People do not gain weight over night and should not expect to lose it over night. If you lose weight too quickly you are more likely to gain it back. Strive to lose between 1-2 pounds a week.

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Starving yourself is not the way to lose weight. Often times people cannot lose weight because they are not eating enough calories. When this happens your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to everything you eat, which in turn make you gain weight. Doctors recommend you eat 4-6 small meals a day to keep your metabolism functioning properly.

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It is very important to drink plenty of water daily. Not only does drinking water help to keep the body hydrated and help with daily functions of the body but it is also a natural diuretic. If you do not drink enough water, your body may hold on to excess water. Strive to drink 8 glasses of water a day but more during bouts of exercise.

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Do not overeat. It is important to know and understand portion control. You need to be aware of the food labels. For example, let’s look at the food label below.

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Exercising is a good thing, but too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. People who over train can develop injuries. With this in mind, it is important to take at least one day off for your body to recover.

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Avoid empty calories. Empty calories offer no nutritional value. For example a can of Coca Cola is 140 calories, zero fat but 36 grams of carbohydrates all by way of sugar. It offers no nutritional value. Other examples of empty calories include sugary snacks, alcoholic beverages, and high fattening foods like French fries.

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Moderation is key. You can still have the foods that you enjoy. You just want to make sure that you eat them sparingly as to not stunt your success. If you typically have 4 slices of pizza, cut it down to two slices of pizza and pair it with a healthy salad. Or if you enjoy 2 slices of meat lover’s pizza, try two slices of vegetarian pizza paired with a salad. This way you can still enjoy those special moments with friends and family.

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It is important for you to eat enough calories throughout the day but you do not want to eat too many at one time. The body is only able to digest between 500-600 calories at one sitting. Anything more than that will be stored as fat. To make sure that you are on the right path to reaching your goals, limit your caloric intake to no more than 600 calories per meal.

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When the urge hits you to exercise, go for it. The longer you sit around waiting; you will just convince yourself that you have something else to do. Get up and get moving as soon as possible.

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Working out with a partner can be a wonderful thing especially if both of you are equally motivated. However it can become a problem when one of you is not as motivated and starts to miss sessions. Don’t base whether you work out or not on whether your partner works out. Self-motivation is key. You must be motivated to exercise with or without a partner.