6-Easy Weight-Loss Secrets

Life should be simple. Period. There were people living here -- and thriving -- long before complicated medical problems and advanced technologies. It seems obvious that, as times and people changed, we became less and less active -- becoming more and more overweight. This isn't necessarily the whole story, however. There is much more to the story of our country's recent foray into fatness; but the solutions, believe it or not, can be surprisingly simple. Give these things some thought; and then, if you're inspired, give them a try.

1.) Drink half your body weight -- in ounces -- of clear water each day. For example, if you weigh 200-pounds, drink about 100-ounces (roughly 3-liters) of pure water each day. If you drink other liquids, balance them with an equal amount of water. Water cleanses your kidneys, flushes toxins from your cells, and gives you the feeling of being full -- reducing the amount of food you eat. In addition, many medical complaints are nothing more than effects of dehydration, or chronic dehydration. If you haven't been drinking this much water, consider that any "medical" symptoms you are experiencing could quite possibly disappear when you are properly hydrated. Also, most of the time people think they are hungry, they are simply misinterpreting their body's "thirst-signal." Most of the time you're hungry, in other words, you're really just thirsty.

2.) Stop drinking sugar and caffeine. O.k., this might not be as easy as it sounds; but drinking enough water will definitely make it difficult to consume a lot of soda or other sweetened, caffeinated beverages. Drinking liquid sugar is the quickest way for your body to get the materials it needs for building fat; so, never drink sweetened (or artificially sweetened) beverages when you are stressed-out for any reason. Wait until you can enjoy the treat you are giving yourself. If you drink enough water, and only have a soda occasionally, the soda will do you no harm. As with water, you may be surprised to discover how much your overall health, physical condition, clarity of thought, and energy level is affected by sugar and caffeine. The "down" is always worse than the "up" is "good."

3.) Learn to breathe more efficiently and deeply. Practice relaxing and controlling your breath; and practice deep, rhythmic breathing. Oxygen is necessary to burn any kind of fuel, especially body fat; and deep breathing massages the abdominal compartment -- encouraging and enhancing effective digestion. Fat is only created and stored when the digestive process is slowed by stress and the stress-hormone, cortisol, is present.

4.) Enjoy the food you eat. Food doesn't make you fat; so relax! Eat slowly, consciously, and appreciatively -- not fearfully.

5.) Learn to love what you see in the mirror. Hating yourself causes chronic stress -- which causes chronic weight gain and retention. If you love what you see in the mirror -- even if you have to pretend at first -- the beneficial hormones that are released will improve your health and positively change what you see in the mirror. Affirm your beauty and perfection each day; you can even add affirmations that you are "grateful for having reached my ideal weight, or size, of ____." You can also affirm how easy and fun it is to quickly reach your desired weight with little or no effort. The mind can do amazing things if you ask it to.

6.) Don't exercise for the sake of exercising, or because you're afraid of getting fat if you don't. If you don't like what you're doing, it isn't doing you as much good as you think. Sure, you can burn of fat doing something you hate; but you can also die of a heart attack on the jogging track because you are working yourself without joy. You are fooling yourself if you cannot think of anything you enjoy doing that requires you to move around. Get up and do something physical that you love. Don't be afraid to get tired or winded; have fun until you're not having fun anymore.

Besides doing these things, there are some foods that have been shown to help people lose weight. And what could be simpler than losing weight while snacking?! Pineapple, Grapefruit, Oatmeal, and even Dark Chocolate (that's right!), among many other foods you can look-up online, have a variety of benefits to your health -- including characteristics that encourage or support weight-loss.

Whatever you do, life should be simple. If you are expecting a challenge, life has a way of giving you what you're looking for. So, why not look for the best? And why not expect it to be simple? After all, "It is done to you according to your beliefs;" believe in yourself, and believe in your dreams. You can accomplish anything; and it doesn't have to be difficult or painful. Weight-loss can be simple and easy.