by David Villa

Created on: September 13, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Generally speaking, being overweight involves two very important criteria; eating too much and not exercising enough. This is not always the case as there are a great number of people who have medical conditions that are major contributors to weight gain. I am trying to reach those who are physically capable of exercise and those who don't have conditions that would preclude them from altering their diet. This should end up being most people who are overweight.

Overweight is a very general term. It can range from severely obese to those who just fall outside of the range that is "normal" for their body type. Chances are, if you are reading this, you are somewhere in that very broad spectrum. Also, you shouldn't feel bad because there are a whole lot of people who are exactly in the same boat as you. What I'm going to propose, at first, should not entail a catastrophic change in your lifestyle. I use the word "should" lightly because there are many people in the severely obese department that truly require a complete change.

First let's talk about diet. Yes, I used the word diet, but I'm not referring to a specific style or category that requires you to only eat egg whites or only red meat or just vegetables. At first, all I'm asking you to do is not eat so much. One of the most important keys to weight loss is portion control. This is one of the big reasons that Weight Watchers is a very effective program. Again, very basic principal, if you eat less you won't gain as much weight. We'll start with breakfast.

Breakfast should only be one reasonable size bowl of cereal with 1% or skim milk. By reasonable I mean the bowl should not be completely filled all the way, it should not be overflowing, you should not have to pick up any morsels off the table and put them back into the bowl because there is not enough room in the bowl. Fill the bowl halfway, maybe three quarters to start, and then move on to halfway. Baby steps. Try to make the cereal somewhat healthy, Cheerios not Count Chocula or brands of that ilk. Now compare this to the favorites like pancakes, waffles, bagels, donuts, eggs, bacon and sausage and you're already ahead of the game. If the cereal ends up being too bland for you, throw in some sliced strawberries or blueberries. For a drink, have half a glass of orange juice. That's it. Somewhere between breakfast and lunch, you will probably feel hungryyou're supposed to. The key is not to give in and have some fattening snack or candy. Have a banana or

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