The WSJ published this article when the amount of people who resolve to lose weight is at its apex, the new years. But the principles are timeless and can be followed anytime for achievement of weight loss goals.

This is somewhat based on exchanging money for health but in a very effective manner. The money you put on line in this method is the MOST fairly used rather than investing in some new fad diet.

It works like this -

1. You set a goal e.g. lose 15 lbs in 30 days
2. You decide on a monetary amount that you’ll have to forfeit if you don’t lose the weight you’ve set as a goal. (Note: The money should  be enough to make you cringe ) e.g. $500
3.If you achieve the goal then congratulate yourself and if you don’t then bid good-bye to your hard-earned cash.

First of all this plan works because one of the most desirable element for us is MONEY. Yes, money drives the world! The thought of losing money can create intolerable pain and giving it away due to our mistakes (which could have been avoided) makes us even more mad. So pain to part with something (money) combined with desire of gaining something (weight) works like magic.

It can be fun in so many ways because the looming fear of losing the money can make us do things that we otherwise won’t. For e.g. not many people pay attention to their health when they know that they’ll have to pay thousands in medical bills but happily start losing weight when the amount on the line is as little as $100 (the relative gain in terms of healthy body is much much more!)

So try this out for yourself. Go make a bet with someone. It can be your weight-loss buddy, your friend or your spouse. Bet any amount you’re not comfortable giving away. Sign a contract in presence of a witness, maybe a common friend you have.

I “bet” this will be the best use of money for your weight loss.

You can lose weight without going to the gym or any other time and effort demanding activity

Wouldn’t your life be much better if you lost some weight? Actually, lose some weight without commiting time for the gym, jogging or other tiring and effort-demanding activity? Well contradictory to popular belief there is a way that works VERY well when you want to reduce weight without doing any exercise.

There is a very simple equation there is at work for weight gain or for that matter weight loss. The amount of calories we intake provides us with energy to perform everyday work. It depends on age, metaboism rate, the type of work you do – people that do a lot of physical activity require more calories.

But it doesn’t just stop here. We also BURN calories.  If we burn less calories than we take then weight is gained. On the other hand if we burn more calories than we take then we lose weight.

So if you’re wondering why some people don’t seem to gain extra pounds then this is the little secret for their constant weight.

1 pound of weight comprise of 3500 calories. You burn 3500 calories – you lose 1 pound weight. That’s simple! Even if you just burn 500 more calories everyday then you lose 1 pound in a week. That’s 4 lbs in a month! 48 lbs in a year! How much does this excite you?

There are two important phases to weight loss

1. right diet
2. right amount of exercise to shed that extra fat

many people don’t know this. So no matter what they try, they don’t get a satisfactory result even after months! In this article I will show you 5 harmful things that you may not have know was really hurting your weight-loss efforts.

#1. I will lose weight if I don’t eat - If I ask this question to a group of people then 90% people will agree to this myth. They’ll argue that eating is one of the primary factors of their obesity. WRONG! You NEED to eat food to lose weight. Your body needs all the life supporting nutrients. In absense of these the body will utilize proteins from your body to generate energy. It will convert the muscle-building protein into energy-generating carbohydrate.

#2. I can eat EVERYTHING as long as I exercise – Many people get this wrong! They think that as long as they don’t stop working out they can eat whatever they want to their heart’s content. Nothing can be farther from the truth! Diet plays a vital role in your weight loss efforts. Proper Diet and Exercise are like the 2 sides of the same coin – there is no third (or one ) option! You have to make changes in your food eating habits – and if you haven’t yet then this is the right time.

#3. Eating food multiple times a day will hamper my weight loss efforts – Again Wrong! In fact, most dieticians recommend eating multiple times during the day than you normally do. But there’s one condition , you have to intake smaller quantities and more fibre rich food.

#4. In order to lose weight I have to give up my favorite food – One of the reasons that many people don’t start early on is because they fear parting with their favorite food. They keep procrastinating until it is extremely essential for them to keep alive. When in fact weight loss doesn’t mean parting with your favorite foods – not a bit! You can eat them once in a while. You can also reward yourself with your favorite food after achieving a goal or a milestone. Always worked for me like a charm!  And besides it kept me motivated.

#5. There is no natural way for me to lose weight – Many people assume that they need some sort of a magic bullet to lose weight. This is completely wrong! There are countless examples of people who have lost more than 150 lbs of weight – all through natural means! No artificial pills. No spot reduction surgeries. No < insert the latest weight loss craze here >! You just need a right diet and a right plan and consistency. Then no one – not even YOU can stop you from losing weight, FAST!  Because results speak for themselves.