Lose Weight by keeping six points in mind

Have you cut out the burgers, French fries, Coke and beers but still don't see the pounds dropping off?

Stop and take stock of your situation. Just how much weight do you want to lose? Are you seriously overweight or just need to tone up?

If you really feel you need to lose a lot of weight you would do well to visit your doctor or a dietitian for advice. This would make sense if there are also other health issues involved.

But if you intend to go it alone, what should you be looking for? Here are some tips compiled from the advice of dietitians and fitness trainers that should help:

1. Set a goal - Write down your goal and look at it every day. Make it specific. For example, you might say "I aim to lose 20 pounds in two months." Give yourself a target date. Mindset is all important.

2. Improve your diet - You might be surprised to hear that fat may not necessarily be your enemy. Certain fats are good for you. Beware carbohydrates and fizzy drinks instead. Fruit and vegetables are your friend, as are lean meats and fish. Try to eat more often - say four or five times in a day - but eat small portions.

3. Get aerobic - You need to burn off calories. Get out regularly three, four or five times a week and build up a sweat. If this is rather alien to you, try brisk walks first. They you might want to try running, cycling, swimming or other forms of training or sports that get your metabolism revved up. Join a gym or fitness club if you feel this will help get you motivated.

4. Stretch and strain - Stretch before and after your aerobic training. Go through a simple 10-minute routine to start but also check out the benefits that you might gain from yoga, Pilates or the Whartons' two-second stretch method. Don't ignore strength training exercises such as push ups, sit ups, leg raises, squats and so forth that will help tone up your muscles. For those set on exchanging fat for muscle, light weight training routines will be a must.

5. Develop new habits - Sticking to the diet and exercise means developing new habits. Give yourself time and space to fit these into your daily routine and work on them for 21 days or more so that they develop into habits.

6. Go step by step - Don't jump in and go overboard. Don't starve yourself, otherwise you body will actually try to hold on to the fat rather than let it go. Instead, go step by step, adapting to your healthier diet and your new regime of exercise.

This is just a rough guide to how to lose pounds based on a few of the better weight loss programs on the market.

Weight loss takes effort and time. Yet if you follow these tips and ideally a full weight loss program, you ought to begin to see results after a month.

Have a look for a good weight loss program that combines diet and exercise, laying out a day by day, week by week schedule. Steer away from the programs that promise fast results.