by Crystal Moon

Created on: January 06, 2007   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Nobody wants to be over-weight and some of us have a harder time than others.
For myself, I had an almost 11 pound baby SO I researched and I've been working on getting back my body. Here are the best ways to lose weight, tried, tested and true! I went from a size 16 pants to an 8 in 7 months. By doing all of these 10 methods together.

1. EXERCISE - in some form, get that heartbeat going a bit by walking the dog, walking somewhere instead of driving or how about just keeping busy at home and off the couch! Even get an inexpensive manual treadmill and point it at the TV!

2. SELF CONTROL - This is a tough one, but if you can't totally eliminate certain foods than just have one! Read labels, try to reduce your fat intake and also your carbohydrates. And don't forget to stay away from sugar.

3. WATER WATER WATER! - drink at least 8 glasses a day and stay away from SALT. Many people retain water weight and reducing salt intake will help.

4. CAYENNE PEPPER - if you like your food spicy, try shaking on a bit of it, instead of salt, it will speed up your metabolism.

5. GREEN TEA - Have you ever read all the diet pills out right now, they all have one thing in common, they all have green tea as a main ingredient. But, save yourself the money and just buy the tea and drink it. There are TONS of flavors, but avoid using sugar to sweeten and try splenda or honey.

6. B vitamins - This will really help with retaining water weight and also if you lack B6 in your diet even a little bit, it will be almost impossible to lose weight. Try a B multi stress vitamin and you will even sleep better (take it with food though so its properly absorbed)

7. No eating after 7 pm. This is difficult at first, but you will adjust. You will actually feel better when you wake up in the morning.

8. PATIENCE - nothing happens overnight, its a slow process and losing weight at a gradual pace is much healthier than losing it quickly by starving yourself. Not to mention, your skin will literally hang when the fat goes if you do it too quickly.

9. ALCOHOL - Avoid it. If you must drink something, stick with wine. Beer is NOT something you should have if you're trying to reduce your weight.

10. RECORD IT - Keep a journal, write down your thoughts and inspirations and re-read it when you're feeling discouraged. Also keep notes with the dates and your weight so you can see the numbers getting smaller, and also what you've ate that day. And even if you cheat a bit one day, right it down so you will see how if affects your weight in numbers.

Remember the best diet is not a diet at all but a total lifestyle change. Find a realistic goal and stick with it, your life can only change for the better. You will have more energy, feel more confident and you may even turn a few heads!
But do it for you and nobody else, you are bound to fail if your heart isn't really in it. You have to want it bad to make it happen and you alone.

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