by Catherine Thomas

Created on: June 08, 2009   Last Updated: June 09, 2009

Millions of Americans are fighting with weight issues, and for each person fighting their weight there is a diet or program out there promising to help shed the pounds. Many people want to go on a diet today, and wake up tomorrow skinny. To be successful in weight loss one must remember you didn't put it on over night , it won't come off overnight. If you think about it, those extra pounds that you put on, were acquired over a period of time. The healthy way to lose the weight and keep it off is a slow process. I'm going to show you some secrets to help you lose weight and keep it off for good.

The first thing you need to do is change your eating patterns. Don't go on a diet, but instead change your habits. Your successful weight loss , will result with some lifestyle changes. Look at your eating habits, and ask yourself a couple of questions: Am I eating enough? Am I eating too much? Yes if you do not eat enough throughout your day, you slow your metabolism down and your body stores all the fat you put into it. It is a good idea to try to eat 5-6 small meals throughout your day. Start your day off with a healthy breakfast. Including a protein, and a carbohydrate, a good breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal and a serving of fruit. Try eating something every 2-3 hours. I eat my breakfast, and mid morning snack, lunch, and mid afternoon snack, dinner, and then an evening snack.

If you keep track of the food you put in your mouth, you tend to eat more responsibly. You can get a spiral notebook, write down every bite you put into your mouth, include the number of calories, total fat grams, number of protein, and number of carbohydrates. Try to balance your food intake, there are several websites where you can find you ideal caloric, protein, carbohydrate and fat intake requirements. Find out your daily caloric needs for maintaining weight, and subtract by 500-700 calories per day. You eat healthier foods, you lose weight and you become healthier. Make sure to get a minimum of eight 8 ounce glasses of water daily, and at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. In your food journal keep track of the water you drink. Do not deny yourself the foods you enjoy in life, just try to eat smaller portions. Choose one day a week as your cheat day; this is the day that you increase your caloric intake by 20-30%. This keeps your body's metabolism from becoming complacent and slowing down. This is a good day to have that extra handful of M&Ms.

Exercise is a word,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>