There is no magic pill for weight loss. This might seem so cliché, but it's amazing how so many unscrupulous individuals still make a killing out of selling "no sweat workout programs", diet pills and other fitness equipment that's supposed to make you lose weight while doing nothing! This only means that the lesson hasn't fully been learned. So it's worth repeating until it finally is. Again, there is no magic pill for weight loss. The only way surefire way to lose those pounds is through proper diet and exercise.

Where diet is concerned, we cannot stress the obvious often enough. Eating for weight loss means getting your nutrients from fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fish and grains as well as keeping hydrated with 8-12 glasses of water a day. It means watching your portions so that the calories you ingest is less than what you burn during exercise for weight loss to occur.

If you're still a newbie in the weight loss circuit, here's a sample routine that can jumpstart your way to shedding those extra pounds. You can do this for a whole week for three weeks, making variations as you go.

For the first day, you can do a simple cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking for 15 to 20 minutes. You can also march in place or jog lightly if you're up to it. If you can swim, then doing your laps is also a good place to begin your workout. On the second day, do some bodyweight exercises. You can do chair push ups, pull ups, squats, abdominal crunches and lunges for 15 to 30 minutes. Make sure to warm up for at least 5 minutes and cool down afterwards with some stretching exercises.

On the third day, do some light stretching exercise for 15 minutes. You can do something fun today, too. Perhaps you can play Frisbee with friends, walk your dog or put on your favorite music and just dance. On the fourth day, do some more aerobics. A 20-minute jog or brisk walk will do. To add intensity, do sprints or climb up and down the stairs for 5 minutes. Again, always begin with warms ups and end with cool downs. On the fifth day of your workout, you can do a bit of strength training. Do light lifting or use dumbbells or resistance bands as you do your bicep curls, chest presses and lunges. You can take the weekend off. Begin your routine again the next week. Make variations as you go.

Make sure you train harder, smarter, better as you progress in your routine. Move up the intensity a notch as your body gets used to the exercises. The above exercises should only serve to kickstart your way to fitness. As you get into the habit of exercise, you can consider more alternatives to enhance your fitness regimen. You can consider getting the services of a professional trainer or enrolling in a gym membership if you can afford it. If not, educate yourself through exercise videos and the loads of fitness materials available in bookstores or online so you can develop your own personal training program.