by Denise Baer

Created on: August 05, 2009

There is too much stress on the words losing weight and not enough regarding why. The importance in losing weight and keeping it off is learning the 'why' about your eating habits and then trading them in for a healthy way of living. The "key" to losing weight is to understand why you eat. Once you practice and reprogram your body to thrive through smart eating and exercise, you will start "losing weight" without putting pressure on those two words.

The obesity rate has increased from our society wanting to live faster and find short-cuts. Our portion sizes grew along with our waistlines and the purpose of an appetizer changed into the size of a meal. Many claim that there is not enough time to cook meals because both parents work and they have children activities throughout the week and weekends. They would rather stop for fast food on the way to a child's baseball game then to have a quick dinner and snacks already prepared. This requires a small amount of time yet, it is worth the effort.

When we start to analyze our own lives, see where our fast living and short-cuts come in, then we can begin to learn how to change them. It is challenging to change anything in your life, but after the trial period you will find yourself falling into a healthy ritual.

Many times people turn to food when they think they are hungry when it actually means they are thirsty. Drinking water before and after eating fills you up and keeps you full until your next meal. Not only is water filling, but cleans out your system. Nutritionists suggest at least eight glasses of water per day.

Portion control is a big factor with reprogramming our thought process. Our society got in the habit of super sizing and consuming one or more appetizers before our meals. It DOESN'T matter if you have a bag of Doritos or a bag of low calorie chips, eating more than the required serving size will contribute to weight gain. Remember, there is a reason for serving size, so if you decide you want two serving sizes then you must double the nutritional facts.

Along with portion control come frequent meals throughout the day. People think three big meals a day will help them lose weight because they are not eating between these meals. You will do yourself a disservice by only eating three meals a day. First, you will eat more than you should because you are hungry, and second, you are lowering your metabolism. Five to six hours between meals is too much, and a sure way of not keeping a healthy lifestyle. Eating small meals every 2 or 2-1/2 hours boosts your metabolism and prevents you from getting hungry.

Exercise and activity goes hand-in-hand with food control. It helps shape your body by reducing fat and increasing muscle. As long as you keep active, it will force you to drink water, watch your food intake and help shed and keep off the pounds.

So to sum it up, learn the why, drink lots of water, maintain portion control, eat more often and exercise. If you follow these facts and the weight will come off and stay off. One last thing is to change the reason why you want to lose weight from being thin to being healthy.

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