by Peter Sedesse

Created on: May 05, 2010

There are many diets that suggest removing certain foods from your diet for rapid weight loss.  These programs are generally unhealthy, difficult to follow, and while some will cause you to lose weight in the short term, the weight that was lost is quickly regained when the diet cannot be followed long-term.  There is no secret or silver bullet when it comes to weight loss.  The best, and only way to lose weight over the long term is to decrease your caloric intake while increasing the amount of calories burned.  

While many diets discount them, hunger, energy levels and enjoyment must be considered when planning healthy meals that will help you lose weight.  Any diet that causes you to be hungry day in and day out is not going to work as a long term part of your life.  Likewise, a diet that leaves you tired and weak not only is unhealthy, it also will prevent you from exercising, which is an important part of weight loss.  Finally, while everyone loves a martyr, a diet that prevents you from eating all the things you enjoy may make you thinner, but it will also make you miserable.  There is a point where 'suffering' is not worth it.

Instead of offering a diet where you are told what foods you should eliminate from your diet in order to lose weight, here is a meal planning guide that instead will offer you foods that you should add to your meals.  While you are adding these foods to your meal plans, feel free to continue eating the foods you normally like and enjoy. As much as possible, try to eat the foods suggested below before your old foods at mealtime.

With your breakfast, be sure to take a multi-vitamin.  While this is always good for overall health, there is a very specific weight-loss reason for taking vitamins.  Vitamins (in particular the B complex vitamins) are necessary for the conversion of carbohydrates into energy that is usable by the cells of the body.  In the absence of sufficient vitamin B, your body will actually be forced to store carbohydrates (and fat) because it cannot turn them into energy properly.  Making sure your body has vitamins ensures that you will have energy throughout the day because your body can always turn carbohydrates into energy.  Vitamins are also necessary for muscle and bone growth as well as nutrient absorption.

Drink a glass of water with every meal.  There are three major reasons for this.  First, like vitamins, water is a necessary ingredient

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