Accelerate Fat Loss & Get Fit for Life in 8 Easy Steps

Introduction for the 8-step series Metabolic Weight Loss & Body Tune-UP Tips

While millions of people starve to death in many parts of the world, the United States has the dubious honor of being the fattest country on the globe, with 50% of us being obese. Meanwhile, Americans are preoccupied with their waistlines. We spend more than 40 billion dollars a year on diet foods, diet programs, diet pills, and other ‘guaranteed’ weight-loss regimens and products. Yet, according to the National Center of Health Statistics, we’re getting fatter all the time. (Throughout my 14-title, life-changing collections — Renew Your Life — I communicate in detail on over 100 topics related to being vibrantly healthy in body, mind, and spirit, including everything you need to know to shed extra weight — easily and permanently.)

Experts call obesity an American epidemic—one that brings with it major health problems. Heart disease, endometrial (uterine) cancer and possibly breast cancer, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, immune dysfunction, osteoarthritis, stroke, gout, sleep disorders, gallstones, and diabetes are all associated with obesity. Because I prefer to see the glass as half full, let's put this in a more positive light: Losing even a little weight may significantly improve your health and well-being. 

On the flipside, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are on the rise, and women’s magazines are not helping when they continue to use models who look like waifs. Take Barbie™, a doll that’s part of most little girls’ upbringing. This model of good looks and perfect body is giving the wrong message about what a healthy woman’s body should look like. Were Barbie an actual person, her body fat would be so low that she probably wouldn’t even be able to menstruate. As little girls treasure Barbie, and teens try to emulate her, she has one accessory that is consistently missing—food. Continue on to find out the control mechanism for obesity, and you may be surprised with the answer.

10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss

by Susan Smith Jones, PhD ©

Part 10 of 10 in the series 10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss. CLICK HERE to start with Part 1.

Step 10: Effective Weight-Loss Supplements

There is nothing that replaces a commitment to regular exercise (aerobic and strength training) and a healthy diet, which emphasizes loads of high-fiber, colorful fruits and veggies for effective weight loss. However, there are some very beneficial herbal, food, and probiotic supplements that help burn calories. In my books The Joy Factor, Walking on Air, and Weight Loss, you’ll find some more exciting, cutting-edge information about losing weight and keeping it off, as well as all the details on my best behavioral modification tips and my favorite 10 special herbs and foods that are study-proven to assist your quest for a slimmer you. Here’s a sneak preview:

10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss

by Susan Smith Jones, PhD ©

Part 9 of 10 in the series 10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss. CLICK HERE to start with Part 1.

Step 9: Sleep it Off!

Sleep plays a major role in glucose metabolism and neuroendocrine function. Research shows that getting a good night’s sleep is a critical part of losing weight. In a study involving 70,000 women, researchers found that women who slept 5 hours per night were 32% more likely to experience major weight gain (an increase of 33 pounds or more) and 15% more likely to become obese over the course of the 16-year study, compared to those who slept 7 or more hours a night.

5 Weight Loss Tips Using Natural Remedies & Behavioral Modification to Help You Lose Weight Naturally and Permanently

Surveys reveal that most people pack on between 3-15 extra pounds from mid-November through early April. Here are a few of my favorite tips for saying GOODBYE — once and for all — to extra fat on your body, which includes behavior modification as well as natural herbs and other remedies.

It probably comes as no surprise that Americans are among the fattest people on Earth. Two-thirds of us are overweight and half of us are obese. We try and try to shed those excess pounds, mostly without success. “We spend $40 billion a year on diet programs, diet pills, diet foods and diet regimens,” as I write in my new titles Weight Loss, Living on the Lighter Side, Walking on Air, and The Joy Factor. “Obesity is an epidemic with a vast array of serious health consequences ranging from heart disease to diabetes, immune system dysfunction, osteoarthritis and even certain types of cancer.”

The problem is that keeping weight off entails a major life shift that comes in conflict with the way most people currently live. In the age of drive-thru fast food, supersized restaurant meals, and jugs of sugar-laden soda, we’re expected to be slim and compete with body types achieved by movie stars and supermodels.

Then add into this scenario the previous holidays and current lingering cold weather, which keeps many still homebound and “eating for entertainment.” Most people have the mindset that they can eat whatever they want during this time of year, and more variety of food than usual, because they will start fresh beginning in the new season. Unfortunately, this “fresh start” rarely happens. Furthermore, many people consume as much as 4,000 calories per meal, according to the latest surveys.

Here are the five helpful weight loss tips on eating properly, along with food, herbal, and natural remedy suggestions.

10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss

by Susan Smith Jones, PhD ©

Part 8 of 10 in the series 10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss. CLICK HERE to start with Part 1.

Step 8: Don't Eat Under Stress

Stress eating is a major factor in the obesity epidemic. Who isn’t under stress these days? Not only do we eat in some misguided desire to fill up our emptiness or calm the jitters we mistake for hunger pangs, we also eat in response to natural fluctuations in the stress hormone, cortisol, and in our blood sugar.

How many times have you found you’re craving sugar at 4 pm? Or you want a bedtime snack of ice cream or potato chips? Chronic stress elevates blood levels of cortisol, increasing cravings for fattening sweet and salty foods.

10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss

by Susan Smith Jones, PhD ©

Part 7 of 10 in the series 10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss. CLICK HERE to start with Part 1.

Step 7: Stoke Metabolism with Grazing

Choose to eat 5 small, regularly spaced meals daily about 3 hours apart to help balance blood sugar and prevent overeating due to excessive hunger. This is grazing. British researchers at the University of Nottingham found that obese women who ate regular meals at roughly the same time every day consumed fewer total calories, metabolized calories better, lowered blood cholesterol levels, and showed improvement in insulin production compared with when they ate irregular meals.

10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss

by Susan Smith Jones, PhD ©

Part 6 of 10 in the series 10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss. CLICK HERE to start with Part 1.

Step 6: Slow It Down

It’s an old joke. You buy a whole pie, intending to have one slice. Then you sit down with the pie, in front of the TV and before you know it – where’d the pie go? Somebody stole it! Or, you just downed 1,000’s of calories without even knowing it. Because it takes 20 minutes for your body to get the satiety signal, if you eat fast, you’re consuming more calories than you need, before you’ve even had the chance to get the “that’s enough” signal.

10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss

by Susan Smith Jones, PhD ©

Part 5 of 10 in the series 10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss. CLICK HERE to start with Part 1.

Step 5: Eat at Home — Watch Your Portions

Research shows that the more often a person dines out, the more body fat he or she has. Home-prepared food is usually healthier and more nutritious since most restaurants depend heavily on highly processed foods. As much as possible, prepare your meals at home. Eat out and get take-out foods less often. While I choose not to eat any animal products (I am a vegan), you may choose a different diet. When you do eat away from home, try these tips to help you control portions:

10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss

by Susan Smith Jones, PhD ©

Part 4 of 10 in the series 10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss. CLICK HERE to start with Part 1.

Step 4: Burn It Off with Cardio

Like it or not, it takes a good walk or run around the park to burn fat. Cardiovascular exercise or cardio is a necessity for burning fat and keeping it off. The good news: You can choose what cardio works for you and what you like to do. Example: if you only have ten minutes to walk in the morning and ten minutes when you get home, that’s the same as walking twenty minutes in one stretch. You don’t need a huge block of time to get the benefit of cardio.

10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss

by Susan Smith Jones, PhD ©

Part 3 of 10 in the series 10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss. CLICK HERE to start with Part 1.

Step 3: Lift Weights for Faster Metabolism 

You don’t have to look like "Ah-nold" to benefit from lifting. Weights not only tone you up and make it easier to slip into your favorite jeans, they also help you build muscle, which burns more calories at rest than fat. So, up to 12 hours after your last weight lifting session, you’ll be burning more calories as you sit, walk, and go about your day, making your engine more efficient and easier for you to maintain your weight.