably enough to burn the extra calories. If you are only trying to lose that last five pounds, you may be better off with weight training, aerobics or jogging.

Step3

Eat a wide variety of foods that include all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to maintain balance and metabolism. Fresh fruits and vegetables are your best source of calories, while trans fats, saturated fats as well as refined flours and sugars should be avoided.

Step4

Expect slow results if you want permanent results. While some diet pills offer fast and dramatic weight loss, it is not healthy for your body to lose more than 10 pounds per month. The faster the weight comes off, the less likely you will be able to keep it off. Persistence, lifestyle change and a healthy diet are the best ways to lose weight naturally and safely without dangerous diet pills.