When you want to lose weight fast, there are two basic ways to do it:

You can either reduce your caloric intake, or you can exercise to burn more calories. If you had to choose only one method, it may be better to go for option #2, exercising to burn more calories, simply because reducing your caloric intake down too far can backfire so you lose weight very slowly or not at all.

Do you love food? Do you struggle to lose weight because you can't bear the thought of starving all day long? Believe it or not, you don't have to go hungry to lose weight. Deprivation diets are out; healthful, delicious meal plans are in!

To lose weight and keep it off, you simply need to adjust what and how much you are eating. Okay, you love food. Don't we all? But loving something and overdosing on it are two different things. Below are a few easy ideas for creating a healthy eating plan that you will love - and it will love you right back in the form of better health and a lighter weight:

In the first part of this article, we offered some helpful Christmas weight loss tips to help you stay on track with your eating during the holiday season.  We covered the importance of eating a healthy breakfast, adding more fiber to your diet, staying hydrated, avoiding "pig out syndrome", and eating smaller portions. Below are 5 more power tips:

You've heard it before, patience is a virtue - but did you know that it can also help make your weight loss faster and easier?

Here's how:

Reduced Stress

First, by trying to hurry your weight loss, you will inevitably stress yourself out. And you know what happens when you're stressed out, right? You hinder your body's fat burning processes. The more stressed out and impatient you get, the slower your progress is going to be.

Weight gain during the holidays seems almost inevitable when you consider the influencing factors at play: being busier and more stressed than you normally are, gathering together with loved ones and friends for celebrations, and plenty of temptations in the form of delicious, high calorie foods and beverages. However, if you plan ahead and keep a few helpful strategies in mind, you don't have to ditch your healthy weight loss plans just because the holidays are here.

Some people might say that trying to lose weight during the Christmas season is crazy, but it's definitely not impossible if you just apply some common sense strategies.

Below you'll find a collection of the "best of the best" Christmas weight loss tips:

When you're trying to lose weight, it's important to come up with ways to eat less. Obviously you don't want to reduce your caloric intake too low because you'll only slow down your metabolism, but you definitely want to avoid overeating too.

Below is a list of 10 easy ways to eat less and lose weight:

#1 Way to Eat Less - Drink More Water

The more water you drink, the less hungry you'll feel. Drinking one glass of water right before each meal has been proven to help you eat less and still feel just as satisfied after the meal. Of course, drinking water between meals is a good idea too, because it helps you feel fuller and avoid unnecessary snacking.

Losing weight the healthy way requires burning a fair amount of calories each week, in addition to reducing caloric intake. This poses a problem for many people because they feel they are too busy for long workouts. What they (and you) may not realize is that you don't have to exercise for long periods of time all at once; you can split it up into several sessions a day and still burn the same amount of calories.

Take a look at the activities below for great examples. (These figures are based on an existing body weight of 150 lbs., you will need to adjust the calories burned to account for your current weight.)

If the phrase "holiday workout" brings up an exhausting mental image of fighting your way through a crowded shopping mall weighed down by bags full of gifts that now need to be carted home, wrapped, tagged, and hidden until the big day, you aren't alone.

The holiday season can be exhausting, leaving little time or desire for actual working out (as in, exercising for physical health or weight loss . . . not lugging packages around or juggling 12-dozen cookie sheets). What you may not realize is that making time for exercise each day - even during the holiday craziness - can go a long way in helping you have more stamina, clarity, and resilience.

It's a fact that regular exercise does wonders for your mind and body, but it can seem like one more chore that must be done, and it can easily get pushed to the back burner while you attend to "more important" things. Below are a few tips for making your holiday workout plan a high priority, which will enable you to get through the holidays feeling strong, balanced and refreshed.

Eating healthy during the holidays seems like an impossible challenge. There are so many delicious treats, parties, shopping marathons in malls filled with tantalizing scents, gift baskets filled with exotic cheese and meat, rich egg nog, family dinners with platters overflowing with fattening foods - who can stick to a healthy eating plan with all of those temptations?

Most people don't even try. They say, "I'll just start my diet fresh in the New Year," and then proceed to stuff themselves with food non-stop from Thanksgiving until New Year's Day. No wonder people usually gain weight during the holiday season!

It doesn't have to be that way for you. If you'd like to create a healthier balance between enjoying the holidays and still keeping your weight down (or even losing a few pounds), check out the easy tips below: