By Luis Quiroz Ravines

We all want to enjoy a healthy figure, slender, well-proportioned, and in this endeavor, we submit countless sacrifices often, not always well rewarded. If you have tried everything from food restriction, balanced diets, various drugs, nutritional supplements, strenuous exercise or "magic" weight loss pills and the weight returns again, it is because you do not know the secret number 1 to maintain an ideal weight.

What is the secret..?

The secret is to keep the "energy balance".

Your energy balance is simply the balance between how many calories your body ingests and how burning. Absorb more calories than you burn and you gain weight.

No matter what you eat, how much and how to eat or if you are active or inactive, your inability to change your "energy balance" correctly is the primary reason for you to gain weight ..

Calorie/energy equation works like this:

If calories that enter are similar to the calories you lose, your weight stays the same; but if the income of calories (energy) exceeds the energy you burn, you gain weight (positive energy balance);

Conversely, if the caloric intake or energy is less than the energy you burn or consume, you lose weight (negative energy balance).

For example, if you eat 3,500 calories more than you burn, you simply earn 1 pound of weight. Conversely, if you burn 3,500 calories more than you take in, you lose 1 pound of weight.

How many daily calories do you need? In general to maintain a healthy weight, sedentary women and older men they need about 1,600 calories a day. Girls, active women, and sedentary men need about 2,200 calories per day. Boys and active men and very active women need about 2,800 calories a day.

Another key in the program to lose weight is your daily water intake. The water will help your body to suppress appetite, metabolize stored fat, relieve fluid retention problems, reduce excess sodium, maintain proper muscle tone and eliminate toxins.

It is advisable to drink at least 8 glasses of water (about 2 liters) and drink 1 additional 8-ounce glass for every 10 kilos overweight. Whenever you feel hungry drink one or two glasses of boiled water, bottled or filtered. The brightest models in the world scrupulously apply these principles. Know from memory how many calories contains each food they consume and never drink less than two liters of water a day.

On the other hand, Dr. Nicholas Perricone, MD, a world leader in control of health and beauty expert, says his research has shown that the main therapeutic intervention to prevent weight gain, regardless of age, is the "anti-inflammatory diet" which is to stabilize sugar and insulin in the blood and maintain adequate muscle mass, for which recommends eating cold water fish such as salmon or sardines or ingesting capsules of fish oil to take advantage of the Omega 3 essential acid.

Also, he recommended to avoid or reduce stress, because stress produces the hormone cortisol and excess cortisol increases appetite and promotes fat accumulation in the abdominal area. Also indicates laugh to lose weight. Laughter reduces stress hormones, strengthens the immune system, lower blood pressure and acts as a muscle relaxant. Equally, appropriate sleep time is important. Insufficient sleep increases hunger.

Another recommendation is to consume one or two apples a day because Apple has a stabilizing effect on blood sugar because of its high fiber and flavonoids.

 Other proven measures to lose weight are:

1- Keep in a notebook the foods you eat daily to identify their daily eating patterns.
2- Practice exercises.
3- Eat enough calcium. An intake of foods rich in calcium, about 3 times a day, can help up to 50% in their efforts to lose weight while strengthening your bones and prevent osteoporosis,
4- Privilege breakfast. A healthy breakfast is key in a weight control program that maintains long-term stable hormone levels and sugar
5- Researchers at the University of Illinois suggests that consuming high-quality protein can help maintain muscle mass and reduce fat.
6- 4- Do not spend more than five hours without food.
7- Chew slowly.
8- Eat a range of colors; especially fruits and vegetables are full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, folic acid, and potassium.
9. Reward yourself. Have a list of prizes when you achieve goals such as reducing 5 to 10 pounds. This will raise your self-esteem and help in your efforts to achieve the ideal weight

NOTE: Luis Quiroz Ravines is a Peruvian journalist specializing in natural health, author of an effective treatment to lose weight naturally.  Learn more at WeightLossPeruvianRecipe