Weight Loss Secrets

It is a serious problem. 32% of the U.S. adult population is considered obese. Obesity leads to shorter lifespan, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression. But even if you are not obese, it seems like just about everyone is worried about being overweight if for no other reason, because they feel it is unattractive.

How many ways have you tried to lose weight? Assuming you lost more than a 2 or 3 pounds, did you keep the weight off?

There are several ways. One way is to create a new habit. Tell yourself every morning when you wake up and every night before you go to bed, that you are changing your eating patterns and you like the new way better. Do this for at least 21 days, and you will have created a new habit which resides in your subconscious mind.

In order to lose weight and maintain a slim figure, it's absolutely important to know how much you're eating in terms of calories.

Calorie count will help you keep track of your energy intake and let you choose the foods to balance your daily energy intake and consumption.

 Mix a juice spritzer

Combine your favorite juice (half of your usual amount) with plain or sparkling water. You can cut up to 85 calories per glass--and lose 5 pounds or more a year. 

How can we choose the right supplement for us? Or is there really an effective pill that our body can receive and produce desired outcome? What are diet pills? How about nutritional supplements? How do they work? These are but only a few of our many questions in mind. Remember that supplements should not take the role of nutritious foods.

1. Wake-up workout When your eyes open, sit up slowly without using your hands. With legs straight out, lean forward until you feel a gentle stretch in your back and hamstrings. Hold; then, using your abs, lower yourself flat. Rest and repeat two more times. Strengthens core. Burns 10 calories

2. Go for the grains Not ready for Twigs & Rocks cereal? Sprinkle on a few tablespoons of wheat germ or oat bran. Work up to 3/4 cup of low-sugar whole-grain cereal with at least three grams of fiber per serving, and you'll pass on that Danish. Saves 100

3. Add some protein The more you eat earlier on, the less you eat as the day wears on, research has shown. So after your cereal, add a hard-boiled egg or a part-skim mozzarella cheese stick to keep you feeling full -- and away from that pre-lunch brownie. Saves 200 (or more)

4. Balance booster While you brush your teeth, alternate standing on one leg as you switch mouth quadrants (every 30 seconds). Balancing develops your core muscles and may even be good for your brain. Burns 10

5. Be a ballerina As your coffee drips, stand sideways, put one hand on the counter, and lift the outside leg straight out in front of you, keeping it extended. With upper body straight, hold for a few seconds and move it to the side; hold and extend it behind you. Do five to ten times on each leg. Tones outer thighs, hip flexors and quadriceps. Burns 10

6. Coffee saver Instead of pouring that 1/3 cup of half-and-half (a whopping 105 calories!) into your mug, replace it with the same amount of 2% milk. Saves 60

7. Better your bagel You can walk 10,000 steps to justify your 500-calorie bagel with cream cheese, or try this: low-fat spreadable cheese like Laughing Cow Light on an English muffin. Saves 300

Nine-to-Five Fixes

8. Tone in traffic Use the time spent bumper-to-bumper to develop your buns of steel: Squeeze your derri&egravere each time you tap the brake, holding for 10 seconds. Shoot for 10 to 15 squeezes a trip. Burns 10

9. Snack smarter Portion out the day's snacks into pint-size zip bags, or buy single-serving portions. For example, four regular Oreos have 200 calories versus the 100-calorie snack bag version. Go for the lower fat chips: a Lay's Light bag has only 75 calories, while the regular has 150. Saves 175 (over two snacks)

10. Casual day payoff You will blast more calories during the day wearing comfy clothes like jeans or khakis, sport shirts and soft-soled shoes than donning constricting suits, skirts and heels. Why? Because you walk more, a study found. Now you just have to convince the boss. Burns 25

11. You know squat! At your desk chair, pretend you're going to sit but don't -- stop and come back up without using your arms. Always start squats by lowering your hips, not bending knees forward, and keeping your weight on your heels. Repeat the motion throughout the day (even at the potty!) for 15 to 20 total. Strengthens quadriceps. Burns 15

12. Switch your soda Your body doesn't register calories from liquids the same way it does those from foods, so you won't get those "stop eating" signals to help you compensate for the overload later on. Change from two glasses of regular soda or fruit juice to diet soda or a flavored seltzer. Saves 300