Fitness Guid: Find the Right Lose Weight Program to Lose Excess Pounds Quickly!

Winter is coming to a close, finally, but you may be a little surprised by what you find when you start peeling the layers of winter clothing off! The average person gains 3 to 5 pounds in weight in winter. If you don't lose all of it in summer, you could be adding one or two pounds to your weight each year. A lose weight program may help you shed excess pounds quickly.

Before you get your swimsuit out, take action against those unwanted pounds before they become a permanent fixture! There are so many weight loss programs to choose from, it's difficult to decide which one is right for you. Here are some points to consider:

1. How much, how quickly? Losing 10 pounds in a few weeks is feasible, if you are committed and focused. Losing 1 or 2 pounds a week is considered safe and healthy weight loss. Any more than that, and you are probably losing water or starving yourself, neither of which is good for you, nor will it keep the weight off in the long run.

2. Diet or Exercise, or Both? Although exercise is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle, exercise alone is unlikely to shift fat quickly. If you have to choose between them and you want to lose only a few pounds quickly, choose diet. However, if you want to keep the weight off, start doing more physical activity anyway. Your aim should be to lose those excess pounds as quickly as possible (and as is healthy), then stay healthy and maintain your new weight.

3. Fad, Fast or Fancy? Be wary of diets that advocate cutting out an entire food group, or eating only one type of food for weeks on end. Your body needs food in all its forms in order to function properly. Cutting out one group deprives your body, often doing more harm than good, contributing to cravings and rapid weight gain after the diet. Fasting can help you lose weight, but is not a long-term solution. Watch out for diets that insist you eat certain foods you've never heard of - you don't want to have to travel for hours to find them!

4. What's Next? Ideally, once you've lost the extra pounds, you'll carry on with a healthy, balanced diet and regular physical activity. In reality, it helps to have some guidance with this. A good weight loss program will give you guidelines on how to maintain your weight, including nutritional advice and exercise suggestions. If you go back to your old habits, you'll go back to your old weight.

With all the fad diets and weird and wonderful 'miracle' solutions out there, it is difficult to choose - and pay for - diet after diet that just doesn't work. Finding a lose weight program that helps you live a healthier lifestyle while losing weight is possible. And with the right attitude, a little bit of discipline and staying focused on your goal, you can lose weight quickly and keep it off.