No one really wants to look back on the years they've spent and regret not doing all the fun things like hiking with your friends, being part of a sports team, being able to play with your child, etc. No, we human beings want to take the most from our life and feel the contentment that it was a memorably spent one. And one of the major hindrances to enjoying ourselves is not being physically free to do so. If the extra pounds weight down on your physique, you could well be looking at seclusion forced on you.

Being overweight will not only make your present life inactive, it will also render you greater difficulty in later years. I'm talking about serious, chronic illnesses like diabetes, cancer, heart attack, etc. Leave your excess weight unchecked long enough and you could be having a lifelong partnership with obesity. This is not meant to be news of distress, but being aware of facts is critical for taking the right action. It's not at all an impossibility for you to get your life back in order.

Now, before you start thinking about taking some kind of medication to lose the extra pounds, let's look at easier and more natural options. Yes, medication is taken to lose weight, but those are very extreme cases, which are dubbed as beyond control by the physician. This is a last resort solution and before you're put on it, you'll be asked to go through a number of tests. But for the large part, your weight can be contained and managed with simple yet highly effective lifestyle changes. Here are four great ways for you to start losing weight;

1. Start Eating Breakfast: I bet you didn't expect this one. A common mistake many people make is skipping breakfast, believing that this will help them lose weight. Big mistake. The fact is, research has proven that individuals who skip breakfast are more likely to over eat during the rest of the day as compared to those who have had a filling breakfast. The reason behind this somewhat non-intuitive reaction of the body is that while we sleep, our body keeps its longest fast. Our metabolism slows down considerably during the night and in the morning we need to kick start it with a nutritious meal. When we skip a meal, our metabolism stays low and there is not enough energy to perform the day's work. By lunch time, your body is in starving condition. And hence you over eat. Get up early in the morning, and make yourself a healthy fulfilling breakfast. A nice smoothie can make a darn good meal too.

2. Drinking Lots of Water: drinking lots of water is a great way to lose excess weight. Getting up every morning and drinking 2 glasses of ice cold water is a great to burn the extra fat. Also, a major reason for being overweight is water retention'; the human body stores water in its cells as a defense against dehydration. Drinking lots of water wards that off.

3. Green Tea: drinking green tea is a great way to burn the excess fat stored in the body. Taking a cup of green tea daily will help you lose weight as green tea is a natural appetite suppressant.

4. Walking: walk as much as you can, whenever you can. Taking a brisk 30 minute walk daily is a great way to speed up your metabolism and burn calories. More tips at Secrets In Health