If you've decided you want to lose some weight (whether it be just a few pounds or a large chunk of your body mass), chances are you've done the research on diets, plans, gyms, exercises, and anything that you can find on that subject. If so, you've probably seen that most credible sources will tell you that weight loss and fitness are strongly related. If not, that's what I'll tell you now.

If you want to lose weight, you first need to evaluate a few truths. The most obvious is that if you burn off more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. You can either chose to do no "extra" exercise and eat very, very little in order to lose weight, or you can stick to a plan that will burn off enough calories and allow you not to starve yourself. It's also important to note that overly-decreasing your calorie intake can backfire on you because your body will slow your metabolism down in order to accommodate this adjustment in calorie intake. This will cause you to actually gain weight instead of lose it.

The next fact is that a combination of water and oxygen leads to fat burning. Make sure that you are getting at least a half gallon of water every day. Your body will use this water when you exercise, and cause you to lose weight in a healthy way. Again, you must combine your water intake with some form of aerobic exercise (increased oxygen) for this to work. Choose something that you like and can do on a regular basis like Walking, biking, swimming, yard work, etc. As long as you get your heart rate up a little bit, it's a good fat burning exercise.

Finally, consistency is the key when it comes to your weight loss and fitness plan. So many people jump into something quickly with the mindset that they will just keep up the pace for a couple of weeks or a couple of months and then they can go back to their usual life.

In reality, your plan should be a life-long commitment. Even after you lose the weight, in order to maintain your goal weight, you need to eat right and get some activity in. So, pick an activity that you enjoy (or that you don't mind so much). Walking is one favorite. If you live in the city, you can actually walk part of the way to work, save on gym expenses, and not have to worry about finding time in your day to exercise. If not, no matter where you live, you can probably find the time to take a 20-minute brisk walk around your neighborhood. Bring a buddy along to keep you entertained and you'll see that the time flies. The connection between weight loss and fitness is too strong to ignore. So, pick your plan and stick with it for life.