Fat Loss 4 Idiots Book

Whether you want to slim down as part of your New Years Resolutions or get ready for the impending beach season, there has never been a better time to get in shape and lose that extra weight. Follow these simple suggestions to ensure you lose weight in a fast yet healthy manner.

Calorie Intake
Losing weight essentially amounts to burning more calories than you consume, which is done through regular exercise and physical activity. Exercising can be useless if you are still eating more calories than you burn, so you need to keep track of what your daily calorie intake is and make sure you burn more calories through physical activity.

Keep a Food Journal
Keeping track of everything you eat each day will allow you to pinpoint eating patterns and see where you need to improve. Make sure you keep track of absolutely everything; from the extra butter you smear to the extra spoonful of sugar in your coffee and all the contents of each meal. Try keeping it for at least two weeks (longer if possible).

Eat Healthier
This may seem like a rather broad and somewhat ambiguous category, but it is simply referring to finding alternatives to the unhealthy foods you eat (which you should be able to identify from the food journal you have been keeping). Little changes you make to your diet can add up in a big way. Try cutting back on the amount of soda you drink, or the dressing you drench your salad with. Substitute healthier choices when you go out to eat, such as opting for a salad over a greasy burger and fries. This isn't to say you have to eat healthy all the time; trying to do that is completely unrealistic and chances you are, you won't stick to it. But making small changes here and there can help you establish and implement better eating habits.

Meal Planning
One way to cut back on mindless munching and unhealthy eating is to plan your meals. At the beginning of each week, sit down and plan out three or four dinner meals that you will eat at home. Look through cookbooks and online cooking sites to get ideas for healthy yet delicious easy meals. This will help you eat better and reduces the temptation to go out to eat or order a pizza. Along with this, another piece of advice: do not go grocery shopping while hungry! Otherwise you will end up buying all the junk food in site!

Energy Supplement
An energy supplement can help curb hunger and boost your energy levels, when taken properly. If you do take any supplement of any kind, remember to do so in conjunction with plenty of exercise and a healthy diet.

Exercise
It is ludicrous to think you will lose any weight without exerting some form of physical activity. Whether it is brisk walking, dancing, or jogging, find something you enjoying doing to make sure you burn more calories than you consume.