The following article is one of a series of articles which focus on Self Improvement, Motivation and Empowerment. It is based on research done over twenty years as a personal and business coach. This self improvement article was written in response to questions which have been asked on losing weight and long term weight loss as well as address common challenges that people have with this subject. I sincerely hope that you find the following
information of value.

Is It Possible To Lose Fat Quickly? Part 5 Of Our Mini Series On Fat

Whatever else you hear or read about getting rid of your fat, the one thing you need to know if you want to lose fat is that you need to BURN fat. Burning fat is all about using up more calories than you take in. If you eat more calories than your body uses throughout the day, these additional calories will be stored as body fat. To prevent a build up of body fat you need to either reduce your calorie intake or increase your daily activity levels - doing both will have the best effect on reducing body fat.

This simply means that the more fat you want to lose then the greater the amount of calories you have to burn off. To help you achieve your goals and speed up your fat loss, here are few things that helps.

Speed up your metabolism-Exercise speeds up metabolism. The more active your lifestyle the more likely you are to have a quick metabolism and lose weight.

There needs to be a note of caution here. Please don't go from one extreme to another. Changing your lifestyle from no activity at all to one of strenuous training 7 times a week can cause harm. Be sensible. You may need to build up the amount of exercise you do over a period of time to let both your body and your mind get used to it. Also, if you have not been an active person for some time, it may be advisable to discuss your plans with your doctor first and heed his or her advice.

Metabolism does control weight, this is true. What most people don't know is that they do in fact have the ability to control and adjust their metabolism and thereby control their weight. Exercise does speed the metabolism up. The more active your lifestyle the more likely you are to have a quick metabolism and lose weight. It may not be healthy for all of us to get into a highly active lifestyle all at once but it is possible to get there as quickly as you safely can as an individual.

Eat a healthy balanced diet. Be sure to eat a variety of foods, including plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grain products. Also include low-fat dairy products, lean meats, poultry, fish, and legumes. Drink lots of water.

Monitor closely the amounts of salt, sugar, alcohol, and saturated fat. Reduce the intake of all of these. I don't want to spoil people's fun and enjoyment but using a low calorie mixer with your favorite alcohol just won't cut it! A great many foods have enough salt. Adding more salt can often be totally unnecessary. Same with sugar, educate your palate and taste buds to accept less.

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When it comes to the subject of self improvement, I fully understand (through my own experiences) that it is a lot easier said than done. However, you are here, right now, because you have a desire to improve your self or you are at least interested in this subject. Perhaps you are reading this to help a friend or colleague - great. If this article helps you or you help a friend, paying it forward is what life is all about so we all win.

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A large part of the battle in fighting fat and a slow metabolic rate is the way we actually view food as a means to provide entertainment. In addition to taking on an active lifestyle you will need to stop looking at food consumption as a means of gratification. This is what causes us to over indulge. Instead of stopping when our hunger is sated we continue on until we are stuffed to get more enjoyment out of it.

Why do you think so many restaurants ask their diners to choose all the courses at the same time? It is more than likely that most of us will be more than satisfied after the first two courses, but we have ordered a desert so we better eat it. Break the habit or the routine. Try going without a starter or try a lighter main course. You will be glad you did.

Get plenty of rest and sleep- Sleep and other lifestyle patterns can help or hinder the rate at which we metabolize foods. An active lifestyle should lead eventually to being able to exercise to exhaustion; this in turn should keep your metabolism quick and your fat content low. By extending oneself to ones limits you fully utilize the lungs, heart, and muscles and burn fat most efficiently. But don't forget the note of caution mentioned earler; going from zero activity to exercising to exhaustion has to be a gradual process.

Be strong mentally-Try not to be obsessed by your weight. Everyone has a bad day. Do not punish yourself. Try to lose any guilt feelings towards the mistakes you have made. Instead, just move on, start again and enjoy life as it comes.

I would actually be a lot happier if you were not obsessed with your weight at all. Try concentrating on your levels of fitness and watching the improvement in your body shape. Once you realize that your feeling good, looking good and you are able to wear those favorite pair of jeans again, your weight maintenance schedule will become a habit and not something to be obsessed with or upset about.

Finding sensible, safe and long term methods of weight loss and weight maintenance takes a lot of research which we have done and continue to do so that we can provide these informative and motivational articles to help you move forward and realize your personal goals and aspirations.