A diet plan that lets you lose weight quickly doesn’t sound realistic does it? Especially a plan that lets you still look healthy and feel good while losing weight but not require an unsafe nor unsound diet, not even any harmful drugs. But it does exist.

If you want to lose weight, you have to have some sort of plan or program. It’s very hard to lose weight naturally, without anyeffort. Set some goals as to how much you want to lose, commit to a plan to achieve those goals. But, be patient. It took time to gain that weight, it takes time to lose it. If you think you can just pop a pill, sit back and the weight will melt away,think again. That’s not how your body works. It will either not work or the side effects will cause you other harm. The just isn’t any weight loss program or plan known that is safe, effective and fast.

Everything you need in a weight loss plan so you can safely and effectively lose weight is right here:

1. Exercise.

Exercise is the number one part of any weight loss program that will be successful. This has known for a long time that exercise can make or break any program designed to lose weight. Five 30 minute moderate exercise sessions per week is the minimum amount of time you should plan into your weight loss program. Thirty minute sessions may be hard to fit into any schedule, but it has been found that 3 ten minute sessions will work just as good and can be much easier to fit in.

How hard and how long you exercise will determine how many calories and how much body fat you burn off. And while exercise does more than just burn calories, it also helps make for a healthier body, the primary goal here is to lose weight.

Any strenuous physical exercise will help to burn calories, but aerobic exercise seems to work the best if you want to lose fat. Your diet program works best if it becomes your daily lifestyle, not just a separate part of your life. A lifestyle which can include new activities that increase the physical efforts you make as parts of your regular routine. Don’t use that elevator when you could use the stairs. Don’t park in the handicap spot so you can be close to the door, park at the back of the lot, get in some extra walking. Leave the car in the drive and walk to those places within walking distance. Ride a bike instead of taking the bus. Make exercising a regular part of your life.

2. The goal is to become healthier, not just to be thinner.

For many people it is easier to stay focused on getting and maintaining their health than it is to get and stay thin. So change your focus. Make the reason to eat a healthy diet be because you want to be healthy. If you change your purpose for selecting the right foods to be one of health you will find that your body weight will take care of itself. The Food Pyramid we all learned about in school can provide you with all the basics as to what foods you should eat and the proper amounts to maintain a healthy body.

You can feel better by eating the right foods. You will have the energy you need to exercise properly and not get that sluggish, drained feeling you get with a poor diet. And you can still get and maintain a healthy body weight. Feeling healthier and having more energy to burn comes naturally when you eat a proper and balanced diet. You can lose weight by burning more calories with the extra energy you have, which will burn that excess body fat, which makes for a healthier body.

You will look better, feel better and be healthier by switching to a better diet, but remember, that also requires a decrease in the total calorie intake. You must cut back on the total amount of food you take in daily. That doesn’t mean you have to eat boring or bland foods. You can still have tasty, satisfying and even, fast and easy meals. But it does mean you should eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (breads and cereals), less meats and sweets. There are a lot of healthy foods out there to eat if only you open yourself up to discovering them. Foods you will like and even love, if you give yourself a chance.

3. There are some weight loss pills being sold that contain Ephedra. STAY AWAY from these.

These are designed to burn fat, but there are better, safer products available. Look for the ones that contain herbal extracts that stimulate Thermogenisis, a process where caloric energy release is boosted, especially when you exercise.. Other plants, such as Hoodia Gordonii suppress your appetite but still give you more energy. There are other plants that are fat binders which attach themselves to the fats in foods you eat, and then the fat gets flushed out of your body before it is absorbed and stored as new fat (and new weight).

There are generally far fewer negative side effects from the weight loss pills that are plant-based than there are from the prescription, or even, over-the-counter pills. Plant-based pills can help you lose weight faster because you will be able to feel betterabout what your doing, what your eating, and thereby maintain a more positive attitude about you weight loss program.

Trying to lose weight too fast by hurrying and sacrificing safety is only counterproductive. You will gain all the weight back (and maybe even more), put yourself at risk, all for nothing. Losing weight takes time, a strong positive attitude, well defined goals, and a well thought-out plan to achieve those goals. You need to feel good about what you’re doing, how you are going to get there and be patient as you work to get there.

One step at a time, slowly but surely, and realistic goals over the long haul, will get you where no “lose weight fast” plan will ever get you. Try it, it works.