If you have to be brutally honest with yourself, how many diets have you been on? Its estimated that the average woman over 30 goes on 3 diets a year. Obviously, "nothing" works and we are doomed to being overweight for life, right? Wrong! While there's no doubt about the fact that there are countless rubbish diets and products on the market, its not the determining factor. Diets and weight loss programs are nothing more than strategies. Its a means to the end and only make up a part of the "formula" for weight loss.

The motivation, the commitment and the desire make up the most important part of losing weight because its the driving force that will make a goal a reality.

While strategies only make up a portion of your success, its really important nevertheless. By following a proven strategy you can rest assured that it works - or at least it works for someone else which means you can replicate the success. There are essentially 2 approaches you can follow that are proven to work. Lets quickly look at them.

Firstly, dieting can be a powerful way to lose weight. The problem is that we have all tried so many FAD diets that we've become jaded. Personally I like programs like Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers simply because its been around for so long and its worked for so many people that you are in good hands. On top of that, all the support and guidance is there and you really don't have to go it alone and "hope" that you will succeed.

Secondly, exercise can be the fastest way to lose weight - even if your diet sucks. Giving up on the foods you love can be tough which is why starting out with exercise can be a great solution. While dieting tries to limit your calorie intake, exercise can help you burn more calories and it is perhaps the quickest way to lose the weight. By raising your metabolism you effectively raise your body's fat burning process. By doing regular exercise you can raise your metabolism which will enable you to burn more calories - even when you are not exercising.

Obviously a combination of the two is best but the principle is simple. To lose weight you don;t need any special gimmicks. You need exercise and a good diet - and off course the motivation and inner drive to see it through.

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