Top 10 Tips for Weight Loss

I've said it before and I'll say it again: There are no easy, quick ways to lose weight. If you want proof, just look around. Today we have more fad diets, diet pills, and low-fat foods on the market than ever before, and yet we also have more obesity and obesity-related illnesses than in decades past.

The only way you can lose weight is to combine increased physical activity with healthy eating. The goal is to gradually and consistently lose because if you lose any more than one to two pounds a week, your body will be shedding lean muscle mass rather than fat, and that's not good at all.

My Top 10 Tips for Weight Loss

I don't recommend trying to start them all at once. That's a set-up for becoming overwhelmed. Instead, incorporate a few, and then gradually add more when you're ready.

1. Eat natural, high-fiber foods and include healthy fats—monunsaturated fats and omega-3s--as much as possible. Periodically use a juicer to make fresh juices, which are abundant in health-promoting enzymes.
2. Exercise at least five hours a week.
3. Drink water—8 to 12 glasses/day of distilled water or water in glass bottles is preferred.
4. Get lots of fresh air; make it a point to enjoy the early morning hours outside.
5. Avoid most processed foods, chemicals, trans fats, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and preservatives (nitrates, benzoates, MSG, etc.).
6. Take vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, especially magnesium, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), L-carnitine, and chlorophyll (green foods).
7. Forgive yourself and accept yourself exactly the way you are. You can't heal if you're harboring anger. Acceptance is also the only way to be able to accept others where they are.
8. Reduce stress. Take up qigong, T'ai chi, yoga, or meditation. Pray more. (These are in addition to other exercise.)
9. Seek out connections. Get support from friends, your spouse or partner, church, or synagogue--even a pet. Losing weight can be a very lonely proposition. For my patients with heart disease who need to change what they eat, I always put the spouse on the same eating plan because it's healthy for them, too, and that way the patient is more apt to stick with it.
10. Seek out healthy ways to nurture yourself daily. Get a massage or a haircut, take a hot bath, go to a movie, play with your pet, read that novel you've wanted to read.