by John Cane

Created on: February 24, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

Since I can remember, there has been some fad diet or guideline that was going to make us all thin as rails, and in this time obesity rates have increased. So what is it that we really need? Low Fat? High Protein? Low Carb? Low Calorie? I'll never forget seeing my mom chewing her meal according to a little timer she had on the table. There will always be some fad, but what it really comes down to is a lifestyle change. So here are some things that helped me.

#1 Exercise: Find a physical activity that you like to do, or one that has value to you. If you don't enjoy the activity or benefit from it in some way, you won't make it a habit. I don't recommend buying the latest exercise video or a treadmill simply becuase you will get bored with these items quickly and they will go unused. It is better to get a bike and ride it to work, join a softball league, or set asside time to play with the kids (really play, not supervise). This kind of exercise does two things. First it increases your metabolism which means that you will burn more calories, and second if gives you a period of time when you are activly doing something and less likely to snack out of boredom.

#2Meal timing
-Eat 5 small meals a day. Your body is designed to graze. Small complete meals will help keep your metabolism up and keep you less hungry
-Don't eat after 7PM - this time limit may change depending on your daily schedule, but in general you can consider that anything that you eat before you go to bed and anything you eat in the middle of the night will not be burned off in your sleep, but stored in the form of fat. It is easier and normal to fast while you sleep. If you feel you must have something, drink tea,water or diet soda.

#3 Food and Liquid
-Stay well hydrated- Often we eat when we are really thirsty. You will find that if you drink a lot of water, you will be less hungry. You should be peeing at least every two hours, and your urine should be clear

- Eat Whole foods- Look at your food labels. If it says "enriched" put it back. All "enriched" means is that is has been over processed and all the nutrients have been taken out, so they had to put some stuff back in so it would be considered food. Whole foods take longer for your body to process and thus will help you feel satisfied longer and give you more nutritional benefit. Keep in mind here that you don't have to go to that "everything here is organic" grocery store and spend nine million dollars. Just read the labels of what you but normally.

-Stay

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