If you are planning to lose weight and want to avoid the loose skin that accompanies fast weight loss, then lose weight properly and slowly. This may mentally be the hardest thing for you, but the ending reward is tighter skin and a smaller body.

For best results, you should keep your weight loss at 1.5 to 2 pounds a week. Any faster and you could be losing muscle, which is metabolically active. The less you weigh, the slower you should lose weight.

Nutrition

Nutrition is the number one factor for weight loss. Those of you who have been reading my articles for sometime now know I preach this, and rightfully I should because it is a fact. If you lose weight fast on a fad, starvation, or liquid diet, then you are going to be left with a slower metabolism, muscle loss, and loose skin.

Food is not the enemy in the weight loss battle. The wrong food choices lead to weight issues. There is nothing better you can put into your body than whole, natural, organic and unprocessed food. If you are good to your body, it will be good to you.

Quality nutrients are needed for digestion, and smaller meals more often will shrink the stomach and increase your metabolism. As you are well aware, a higher metabolism burns more calories, even at rest!

If you are planning to lose weight, but don't want the extra loose skin, then plan your meals. Know your caloric intake for your body, and reduce calories a small amount each week.

The biggest mistake you can make is going from a caloric intake of 1500 to 1000. That immediately puts your body in starvation defense and you will hoard fat, lose muscle, reduce your metabolism, and have loose skin.

Eat several small meals a day, track your calories based on your lean body mass and activity level and make small changes weekly.

I also add water in the nutrition category. Your body is 70% water, and therefore you should be consuming at least 60 ounces a day, or more. Don't just drink tap water, drink quality water from a filter or bottle. The more you weigh the more water you should drink. Water is an internal cleanser. It rids the body of toxins, excess sodium, and fat. More water in equals more water out.

Resistance Training

Resistance training builds muscle under the skin, which is important when losing weight. You want the muscle to take the place of the fat that is being lost to prevent too much sagging skin. The added muscle will also create natural feminine curves. Muscle is lean and metabolically active and it is the best thing for increased health, self-confidence, and fat loss. Engage in light weight training approximately four days a week.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardio is great for the heart and respiratory system. Many people use cardio as a form of weight loss. While it is a great calorie burner, I feel many take it to extremes by combining it with a poor nutrition program that is low in calories, resulting in the opposite desired effect.

If you are using cardio as a form of weight loss, then there is some caution that goes along with it. It is important that you don't engage in long and drawn out cardio session on little calories because you will burn lean muscle tissue.

It is best to keep the body guessing when it comes to cardio and weight loss. Many find High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) effective and less time consuming.

Conclusion

If you lower your calories properly with small deductions each week, you don't have to spend hours upon hours engaging in muscle wasting cardio sessions. The idea is to pull the bull by the horns and the tail so you are in more control.

Weight loss does take some effort daily with nutrition, water, and exercise. However, you don't have to kill yourself day in and day out. Listen to your body and take needed breaks and get needed rest.