While you were getting a nice tan, sipping some pina colada from a Bahamas resort or just simply sitting at home during your time off, did it ever cross through your mind to add some goals to your life? Which one of these would you consider as a goal for yourself?

- To have the body of a famous celebrity
- Finding a job
- Starting some hobbies
- Buy a new home
- Traveling somewhere you always wanted to go
- Spending more time with your family
- Starting a business
- Doubling your income
- Becoming involved with your community
- Preparing your retirement
- Finding a love partner

- Starting a diet plan to lose weight fast

How to Get Started

1. Make a list of your goals

2. Make sure you’ve added acceptable and attainable goals to your list. For example: Lose 5 kgs    by the end of February.

3. Label your goals as to which of them are the most important.

4. Start a separate list with your most important goal

5.In the separate list, write down the action steps necessary to achieve this

6. Enter your action steps in some type of reminder, such as, an agenda, or a diary.

If you want your goals to be achieved, it is very crucial for you to always have them written down and planned.

Goal/Dream Chart

Everybody gets motivated with visual reminder of what they want, if you create a Goal/Dream Chart, it will be very easy to achieve your goals and to stay motivated. For example: cut out a picture of the body you’d like to have from a magazine or newspaper and stick a photo of your head on top of it. You can also put up a picture of yourself if you want to get your old body back.

Do this for your other goals. In fact having a dream chart with pictures or words of the things you want to achieve is a great stimulus for your mind. Sticking these reminders onto green paper is even more effective. I personally made one for myself, and I’m happy to say that it really does work.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

When you’re done with the process and ready to start achieving your goals, the only thing missing is for you to immediately start taking action towards the process.

Avoid Doing Too Much At Once

Often people try achieving too many goals at once then get disappointed because there are too many things to keep track of, and just give up. If you’ve tried this before, work with one goal at a time. If you really have difficulty going it alone, you may benefit from using the services of a coach who will keep you on track. The right person will help you with your success.

Often you hear that people in the U.S. are totally obsessed with diet plans. As soon as you open up your facebook account, or tune in the morning news, you always see some type of Ad or commercial about weight loss plans or diets. Most of the time, they are endorsed by some random Hollywood celebrity that happens to be in good shape, or promoted using some other smart technique.

It is pretty obvious that weight loss industries have basically built an empire. In America, for instance; we, the people, spend about 35 billion dollars on weight loss products. In addition, we spend another 79 billion on medication, hospitalization, and doctors to treat weight-related issues. That said, obesity continues to spread. Sadly, we’ve become the heaviest generation in our nation’s history.

Statistics say that we have some good reasons to be concerned about our weight-gain. Americans are picking up the pounds faster than ever, and weight-related health problems are taking center stage. Diseases like heart disease, diabetes and certain forms of cancer have all been because the obesity.

The unfortunate facts brought by obesity to our nation are a deception; these following stats will flatter you:

- 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese. That’s up to 8 percent from overweight estimates obtained in a 1988 report.

- Among children and teens ages 6 -19, 15 percent or almost 9 million are overweight. That’s triple what the rate was in 1980.
- Nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as obese. At present, 31 percent of adults 20 years of age and over or nearly 59 million people have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, compared with 23 percent in 1994.
Life nowadays, has gotten to the point were people spend most of the time seated. Computers, television, video games, cell phones, automobiles, etc. It seems like all the entertaining activities people do daily, require no physical effort. This is one of the big factors in our nation’s weight problems.

Those simple activities that were once a normal part of our daily routine not so long ago. Activities like climbing stairs instead of using escalators and elevators, pushing a lawn mower instead of riding around on a garden tractor, daily walks to school. Nobody really do these anymore.

Here are some examples of the food consumption today compared to the 70s:
- We are eating more grain products, but almost all of them are refined grains. Grain consumption has jumped 45 percent since the 1970s, from 138 pounds of grains per person per year to 200 pounds. Only 2 percent of the wheat flour is consumed as whole wheat.

- Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, only because French fries and potato chips are now considered vegetables. Potato products count for almost a third of our product choices.

- We’re not drinking as much milk, but doubled cheese intake which passes meat as the number one source of saturated fat diets.

- We’ve cut back on red meat, but have built up for the loss by increasing our intake of chicken, that said, we’re eating 13 pounds more meat today than we did back in the 70s.

- We’re drinking three times more soft drinks than milk. When in the 70s, milk consumption was twice that of pop.

- We use 25 percent less butter, but use twice as much vegetable oil in our food and salads, so our total fat intake has increased by 32 percent.

- Sugar consumption has been another great factor of our obesity. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, people are consuming twice the needed amount of sugar daily, about 20 teaspoons on a 2000 calorie a day diet.

- In 1978, sugars constituted 11 percent of the average person’s calories. This percentage has come up to 16 percent for the average American adult and as
much as 20 percent for American teenagers.
Back in the day, when families used to gather around the table to discuss how everybody’s day went, that doesn’t exist anymore, instead, families call for Pizza or some Chinese food and eat it while watching a movie in the living room. We have gradually come to the conclusion that it’s OK to sacrifice healthy foods for the sake that larger serving portions mean better value.

Finally, I’m sure you’ve found these statistics quite flattering and mouth-opening, well here´s one more. Americans are consuming 300 more calories than they did two decades ago. When we should actually be consuming less since we sit around all day now.

Often I have heard the question, “Will drinking water help me lose weight?” well technically it does but that doesn’t mean that if you drink water all day you’re automatically going to lose a certain amount of weight. The way it works is, if you’re constantly drinking water instead of juice, soda, or some other type of high calorie drink, you are automatically eliminating lots of unnecessary calories off your daily life. I personally dislike the idea of only drinking an unflavored drink such as water all day long; water’s good, but not good enough to replace all the drinks you consume on a daily basis, that said, I recommend that you also consume drinks such as Vitamin Water, Propel, Diet Ice, and every once in a while, juice, it will give you vitamins that none of the past mentioned drinks will. This is not a weight loss program or some type of diet; it’s just a good way of showing you how to stay fit and at the same time to healthily lose weight. But that’s not everything, here I reveal to you a list of 21 things that every single person that is medically considered fit does :

1. Stay constantly drinking water or some type of vitamin and low-calorie drink.

2. Learn how to read a “Nutrition Facts” label, eat healthy.

3. Only eat what’s necessary to satisfy your “needs” not your “mood”, quit the over–night snacking.

4. Eat balanced meals, remember that even if it is a low-calorie meal, if you constantly eat it, the calories will add up, and so as your weight!

5. Try vitamin supplements if you feel like you’re not getting enough energy.

6. Stay active, eating well is the key but you also need fitness; exercise.

7. Keep track of everything you eat daily.

8. As long as you have fat you will not see any physical results, this is the reason why you should burn fat.

9. Once a week you should have an “unhealthy” meal, this will help you stay motivated, remember, once a week only.

10. Leave alcoholic drinks for special occasions only.

11. Being Fit is a privilege, don’t take it for granted.

12. Its better if you get used to this new healthy lifestyle, accompanied in the process by a friend or family member.

13. One of the reasons fit people actually stay fit, is because they are motivated by simple things like good music and new clothes. Try it.

14. Always work on progressing in your exercise routine. More intensity…more results.

15. Another good way to stay motivated is to constantly eye some fitness magazines; this is a great mind stimulus.

16. Fitness equipment is vital in a fit person.

17. Don’t compare bodies with anybody; work so that you feel good about your own body.

18. Measure your progress with the clothes you wear, not with digits.

19. Stay active every day, do some form of exercise when not able to go to the gym or to your jogging route.

20. Have an exercise routine.

21. Getting the right amount of sleep is crucial in a healthy person.

There is much more to a diet than just eating everything that a piece of paper is telling you to. Weight loss diet plans are not as easy as they sound, but for your luck, I am here to help, if you involve these great tips in your diet plans to lose weight fast, and of course, keep up with the diet responsibly, it will be very easy to achieve losing weight on a healthy diet.

1. Using a small amount of vegetable oil, steam, boil or broil your vegetables.

2. Stop the use of sauces, butter and margarine. Instead, season your vegetables with herbs and spices.

3. If you use some type of dressing for your salad, use the low-fat kind only. Another great dressing is lemon juice.

4. Eliminate butter and stick margarine, start using vegetable oil or tub margarine instead.

5. Use skim or low-fat milk, non-fat yogurt, blender-whipped cottage cheese, low-fat sour cream or buttermilk in recipes that involve sour cream.

6. Take off any visible fat from meats before and after cooking, choose lean cuts and remove any skin from poultries.

7. Roast, bake or broil any type of meats so that the fat is eliminated.

8. Always use a pan that is nonstick and for frying use a vegetable spray.

9. Use a spoon to take-off the fat from broths. Easier if chilled.

10. Eat a low-fat vegetarian main dish at least once a week.

If you are reading this article, you are probable trying to figure out how to lose a beer belly. Many people are trying to figure out the same thing. There are no flat belly tricks. Results follow effort, so your results depends on you effort. Exercising is one of most effective ways of getting rid of the belly flab. Walking is great way to start. Walking is one of the easiest and effective ways to stay physically fit. Walking can be done in many settings. ( many malls and public buildings etc.)
 
Before starting with any program it is recommended that you consult with your doctor. Regular exercise can help control disease progression and relieve symptoms in people with heart disease and diabetes. Excessive belly flab will increase you chances of heart disease and diabetes. Good shoes are very important. Pay good attention to the fit and quality of your shoes. Wear the type of socks you’ll wear when walking when you purchase your shoes. Shoes should have good arch support and a slightly elevated heel with stiff material to support the heel when walking.

 
It is good to warm up by walking at a slow or normal walking pace for a couple of minutes before picking up the intensity of your workout. Pay attention to your heart rate and breathing. Walk at a pace that challenges you and elevates your heart rate, but don’t overdo it. You should be able to talk and carry on a conversation while you are exercising; if not, you may be working too hard. Walking at a brisk pace for about an hour is going to give the body enough time to switch over to belly flab burning mode. This is key information if you want to know how to lose a beer belly.

 
The are no flat belly tricks, magic pills or potions. You just have to want to get it done. It is important to maintain proper walking form and posture. When exercise walking: Swing your arms. Keep your head up, back straight and abdomen flat. Point your toes straight ahead. Take long strides, but don’t strain. It is not a bad idea to get a pedometer to track the distance you’ve walked. Watching your belly flab go down over time is a terrific source of motivation. Be sure to carry plenty water if you’re walking long distances or are exercising in hot weather. In very hot weather you may need sports drinks or other sources of electrolytes. You can add some abdominal excercise to keep your workout interesting. Many people walk with a buddy for support and motivation. No more wondering how to lose a beer belly get ou there and walk it off!