by Jenna Pope

Created on: November 16, 2009

Today's American Society is supersized. We think nothing of sitting at a desk all morning long, and then driving through McDonald's at lunchtime where we order a Big Mac, French fries, and a coke - supersized. The non-supersized version of the above meal is 1,350 calories. A 5'2", 30-year-old female needs 2,004 calories a day to maintain a weight of 130 pounds. Even if she has the non-supersized version of the Big Mac lunch, she will have only 654 calories remaining for breakfast and dinner. Otherwise, she will gain weight.

* Our Lifestyle Doesn't Help *

Because we are in such a hurry these days, we grab our meals as we go. Doughnuts for breakfast, chased down with a large cup of coffee with heavy cream and sugar, the Big Mac lunch, and another high-calorie meal for dinner, not to mention what we snack on throughout the day. We, Americans, are a gluttonous people.

* Paddling Against the Current *

When we finally decide to do something about our tonnage, right off the bat, we are paddling against the current. We are bombarded with restaurant ads on television, tasty - fatty entries served in sizzling-hot pans. There are commercials about quick-and-easy entrees that we can fix for dinner that are loaded with fat, calories, and MSG, laden with gravy, sauces, and carbohydrates. In an hour's time, we'll watch a commercial for the all-you-can-eat salad bar at Sizzler, followed by a commercial for Family Fitness Center, followed by a commercial for Chili's Molten Chocolate Cake, followed by a commercial for Jenny Craig or the Lap Band Procedure. No wonder why we are confused on how to eat. We are getting schizoid messages.

* Lifestyle Change *

Losing Weight involves a lifestyle change that is light years away from the norm. First you have to develop an eating plan. Any diet will do - low carb, low fat, high protein, Scarsdale, Atkins, Jenny Craig, counting calories, anything, as long as you are consistent and DO NOT CHEAT. If you reduce the number of calories you take in and do light exercise, you will lose weight. A healthy weight loss is one to two pounds per week.

* A New Way of Eating *

The hardest part of losing weight is keeping it off for life. This involves a change in the way you eat. If you stick to a reasonable diet, you will change your eating habits and not re-gain the weight you worked so hard to lose. I know that this sounds tedious and unglamorous, but dieting IS tedious and unglamorous! I speak from experience, though. In the past seven months I have dieted myself from a Size 14 to a Size 6, for a total weight loss so far of 26 pounds. After the first week, it got easier and eating less is now integrated into my lifestyle. The only way to make controlled eating a permanent part of your life is to stop rationalizing and take it one decision at a time.

* Daunting, But Worth It *

For most people (me included), losing weight is a daunting task. But it can be done, despite the temptations and "quick-fixes" we stumble over along the way. Yes, it's difficult. Yes, it takes a long time, and, yes, it is definitely worth it.

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