This article is specifically targeted at dieters using or planning to use a very low calorie diet in an attempt to lose more than the so-called 'standard' MAXIMUM fat loss of ±1 kilogram/±2 pounds per week. You CAN lose more than that without ruining your metabolism, regardless of what the 'experts' say.

Most people severely cut calories when they try to lose weight, and it is difficult to prevent them from using that approach, so we'll work with that.

Very low calorie dieting does not need to be a bad thing though. For one, done correctly, it causes rapid loss of belly and visceral fat - the fat around the organs - and therefore indirectly reduces the risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

That said, specific precautions have to be taken to ensure maximum fat loss and maximum muscle tissue retention. The 5 most important things that one can do while on a very low calorie diet are:

1. Eat enough protein

If you're going to eat very few calories, then you must ensure that a large portion of that calories comes from protein. It is now well known that higher protein, lower carbohydrate diets actually cause a greater loss in FAT, even though the WEIGHT loss may be the same on a higher carbohydrate diet. I advise eating SOLID protein when calories are low, since it is more satisfying and digestion requires a bit more calories than with liquid protein sources.

2. Diet 3 days on 1 day off

We all know that low calorie diets cause a metabolism crash. EVENTUALLY. Why wait until that happens? Every fourth day, eat more healthy calories, a bit more carbohydrates, and a LOT of protein - solid and liquid. Also, eat 6-7 smaller meals on those 'off days'. Not only will you prevent your metabolism from crashing, but it will also be accelerated and ready for the next 3 days of low calorie eating.

Why would fat loss stop now?

3. Strength training

A scientific study showed that subjects that were on extremely low calorie diets (only 800 calories), but did strength training as opposed to traditional 'cardio', actually gained muscle tissue. Those subjects also lost a significant amount of fat.

While that does show that resistance exercise is far more important that cardio while cutting calories severely, that is not the tip I'd like to leave here.

The tip is to LIMIT both the FREQUENCY and the DURATION of your strength workouts, since they can just as easily have a negative effect. Your body has a limited recovery ability while you're severely restricting calories, and doing too much will cause muscle loss, thus ruining your metabolism.

I recommend at most 20 minutes of resistance exercise and only 3 times a week. It may seem too little, but the aim is to PRESERVE muscle tissue - any muscle gained is just a bonus.

4. Discard aerobics in favor of interval training

Yes, aerobic exercise burns more fat while you're doing it, but interval training keeps your metabolism burning more calories even while you're resting. Also, a bigger percentage of weight loss from interval training is due to fat loss than with aerobic exercise, so again muscle is spared.

As with weight training, limit the duration to 20 minutes, three times a week.

5. Combine strength and cardio sessions

The most important benefit of doing this is that you end up with 4 days a week where you're doing very little exercise. This gives your body time to recuperate, and keeps your endocrine (hormonal) system working optimally, thereby ensuring that muscle is spared and fat is burned as fast as possible.

Don't worry, both types of exercise has you burning calories for up to 46 hours - even while you sleep! The low calories will have you dropping weight anyway.

So, you CAN lose fat much faster than the 'diet gurus' say you can. Just do it smartly. Besides, if you have a lot of weight to lose, why would you even be happy with only 2 pounds a week?

You can make losing weight a family project or set your own personal goal. Pick a day to begin. Focus on making simple changes on a daily basis. Make these changes slowly. Stick to them. Try these tips.

Prepare food by broiling or baking more often instead of frying. Eat fewer breaded and fried foods. Breading and frying foods like fish, shrimp, chicken, and vegetables add fat and calories.

Eat more fruits, whole grain, and vegetables. If you are a nibbler, choose fruit and vegetables as snacks more often. Eat lean meat, fish, and poultry without skin. Choose poultry breasts and drumsticks more often than the wings and thighs.

Use the food label to choose lower calorie foods. Drink fewer alcoholic and high-calorie beverages. And one of the most important things Drink six to eight glasses of water each day.

Eat smaller portions--do not go back for seconds, try eating only one serving of high-fat, high-calorie foods like pizza, ice cream, or chips. Slowly cut back on your portion size. Substitute with lower fat, lower calorie foods during the rest of the day.

Be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day, or as much as you can. It really helps you to lose weight if you are more active Dance. See if you remember all the steps or learn some new ones. Add more moves for a personalized workout.

Say bye to the elevator, Use the stairs. If you take the bus get off one or two bus stops early and walk the rest of the way Park your car a block or two away and walk, always remember enjoys losing weight and you will stick to it, don't forget to take in some fresh air, and stop and smell the roses every now and then.

You have probably asked yourself what the best diet plan for healthy fast weight loss is. With so many to choose from, it's sometimes difficult to know what really works and what doesn't. I'm going to let you in on a little secret - the best diet plan ever!

Of course, you can always lose alot of weight by fasting and only drinking water for several days, but this isn't very effective. For one thing, you are so hungry after the fast is over that you are apt to binge on all sorts of foods that aren't conducive to fast weight loss.

Tried pre-packaged diet foods and diet pills? The food isn't too good, and diet pills can be a health risk. These are probably not the best diet plans if you truly want to lose weight in a healthy way, and keep it off. It's really hard for most people to exist on 800 calories per day.

Let's talk about what I believe is the best diet plan ever invented. Fat Loss 4 Idiots is so easy, you will never try any other weight loss plan again. No need to count calories, fat grams, carbs, or anything else.

This plan has helped thousands to lose weight and keep it off. By training your body how to burn calories and fat through the use of food, this is the easiest thing you will ever see when it comes to weight loss.

Fat Loss 4 Idiots will teach you what foods increase metabolism and burn fat, when to eat, and how to eat in order to lose weight very fast. You can eat real food, even foods you love and lose 9 lbs. in just 11 days! I think you will agree if you take a look, this is the best diet plan and certainly the easiest one to follow.

What is the best diet plan for fast weight loss? Fat Loss 4 Idiots is the answer. Period.

Walking contains all of the necessary qualities that you need to lose weight and become healthier. It exercises the major muscles and gets your heart rate up, which can, in turn, boost your metabolism and help you lose weight.

Starting a walking program is easy, no matter what your age or current level of fitness. Some consider walking to be the perfect exercise because it is low impact and you can increase your level of exercise as your strength grows. All you need to get started is a good pair of walking shoes and some determination.

If you haven't exercised in a while, it's best to start slow. Most people find that a 15-minute brisk walk is enough to get their heart rate up and their muscles moving. Even though you'll want to walk for longer periods of time in the future, this can be enough to get you started with a walking plan.

Once you've done 15 minutes per day for a week to ten days, you can start increasing your distance and your time. Stretch yourself further each day until you've built up to 30 minutes of walking time. After the first five minutes of walking, your body moves out of the warm-up phase, and then you can move into calorie burning territory. When you walk for 30 minutes, you'll have plenty of calorie-burning time in your workout to make it worthwhile.

While you are walking for weight loss, it's important that you keep up the proper intensity level. One good rule of thumb: you should be exercising at an intensity that allows you to carry on a conversation, but if you are able to speak comfortably for long periods of time without taking a break or if you are able to comfortably sing a song, ramp up your intensity a bit. You should break a sweat during your 30-minute walk and you should keep the same pace until you do a 5 minute slow down at the end of the walking.

Once you've started your walking program it's important that you keep going. After the first week, you're bound to see a remarkable difference in your energy level, which will help you to keep going.

To stay motivated, mark a date on your calendar three weeks from when you begin and make a deal with yourself. If you keep walking each day until that date, reward yourself with something special. To stick to your weight loss goals, make sure to reward yourself with a non-food item, such as a shopping trip or some new music to work out to.

Walking can be an effective way to lose weight and to improve your health at the same time. Because it's accessible to everyone and easy to do, it's the perfect way to start exercising. With persistence and determination, you can make walking a part of your life.