Five Easy Changes You CanMake Today

f you're like most people reading this, you've tried at least a couple diet programs before in the past.Perhaps you did in fact see some success on a few of those programs and may have even shed up to20 pounds or so. On others, they may have failed miserably and you found yourself not only

frustrated with your progress, but heavier than when you first started the diet program to begin with.

There's no question that the success rate with weight loss is astoundingly low in today's world. If itwasn't, there wouldn't be the market there is today for a wealth of fitness information, products, andsupplements.

Fortunately, when you start to make the right decisions in terms of smart supplements to invest in andproper diet programs to use, you'll find that your success rate dramatically improves.

One very important thing that you must remember as you go about the quest for weight lossinformation however is that you should always seek out simplicity. Generally speaking, for most people,the more simple the diet and workout plan is, the better the chance that you will in fact see success onit.

As soon as you begin putting yourself on an intricate diet program that calls for hours of planning, hoursof cooking, and hours of trying to figure out what to do next, you're setting yourself up to struggle.

Instead, by focusing on a few simple changes that you can make to your lifestyle, you can knock poundsof fat off your body and actually enjoy the process of doing so for once.

Dieting really doesn't have to be as miserable as so many people make it out to be, but with that said,you must know the proper approach to take. If you don't, you're in for a long road ahead of you.

So what's there to know? What's the secret to fast and lasting weight loss? How can you enjoy the dietplan and lose weight as well?

Let's take some time right now to get you familiarized with the top five simple changes that you canmake right now that will lead to top-notch results. Do these five things and I guarantee you will beheaded towards success.

Simple Change #1: Add More Protein

If there is one thing that everyone on a diet should be doing who is seeking fat loss (and often eventhose who are not seeking fat loss would benefit from this), it is increasing their protein intake. Apartfrom a few higher level athletes who usually don't have a weight problem anyway, most peopleroutinely do not get enough protein in during the course of the day.

Whether it's because they simply don't like the taste of protein rich foods, the protein rich foods taketoo long to prepare and thus are unavailable, or they figure that these types of foods are just too hardon their budget – whatever the case, we are currently falling low in protein.

So what's so great about protein, anyway? Why should you add more of it to your diet?

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First off, the single most important reason to have protein in your diet plan is because it's the onenutrient that will spare lean muscle mass. Essentially, if you fall short on protein, don't expect to retainmuscle tissue.

And guess what? Your muscle tissue is also the most metabolically active tissue in the body (apart fromthe brain and some organs) therefore the less of it you have, the fewer calories you burn over thecourse of the day, thus the fewer calories you can eat to maintain your body weight.

Want a sure-fire recipe for weight gain as you get older? Lose muscle mass.

Trust me, this is not something that you want happening in your body.

Since protein is the nutrient that supplies the basic building blocks to generate muscle tissues with, ifyou're not taking in enough, you won't build up muscle – you won't even maintain what you currentlyhave.

So right there is a big reason to get more protein in.

Second, protein is also highly satisfying. Trying to stop hunger on your diet? Eat more protein. Believeme, it works. Protein takes longer in the body to digest than carbohydrates and will have a lower overalleffect on the blood glucose and insulin levels.

For this reason, you can eat a meal rich in protein and stay satisfied for hours, while if you would havehad that same meal rich in carbohydrates, you might find yourself sneaking into the pantry 30 minuteslater on a mission to find something to snack on.

Finally, the last reason to include more protein in your diet is because this nutrient can actually speed upthe metabolic rate. If you want a fast and easy way to boost your metabolism (and who here doesn'twant that?), add more protein.

For every one hundred calories of protein that you consume, your body will burn off about 30 of thosecalories through the process of digestion. Thus, you really only 'net' about 70 of them. Withcarbohydrates and fats, it doesn’t quite work this way.

With those nutrients your body hardly burns off any through the process of digestion, hence you get nometabolic boost whatsoever.

If you like to eat, eat more protein. It'll allow you to eat more of it and still lose weight (or eat the sameamount and lose weight faster).

So as you can see, the reasons are plentiful for adding more protein to your diet. Do not overlook thisbecause it really will have a huge impact on your results.

Simple Change #2: Get Up And Move More

Think you have to workout seven days a week to be successful at weight loss?

Nope, not a chance!

Many people believe they have to become slaves to the gym if they really want to knock the pounds offtheir body but this isn't the case at all. While regular workouts will definitely promote faster weight lossand will help ensure that you look great as you lose the weight (not to mention being a very healthything to do), the fact of the matter remains that when you compare the number of calories you burnover the course of your 45-60 minute workout with the number of calories you could potentially burnover the rest of the 23 hours in the day, those other hours add up to far more than that measly workoutdoes.

But, most of us aren't really doing anything special in those 23 hours to try an even raise or calorie burnabove resting levels.

If you can start making more of an effort to get up and be more active on a regular basis throughout theday, whether it's going window shopping in the evening rather than watching your favorite TV show orgoing for a walk with a friend rather than browsing the Internet on your lunch break, that will really addup over time.

The more active you are on an everyday basis – and remember, we aren't talking break a sweat andchange into gym clothes intensity here, the faster weight loss will move along.

A hundred calories here, a hundred calories there, little by little, it will become significant.

What's worse is that many of those who are doing regular workouts think this gives them permission topark themselves on the couch every evening since they already did their 'time'. Don't let yourselfbelieve this.

Just because you did a workout does not mean you have to succumb to a day of laziness.

Simple Change #3: Count Out All Calorie-Infused Beverages

Almost anyone who is on a weight loss diet plan and actively really trying to get results will be watchingwhat they eat. It's no secret that to lose weight, you must monitor the foods that are going in yourmouth on a regular basis. If you're filling your stomach with junk foods, chances are you aren't going tolike the image that's staring back at you in the mirror.

But, among this high concentration on the foods you're eating, did you ever stop to consider thebeverages you're drinking?

Far too many individuals completely overlook the beverage choices they're making and this really harmstheir long term progress.

Remember, all calories count. Calories consumed while you're standing, calories consumed while you'rechatting on the phone, and definitely calories consumed in liquid format.

What's the commonality among all of those calories just listed above?

Often, they go unregistered.

When you're taking in calories in liquid form, in almost all cases, you will not cut back on your foodintake because of it. Those who choose to drink a calorie laden beverage with their lunch meal forinstance, will often consume over twice the number of calories they would if they had just opted forwater.

Can you imagine what this does to your weight loss progress? If you were aiming for a calorie deficit of500 calories per day (which would then be the equivalent of about one pound of fat off your body perweek) and took in a beverage that contained 600 calories (which is no long shot by any stretch of theimagination), you would then have actually netted a positive calorie intake. Meaning, you gained weightthat day.

Not quite what you were going for, was it?

But yet, that's what this mistake will have you doing. So the simple change you need to make is startingto cut out any beverages that you're currently drinking that contain calories.

This includes gourmet coffees, fruit smoothies, juices, alcoholic beverages (especially those fancycocktails that are loaded with sugar), as well as energy or protein shakes.

Take these in at your own risk – I promise they will hinder your progress.

The possible to exceptions to this rule are protein shakes and skim milk as both do provide nutrientsthat you do want for faster fat loss. But, if you are going to drink these, just be extra careful that you doinclude those calories. If you do, then they won't harm you.

Simple Change #4: Give Yourself Permission To Cheat

So what's the simple change number four? The simple change number four may be one that you feelslightly tentative about but trust me, it will work in your favour. That change is to actually give yourselfpermission to cheat.

That's right, you get to choose a food that you want to consume and have at it.

Why does this simple change move you closer to your goals? After all, most of you likely figured that itwould just move you further and further away from success?

The reason why cheat meals can actually be beneficial is because when you're on a fat loss diet plan foran extended period of time, the metabolism will start to slow down. When it does, you virtually havetwo choices. One, is to take those calories lower so that you create a greater calorie deficit andhopefully see higher rates of fat loss (not a wise move – how little food can you really eat?) and two is tofind a way to increase the metabolism again so that you can burn fat faster.

Obviously the second choice is much more ideal.

You'll do this with a cheat meal. When you have a cheat meal and give in to the foods you're craving,not only do you get the psychological benefit from eating those foods, but you also get the benefit oftelling your body that it no longer needs to maintain this slowed metabolic rate. As a result, it speeds upagain and when you do come out of that cheat meal, you'll be burning fat faster than ever.

So as you can see, sometimes giving in really can work in your favour. Just don't get into the habit ofgiving in too frequently however otherwise that can hinder your results. Once every two weeks (orevery week if you're already quite lean) should be plenty.

Simple Change #5: Start Tracking Your Progress

Finally, the last simple change that you should consider making is tracking your progress. So manypeople overlook this simple yet very vital step. If you aren't tracking your progress and what you'reeating each day, how will you ever know which direction to head in when you don't see results?

One of the key elements to success on any weight loss program is constant adjustments. Most oftenyou won't get your calorie intake completely perfect right off the bat, so by monitoring your progressand then looking at how much food you're consuming, you can make a simple adjustment – eitherdecreasing the calorie intake slightly or increasing it if you're losing weight too quickly and have lowenergy levels to get yourself back on track again.

Plus, if you're tracking your food intake and calorie level then you will help ensure that you are taking inthe target number of calories each and every day which is essential for success.

Weight loss is not going to take place if some days you create a 300 calorie deficit and others you createa surplus of 400. You have to consistently have that lower calorie intake so you consume fewer caloriesthan what you burn off through your daily activities. That is the real secret to fat loss.

If you're tracking your calories, you can feel confident you're doing this and will know precisely whereyou're headed with your results.

It may take a small amount of effort at the start to learn how many calories are in various foods you'reeating, but once you get the hand of it, this tracking procedure should take no more than five minutesper day.

Do you have five minutes per day to guarantee your weight loss?

I thought so. And, if you're someone who absolutely hates math, there are plenty of programs that cantrack your calorie intake for you so that you don't really have to think about this.

So there you have some of the top simple changes that you can start making in your lifestyle right thisminute to boost your results. Remember, your success depends on only one person – YOU.

Are you doing everything you can to guarantee that success?