56Ways to Start Losing Weight Today

 Limit Your Calorie Intake

Losing weight boils down to simple math. To lose one pound weekly, burn or cut out 3,500 calories in the course of seven days. That breaks down to 500 calories per day. It's difficult to cut out that many by dieting alone, especially for someone who loves to eat. The most effective approach is this combo: each day, cut out 250 calories from your diet and burn 250 through exercise. Choose to either cut out one 250-calorie item such as a serving of ice cream, or omit a few small things that add up to 250 calories a day. 

Check out this calorie calculator  to figure out how many calories to consume each day, based on your current weight and your weight-loss goal. Don't dip below 1,200 calories to prevent going into starvation mode, which makes your body hold on to weight. 

Get Up and Out—No Matter What

Even when you're swamped, stay active with a 10-minute break to rev up your body. Taking a walk at lunchtime is a proactive way to promote weight loss. Bonus: You'll also get some sunshine.

Stop Skipping Evening Workouts

At the end of a hard day, it's easy to find an excuse to skip the gym or your run. To stay committed, tell yourself that an eveningworkout is not optional. And honestly, who couldn't use an extra boost of endorphins after a tough meeting? If it's too dark to head outside to exercise, these at-home workouts  will do the trick.

Focus on Intense Cardio 

Doing difficult 45-minute cardio sessions a few times a week can boost your metabolism. Better yet, a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise showed that each intense cardiosessions can elevate your metabolism even after you stop sweating, burning additional calories post-workout. Some intense cardioworkouts to try: running, indoor cycling, or interval training (like this pyramid treadmill workout).

Travel Smart 

Just because you're going on vacation doesn't mean you have to halt your exercise routine. Travel smart by packing a few workout-related items that don't take up too much space, like these five fitness accessories.

Stop With the Scale

It may be tempting to step on a scale whenever you see one, but if it's making you feel bad, then give it a break. Keep in mind that the number is not going to change overnight. Allow yourself weekly weigh-ins, but remember that your weight isn't always the most accurate measure of success. You could be building fat-burning muscle, which could push the number up.

Drink Water 

Aside from keeping you hydrated, regular water consumption may aid with weight loss, according to recent studies. Drinking water before a meal ensures you're hydrated (and being dehydrated can make you think you're hungry, causing you to eat more). What's more, eating foods that contain a lot of water (like fruits and veggies) will fill you up faster so you end up eating less. A small study found that drinking cool water might even speed up metabolism and discourage cravings for sugary drinks like soda and juice. Now that's a reason to stay hydrated!

Eat Your Veggies

Eating five to seven servings of fruits and veggies a day is important for everyone, but dieters who go heavy on the produce are more likely to lose and keep the weight off. Fruits and veggies are low-calorie and often loaded with filling fiber. So make one of these 51 vegetable-focused recipes  for your next meal.

Eat Breakfast 

Eating early in the day can help your body burn more calories. Read on for more tips on how to boost your metabolism.

Shorten Your Workouts—But Make Them Count 

Short, intense cardio workouts can be just as effective  as longer ones, which means you reap the calorie-burning rewards. Start with one of these 10-minute workout videos.

Enjoy the Food You Eat 

One of the worst things you can do when you're trying to lose weight is eat too little. Instead of depriving yourself, enjoy small indulgences or schedule a cheat day—and don't obsess over it. After all, eating high-calorie foods every once in a while won't wreck a healthy diet. In fact, allowing yourself to indulge on occasion can help you develop a healthy relationship with food that may help you from bingeing later.

Play the Calorie Game Correctly 

Losing weight is about simple math; don't fool yourself into thinking that a workout is a free pass to splurge. This mindset could lead you to eat more calories than you burn, which will result in weight gain instead of weight loss.

Stop Eating Junk Food 

It may seem obvious, but junk food is your weight-loss enemy. Worse yet, eating foods full of sugar and fat will make you feel irritable and sluggish. To get all the junk out of your system, consider doing a two-week elimination diet by cutting out gluten, refined sugars, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol. From high energy levels to glowing skin, here are five reasons why an elimination diet can work for you.

Eat Tons of Blueberries 

Blueberries aren't just full of antioxidants. They may play a role in reducing belly fat , too. Blueberries are loaded with anthocyanin, which alters the activity of genes found in human fat cells and makes it more difficult to put on weight. So go ahead and try one of these healthful blueberry recipes.

Get Stoned 

With your fruit, that is! Stone fruits like nectarines, plums, peaches, and cherries contain natural substances that ward off obesity. Pretty cool, right? Added bonus: They also protect against diabetes and act as an anti-inflammatory. Dietician Cynthia Sass recommends eating the fruit on its own in a raw, natural state.

Keep It Fresh 

Maybe you don't eat a ton of junk food, but there are still some seemingly healthy —but highly processed—foods out there. Get as close to nature as you can and eat a diet filled with all-natural whole foods. They'll help you maintain energy levels, promote healthy sleeping habits, and provide ample fuel for all of your workouts.

Stick to Your New Habits Even After You Lose Weight 

You used to devour a big bag of potato chips with your lunch, but when you decided to lose weight, you replaced it with a side salad. Now that the weight is off, don't go back to your chips habit. Losing weight is a lifestyle change, not something you do until you reach your goal. Once you go back to old eating habits, the weight will creep back on. Give yourself room for indulgences, but make sure it's all in moderation.

Push Your Body

If you don't feel like trying something new in your exerciseregimen, there are still ways to step up your current routine. Adding an extra few minutes to a workout, sprinting at the end of a run, or choosing heavier weights may make all the difference. 

Eat Fiber in the Morning 

One key to losing weight is eating foods that keep you full. The strategy can help you ward off hunger pains and temptation. To start your day off right, make sure your breakfast includes at least eight grams of fiber. Try these 10 high-fiber cereals  or these breakfast meals that contain at least 10 grams of fiber.

Live an Overall Active Life

Physical activity, be it training for a half marathon or hitting the gym, is important for losing weight—but scheduled sweat sessions aren't enough. Take the stairs, walk your dog, vacuum vigorously, bike to dinner, and garden. All these things will help burn calories and keep you in an active frame of mind. 

Pack a Lunch

Packing a healthful lunch  is one of the best ways to stay committed to a healthy meal plan. When you order in or take out, it's hard to assess how many calories your meal contains. Prep your own meals, and you'll know exactly which ingredients you're eating

Eat Chickpeas and Grapefruit 

These foods might as well be a dieter's best friends. Chickpeas have been found to help dieters break bad snacking habits, andeating half a grapefruit before every meal has been shown to help dieters drop more pounds than forgoing the citrus fruit.

Tune in to Your Workouts 

It seems like everyone is attached to cell phones these days. Even if you're use yours to stream your workout playlist, you shouldn't be texting or chatting while you're at the gym. Giving each workoutyour full attention allows you to maximize results for an even greater payoff. 

Monitor Your Progress 

If weighing yourself gives you anxiety, then monitor your progress by looking in the mirror or noting how your clothes 

fit. 

Exercise in the Morning 

Studies have found that people who exercise in the morning work out harder  than those who exercise at other times in the day.

Switch to Blue Plates 

The color blue is considered a natural appetite suppressant. You don't need to don a pair of blue-lens shades  before you eat; just use blue plates. 

Always Pay for Food in Cash 

The next time you head to the grocery store, stop at the ATM first. A study showed that individuals buy fewer indulgent foods when paying in cash.

Build Muscle 

Muscle burns calories at a higher rate than fat. (Depending on which study you read, a pound of muscle burns anywhere from 15 to 50 calories per day, compared to fat, which averages about two calories per day.) Even if you consider yourself active, it's important to make strength training a part of your fitness routine. Here are some beginner strength-training moves to get you started.

Just Thinking You Have the Fat Gene Can Make You Fat

Your genes definitely play a role in what you weigh, but a surprising new study says it's not necessarily as set in stone as you may think.

A few years ago, science discovered over 30 potential genes on 12 chromosomes that could affect our body mass index (BMI), meaning some of us have a genetic makeup that makes us more likely to have an expanding waistline. And a new study of nearly 10,000 people,published in Health Education and Behavior, found that people who think they have this "fat gene" are more likely to be obese. The kicker? The results held true even for the people who didn't actually have obesity in their DNA.

Researchers from Texas Tech found that people who simply believed they had a genetic predisposition for obesity were more likely to eat fewer fruits and vegetables, dine out more, eat more processed junk foods, pay less attention to nutrition labels on food products, and skip the gym—thinking it's pointless to even try. The researchers added that, ironically, these people are also more likely to avoid the things that can prevent weight gain, turning this false belief into a self-fulfilling prophecy. (Use the strength of your outlook for good with these 7 Mind Tricks for Self-Motivation.)

Even with the idea of the fat gene itself, there are a handful of problems. For starters, we don't know exactly how much or what influence these obesogenic genes have on our weight. Plus, the common belief that "genetics are destiny" is wrong, according to research published inNutrition Review. Because the ability to store fat was so important to human survival, most of us probably do have some predisposition to obesity, they write. But just because most of us have some "fat genes" doesn't mean that that is what is causing the obesity epidemic,according to a different study from Boston Children's Hospital published in Science.

"Thus far mutations in about eight genes are known to cause obesity in humans. But these mutations account for under five percent of the obesity in our society, and certainly are not, by themselves, responsible for the current obesity epidemic, since the mutation rate in these genes could not have changed dramatically during the past twenty years," wrote lead authorand chief of the division of endocrinology at Boston Children's Hospital, Joseph Majzoub, M.D. (Are "Young Genes" the Secret to Gorgeous Skin?)

Rather, scientists think it's more important how you and your genes interact with your environment then whether or not you have the genes themselves (something you would only be able to know if you had extensive genetic testing done, anyhow).

For example, a past Danish study showed how exercise can "turn off" a common obesity-promoting gene. They found that couch potatoes who carried these frustrating genes did in fact have higher BMIs than inactive people without the gene variant—but once exercise was added in, those with the fat gene had BMIs no higher or lower than active people who didn't have it. Plus, the more you work out, the more you can change your "destiny," since Endurance Sports Make Your DNA Healthier. And that's just the tip of the iceburg on research that shows it isn't the genes you were born with so much as what you do with them.

So instead of despairing that you may have inherited Grandma's tendency to carry weight around her waist, tyou should use this information to give you a reason for making healthy changes rather than making excuses for avoiding them.

weight loss

Drink This Before Dinner—It's the Easiest Way to Lose Weight!

Fancy a cocktail before dinner? If you're trying to lose weight, make it a double H2O on the rocks. According to a new British study, downing water before a meal can help you drop pounds—without making any other changes to your diet. (Cue jawdrop.) (Bored with what's in your bottle? Try one of these 8 Infused Water Recipes to Upgrade Your H2O.)

The study is almost as simple as the findings: Researchers recruited 84 adults looking to lose weight and had one group drink 16 ounces of water 30 minutes before eating while the second group was asked to simply imagine their stomachs feeling very full before eating. Other than an initial consultation with a dietitian, participants were given no further advice or instructions on how to lose weight. (Fun fact: To ensure the water group was drinking as much as they were supposed to, their urine output was collected intermittently and measured for 24 hours each time. Oh, the things we'll do for science!)

After 12 weeks, the scientists weighed the participants and discovered the water-guzzling group dropped almost three more pounds than the poor folks just imagining feeling full. The scientists speculated that the water helped people feel more full, naturally curbing their appetite and causing them to eat less. Plus, your body sometimes cues hunger when it's actually dehydrated, so you can avoid eating when you don't actually need the fuel. (It's one of5 Signs of Dehydration—Besides the Color of Your Pee.)

And while three pounds may not sound like much at first, it seems like a pretty good deal when you consider that all you have to do is drink a couple extra glasses of water before you eat (and you'll score some hydration to boot). At best, you'll be down a few extra pounds, and gain brighter skin, a sharper mind, and a healthier heart—at worst, you'll just have to pee more. (But hey, at least no one is measuring it!) Oh, yea—and water is essentially free, making it the cheapest diet aid ever.

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