move it to lose it

Know someone who's getting amazing results from an insanely low calorie diet? It may be tempting to try severely restricting your calories to lose weight fast, but don't even think about it! The reality is that very few of us can stay on those kinds of crazy diets for more than a couple of weeks. And to make things worse, most people on starvation diets gain back all of the weight (and more) just a few months later.

In weight-loss terms, fat is energy and the best way to lose it is to use it. You have to do it with diet and exercise. If you diet without exercise, the majority of your weight loss will be from muscle. The minute you stray from your diet, the weight will come right back.

The only way to lose it for good is to get moving! Exercise not only helps you burn calories, it also helps build, strengthen, and maintain lean muscle. Exercise has another benefit called "afterburn." A great cardio routine keeps burning fat not just during your workout, but for hours afterward. Not bad, eh?

Doing any kind of physical activity is healthier than sitting on the couch downing a bag of chips. Activities like bowling and golf burn calories, but not enough. To see dramatic weight loss, you must do cardio. Cardio is defined as any activity that is rhythmic, continuous and requires large muscles like the legs, back and chest. While bowling and golf get you moving, the action is stop and start. There's no reason to give up those hobbies, just be aware that you must put in time on the treadmill (or some other cardio activity) as well.