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This is going to sound like I'm answering on the wrong side, but, sure there are "easy" ways to lose weight. The better questions are will it stay off and is it healthy. As someone who's struggled with weight issues since my 20's, I think I'm qualified to provide some insight on how hard it really is.

As a child and teen I was a "normal" weight. I didn't "watch" what I ate and I was active in sports so extra pounds weren't an issue. My 20's however were a different story. I gained a few pounds a year...nothing that would wave a red flag, but as it progressed year after year culminating in pregnancy weight that was never fully lost, it became a problem that I struggle with to this day.

If you're willing to risk your health, you can take diet pills, "cleansing" products or starve yourself and pounds will come off fairly quickly. But because you haven't retrained your eating habits, they come back on just as easily and probably twice as fast! Whenever I set my resolve anew I can usually lose 5 - 8 pounds in the first week. It boosts my confidence and spurs me on, but frustration sets in a few months down the line as the losses slow to a pound a week - maybe less. I hit a wall and it's hard to stay motivated, but I try to at least not lose any ground. At this point, I've maintained a 25 pound weight loss for a year, but I can't seem to move beyond it and lose the rest - which is a decent amount - and shall remain undisclosed to the general public! That despite trying Lean Line (don't even know if that group's still around!), LA Weight Loss, The Weigh Down Workshop and Weight Watchers.

Basically, all those "diets" I've listed aren't diets at all. They all try to reprogram your thoughts about food and how you handle it...and they've all worked - up to a point. I resent those who say that I'm not trying hard enough. I walk 5 miles a day 4 to 5 times a week. I drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day and most days a salad with some sort of protein is my lunch. My other meals and snacks are not loaded with sugar and fat either. My blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels are all fine. But that darned scale doesn't want to budge.

Personally, I think many factors come into play. I'd love to believe the new research that says being fat is an inherited gene, but my sister, mother and grandmother were and are not overweight. I do believe that it becomes more difficult with age, especially after menopause. And men definitely lose weight faster than women - they give up a beer and the pounds drop to the floor!

So no, there is no easy way to lose weight. It takes dedication, it takes time and it takes a change in lifestyle. But hey, if you find an easy way that won't compromise my health, let me know!

Learn more about this author, T S Campbell.
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