Americans spend billions of dollars each year on the latest and greatest diet pills, supplements, shakes, and miracle diets, and yet their waistlines continue to grow even faster than the diet industry. If these products really worked, nobody would be overweight-so clearly, some other method is in order. It would be fantastic if popping a pill could melt away the pounds, but really the only way to lose weight is to stop looking for a magic pill and start taking responsibility for your own health. Once you unlock the power you have in your own mind to change your life, you'll lose weight the natural and lasting way.

Losing weight the natural way needn't cost a single cent. Eat less, move more, replace calorie-laden caffeinated drinks with cool water-nature's healing elixir-and you'll improve your metabolism, burn fat, and feel and function better all over.

5 Quick Steps to Natural Weight Loss and Better Health

1. Begin With Your Brain:

Without the right frame of mind, the battle of the bulge becomes increasingly more difficult, especially as we age and our metabolism no longer seems to want to cooperate with us. Come to terms with your weight gain and what you must do to change your way of thinking. Too many of us live to eat rather than eat to live and it's becoming more and more evident in our health.

2. Stick to the Facts

After you've got the right mindset and have your thoughts in order, it's time to get down to the nitty gritty and figure out exactly what you have to do to not only lose weight, but stay healthy and in shape for good. Start by calculating your BMI, or body mass index, which is a mathematical formula for figuring out how high a person's risk is for developing serious health conditions related to being overweight or obese. Multiply your weight by 703, then divide by your height in inches, and then divide once again by your height, still using inches. Any number over 28 is considered to be overweight, while a BMI over 30 or so seriously raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, just to name a few. A BMI number over 40 is said to be morbidly obese and requires immediate intervention.

3. Pump some Iron

Without increasing your expenditure of energy, you'll never be able to lose weight and keep it from creeping back on. It's a scientific fact that we must take in less calories than our bodies need to live and function as they should. Contrary what many products claim, there is no magical pill, tablet, shake, drink, or food that will somehow mysteriously cause the excess weight to melt away from your body. Intake and output is what matters, that and increasing your metabolism to its optimal level.

4. View your Mission Log

The sense of satisfaction seeing your accomplishments take shape on paper are often enough incentive to keep people going through the rough times when trying to lose weight and get in better shape. Write down when you exercise, what you did and how long, as well as when you eat and how much.

5. Keep your Eyes on the Prize

Deprivation is probably the number one cause of abandoned diets. When you first undertake your new and exciting healthy lifestyle, your resolve will be high and you'll be quick to vow never to have another bite of dessert as long as you live. This resolve is apt to be short-lived, however, and when it wears out your fierce longing for your favorite treat will prove too overwhelming to resist, leading to a binge and the subsequent frustrated feelings that follow which all too often are the killing blow to a healthy eating plan. So save a few calories a week for something sweet or promise yourself a guilt-free cheeseburger after every month of regular exercise. Never underestimate the power of rewards-every time you reach a goal, give yourself a health-promoting gift like a new bike or a massage.

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