Do you want to lose weight? If you are like most people, the answer is yes. You probably want to lose weight as quickly as possible too. But be careful; the best ways to lose weight are those that are healthy and safe. Here are a few great ways to lose weight.

A great way to motivate yourself to lose weight and get more exercise is to join a team sport. For example, a game of pickup basketball can burn over a hundred calories in just half an hour. If you have friends counting on you to show up at an appointed time each weekend, you’ll be more likely to go.

If you love potatoes but are trying to shed weight you can substitute pureed cauliflower for potatoes. Cook the cauliflower in a pot with some chopped onions and a little water. Once it is tender, puree it with chicken or vegetable bouillon and season it with ground pepper as needed. This will allow you to have much more nutrition for only a small amount of carbs.

If you are looking to lose weight, you should start serving your meals on smaller plates. While this may seem like a trivial change that does not affect what you are eating, it has been proved that eating off of smaller dishes helps you control your portions more than you would if you were eating off of a larger plate.

To help you lose weight, look for opportunities to get a little exercise while going about your daily activities; you can even get a mini-workout while shopping. Make the effort to walk around the mall before you even go into a store. It won’t take long, and you will burn a few extra calories before you know it.

If setting a goal for yourself doesn’t seem to be working, why not try joining a program like Weight Watchers? Not only do they have organized plans to keep you on track to losing weight, but you get the support of the other members to give you encouragement to keep going.

Buy a monitor for your heart rate. You can figure out how effective your cardio is by keeping track of your heart rate. A heart-rate monitor will help you keep your heart rate in the optimum fat-burning zone.

Try keeping a log of trigger foods that hinder your weight loss. Write down all you eat and how you feel about it. This log can help you find what triggers your overeating and will help you understand the changes you should make.

One good way to lose weight is walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator to the second or third floor. Instead of taking the elevator, go up the stairs to burn some more calories. You may be surprised how much this can help.

Losing weight in a safe and healthy way is a wise decision. Not only will you take the weight off right now, but keep it off for the future. Use these tips to help you lose weight and to stay healthy while you are doing it so that you can be satisfied both now and in the future.