How To Lose Weight Now

If you’re wondering how to lose weight naturally then there are a number of things you need to be aware of.

Firstly, how do you define “naturally”? Most people, I think, would mean to lose weight without pills and potions, and at a “safe” rate that is in tune with your metabolism rather than massive, sudden weight loss which can be a real shock to the system.

In this way I suppose the best definition for losing weight naturally is to work *with* your body rather than against it - with suitable diet and exercise - so your body can help you lose weight safely rather than fighting against your body’s systems.

So that concludes the “what”. Now time for the “how”.

Actually the principle is very simple - the execution takes a little more effort.

To lose weight naturally you just need to start consuming fewer calories than you burn up each day. In this way the deficit will have to come from elsewhere - in your case from fat reserves in the body.

Of the three major food groups - carbohydrates, fats and proteins - nutritionists have shown that fat contains roughly twice the number of calories per gram than carbohydrates or protein.

Carbohydrates are therefore the energy source of choice - and the “slower burning” the better. Different sources take different times to be broken down into a useable form by the body. The longer this takes, the longer your appetite will be satisfied and the fewer excess calories your body will have to store as fat.

Protein is also important as it supports growth and repair of the body (such as if you decide to tone up - your new muscle will be built primarily from protein).

Even without vigorous exercise protein is essential to your diet as it affects things such as cell regeneration, and your immune system. It has also been shown to have appetite suppressing effects so a decent amount of protein will help you eat less without feeling hungry.

As will two other sneaky tricks -

1) Consume one or two glasses of water with every meal. The water is essential to a healthy body and also fills up your stomach making you feel satisfied even though water has no calories in it.

2) Eat slowly. It can take 10-20 minutes from you having eaten enough to your stomach saying “stop eating!”. By eating slowly you’ll get the feedback sooner than other people and so are less likely to overeat. Or put another way - will feel satisfied on less food - naturally.

So combining lean protein, slow-burning carbohydrates plus plenty of water in such a way as to provide low-fat recipes that create an energy deficit is the best answer as to “how to lose weight naturally”.

Now you know the basic information please check out some of the other articles at this site which will delve far deeper into weight loss, calorie counting, meal planning etc. based on my own experiences to date.

-