Losing weight is so important to our health and our longevity. To live longer healthier lives we may need to lose weight and keep it off. This means no fad diets that do not help in the long run. No supplements that do not fulfill their promises. But a change to a healthy lifestyle based on a healthy diet and regular physical exercise. In America nearly 70% of the adult population is overweight or obese. In fact there are more people who are obese than in any other category. Obesity and being overweight are linked to so many major diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and even erectile dysfunction to name a few. Losing weight and keeping it off will reduce our risks of these major diseases, increase our energy and increase our zest for life. We begin to live and enjoy life more because being overweight has a physical, mental and even spiritual impact on our lives.

Have a Weight Loss Plan

To successfully lose weight and keep it off you need an effective weight loss plan. Your weight loss plan must be comprehensive and even life changing. Your effective weight loss plan must include eating healthy, regular physical exercise, getting adequate sleep, fresh air and plenty of sunshine. You must be committed to your plan and follow through. For your plan to be effective include SMART goals. Be Specific in what you want to accomplish. Your goals must be Measurable, Attainable and Realistic. You should be able to Track and manage your goals. Yes this sounds like a business plan. Successful permanent weight loss is your business. It is your health. Is there anything more important than your health. Wealth without health is useless. To manage and track your plan you should start a weight loss journal. There are programs that will help you with that online or you can get a simple spiral notebook write down your goals and activities then journal daily to manage your weight loss plan.

Healthy Diet

You start by eating healthy foods. Your primary diet should be fresh fruit, raw vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans. Lean meat, fish and poultry add protein and fat to your diet. You get all of the protein you need if you limit your meat, fish and poultry to 10% of the calories you eat daily. Commit yourself to learning the health benefits of fresh organic fruit and vegetables. Also whole grains, nuts and beans. You will also learn what is bad for your health. You will learn what cuts years off your life. The more you know the truth the more resolve you will have to eat right and stick to your weight loss plan. The reality is that God gave us plant life as our food. Everything we need for a healthy balanced diet grows from the ground. Even medicines and remedies for diseases come from plants (fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans and herbs). I am not advocating becoming a vegetarian, though that is not a bad idea. What I am saying is if you eat healthy foods you will lose weight, reduce risks of disease, increase your energy, enjoy your life more and live longer.

Your Healthy Diet should also include drinking plenty of water. Many experts say drink 8 glasses of water a day. Some say drink 1 oz of water for every 2 lbs you weight. If you weight 200 pounds you should drink 100 ounces a day. I say drink plenty of water. By eating a healthy diet with a lot of fruit and vegetables, 9 servings a day as recommended by the USDA, you do not need as much water. Also you should drink natural tea daily. Drink Green Tea, Oolong Tea and Pu-er Tea as well as other teas. All Tea has no calories and improves your metabolism. Drinking tea will help you have more energy and lose weight. The Teas I mentioned also help you lose weight because of fat burning effects they have. They have antioxidants that prevent disease and improve your immune system.

Regular Physical Exercise

You lose weight by burning more calories than you consume. Specifically by burning fat. Starvation diets do not help you lose weight because as your body recognizes you are consuming to few calories your metabolism slows down and your energy decreases and your body begins to store fat causing weight gain. Fad diets that cause you to lose water weight do not work. Your body will begin to lose water. If it is not replenished by drinking plenty of water daily your body will begin to retain water like a camel and cause you to gain weight. Detox programs,supplements and diets are good for your health but do not cause permanent weight loss. After the detoxification eliminates the waste in your intestines due to years of unhealthy eating if you continue to eat as you were you will build the waste back up causing you to gain the weight back.

Only a healthy diet and regular physical exercise to burn fat will help you lose weight and keep it off. You should do aerobic exercise 3 days a week and resistance training 3 days a week. Your aerobic exercise can be walking, swimming, bicycling, etc. for as little as 30 to 45 minutes a day. Many people are even dancing regularly for aerobic exercise and that is great. You also need strength training to burn fat. You start where you are. You do not need to be a "body builder" or a "weight lifter". You do need to tone the muscles you have and burn the fat away. That is done by resistance training by lifting lighter weights for many sets and repetitions. As you tone your muscles you burn fat, increase metabolism, increase energy, lose weight, build up your immune system and lower your risks of diseases.

Healthy Lifestyle

In your weight loss plan make sure you get plenty of sleep, plenty of fresh air and sunshine. These are all important to help your body rest and rejuvenate. Sure this helps you lower risks of disease and also helps you lose weight. It is not a coincidence that everything I mentioned helps you lose weight and reduce your risks of disease. This is a healthy lifestyle. These tips help you live longer, healthier and happier. Like smoking cigarettes, abusing drugs and alcohol changing unhealthy deadly habits are hard. We may even be physically, mentally and socially addicted to an unhealthy way of life. The benefits of a healthy diet and regular physical exercise far outweigh the effort it takes to kick unhealthy habits.