Cutting calories is an effective way to lose weight fast, even if you don’t exercise as much as you know you should. The USDA offers weight loss guidelines in its 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans report. This comprehensive report suggests limiting intake of sugar, salt and saturated fats.

The amount of calories you burn in any exercise depends on your level of intensity, the duration of your workout and your body weight. Exercises that are inherently more vigorous, such as running, burn a higher amount of calories in a shorter amount of time than less vigorous workouts such as walking.

Even if you watch what you eat and exercise regularly, clinging to your daily soda habit can quickly torpedo your weight-loss goals. Each can or bottle you drink packs on a surprisingly high amount of calories, while giving you little nutrition or sustenance in return.

Walking and jogging are both effective for burning calories and improving your cardiovascular health. When it comes to burning fat, many people assume that jogging is more effective than walking. But walking can be just as effective as jogging if you walk for a long-enough duration at a high-enough intensity.

Eat whole-grain carbohydrates instead of following a no-carb or very low carb diet, and exercise regularly to increase your fat-burning enzymes and burn your stored body fat.

Hiking in a mountainous terrain is a highly aerobic form of exercise. The constant change in incline constantly challenges your muscles and elevates your heart rate. Calories burned are based on weight, incline and intensity.

If you are considering a fast to lose weight, a fruit diet may be a beneficial option. Unlike water or juice fasts, the fruit diet allows you to eat whole fruits, rather than just liquids. Your metabolism is left intact when on the fruit diet, rather than slowing down the way it does with liquid diets.

Sugar alcohols can be a useful tool in promoting weight loss. These sugar substitutes can be found in a variety of store-bought goods that are often labeled as "sugar-free" or "no sugar added." While sugar alcohols do contain calories, they can be a smart alternative to real sugar, which contains more calories.

When you want to reach a healthy weight, trimmimg body fat is preferable to losing valuable muscle mass. An overweight teenager burns fat just like an adult, by making smart dietary choices and moving more.

Your doctor prescribes a clear liquid diet if you are about to undergo surgery or if you have been ill with a gastrointestinal illness. You may not be able to think of what these might be, with the exception of tea or clear soda.

Americans spend billions of dollars and countless amounts of time and energy trying to get sleek, sexy abs. The problem is that a large majority of this money, time and energy is wasted on the wrong things -- fad diets that promise to bust belly fat, and endless crunches and sit-ups that prove to be ineffective.

Mary Kay Z. shares her secrets to going from "big girl" to "bad-ass athlete" -- you may be surprised at what they are!