Welcome to the 3-Step Weight Loss Plan!  This plan will help you lose weight in the quickest, healthiest way possible.  You can easily lose the extra pounds that will get you into your best shape ever!    It all depends on how serious you are about wanting to lose weight and get in shape.  It's up to you to make the best of this opportunity between now and the coming months.  You'll start seeing great results in less than 30 days by following this plan.  The first step to serious weight loss is to decide on the approach you wish to take.  Are you going to include activity in your plan, or are you just going to adjust your eating?  Here are the important factors of each: It takes 3,500 calories to either lose or gain a pound, so in order to lose a pound a week, you would have to burn 500 more calories per day than you take in. (See link to calorie chart below.)

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	Without Exercise You can still lose weight without increasing your activity level, but weight loss without added activity is a slower process and you must downsize your food portions and stay dedicated to the plan.  It’s a good idea to count calories for successful results.  Keep a food diary to track what you are eating for ease in regulating your food intake.  Weight loss is all about calories burned versus calories consumed and as long as you keep a negative calorie balance, you'll lose weight continuously.   As we age, the body’s ability to burn calories begins to slow.   Unfortunately, we continue to consume the same or maybe even more calories as we age and the excess becomes stored as fat.  “Metabolism” is your body’s calorie burning mechanism.   The more weight you gain, muscle you lose, and the older you get without regular activity, the slower your metabolism becomes requiring less calories to do everyday functions.  Your body becomes efficient at what it does, so challenging it with new activity will force your metabolism to work overtime, burning extra calories in the process.      For example, if you do not exercise or perform an activity to assist your weight loss plan, you would have to consume 500 less calories per day to lose 1 pound per week, or 1,000 less per day to lose 2 pounds per week.  However, if you include exercise in your plan, you would only have to cut back 250 calories per day (hardly noticeable) and the other 250 would be burned by your chosen activity.  As you build muscle, your body will become much more efficient at burning off additional calories, even while at rest. The Calorie Chart and Activity Tables will help you plan the tasks of figuring how many calories you need to get to your goal weight, and types of activity you can perform to assist you in your plan. CALORIE CHART To See Activity Table (click here) Get Healthy! GetThatBody! With Exercise   Exercise plays a vital part in any healthy plan.   As we age, we need to build muscle that we lose with aging to maintain our ability to take care of ourselves well into our later years in life.    The great thing about exercise, is that it will benefit you at any age, whether you begin young or old.  It has been shown that even seniors will reverse muscle loss, increase stamina and improve balance and agility by performing weight bearing exercise.  Exercise at any age is a definite plus for your health and helps to maintain a healthy weight as well.   Also, by building muscle you automatically rev up your calorie burning metabolism so you'll burn calories in addition to those burned during your exercise sessions. Your exercise routine should include aerobic exercises to strengthen your cardiovascular system.  This will help the body supply oxygen and keep your blood pumping at healthy levels and can regulate high or low blood pressure.   You should also do some form of muscle resistance exercises, using weights or the weight of your body (push-ups, etc.) to challenge the muscles.  By challenging them, you create more muscle fiber, making your body stronger for everyday tasks.  Also, by replacing body fat with muscle, you will automatically burn an extra 100-250 calories per day, even while at rest.   There are so many positive aspects of exercise, you really should consider adding it to your daily routine in one form or another.  You'll see weight loss results so much faster too!