Today, an estimated sixty-five percent of all American adults are obese or overweight. Our culture obsesses about staying thin even as we grow fatter, but this isn’t about appearances. Obesity is known to be a precursor to many debilitating health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and gallbladder disease. Obesity contributes to as many as 375,000 deaths every year. In addition, the public health costs for obesity are staggering. According to researchers at Harvard University, obesity is a factor in 19% of all cases of heart disease with annual health costs estimated at 30 billion dollars; it’s also a factor in 57% of diabetes cases, with health costs of $9 billion per year.

Set Realistic Goals:

No doubt you have fallen for one or more of the weight loss diet schemes over the years, promising quick and painless weight loss. Many of these quick weight loss diet programs undermine your health, cause physical discomfort, flatulence, and ultimately lead to disappointment when you start regaining weight, shortly after losing it. Fad or quick weight loss diet programs generally overstress one type of food. They contravene the fundamental principle of good nutrition – to remain healthy one must consume a balanced diet, which includes a variety of foods. Safe, healthy, and permanent weight reduction is what’s truly lost among the thousands of popular diet schemes.

Some of the weight loss diet schemes reign supreme briefly, only to fade out. While some wane from popularity due to being unproductive or unsafe, some simply lose the public’s curiosity. Examples of such fad diets include the South Beach Diet, Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, Cabbage Soup diet, the Rotation diet, Beverly Hills diet, Breatharian, Ornish Plan – the list goes on and on. These fad diets advocate a specific technique (such as eliminating a certain food, or eating only certain combinations of foods) in conjunction with the basic idea that the body makes up the difference in energy by breaking down and utilizing some part of itself, essentially converting matter into energy. This self-cannibalism, or catabolism as it is referred, typically starts with breakdown of stored body fat.

There are the no carbohydrate diets, the low carbohydrate diets, the South Beach diet, Nutrisystem, WeightWatchers, Jenny Craig, just to name a few.  But which one is best for you?

How about something simpler?  How about a simple guideline that anyone can follow?

Whether you are looking for a way to lose weight, maintain your weight, or just help your family eat healthier, this simple guide will help you maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Eat Smaller Portions, Frequently

While it is okay to be hungry now and then, when you are trying to lose weight and the hunger pangs strike, it is difficult to stay away from foods that you know are not good for you.  To combat this, eat small portions of healthy food four to six times a day, evenly spaced throughout the day.

Snack Well

If you are one of the people that cannot live without their afternoon or late evening snacks, then choose to eat something healthy like a carrot stick or an apple instead of candy, cookies, and ice cream.

Eat Naturally

Ensure that you eat several portions of fruits and vegetables, especially the leafy green vegetables, daily.  Besides being low in calories, and high in water and fiber, they will also help stop the hunger pangs and fill you up without you feeling bloated.

Shop The Outside Aisles

When you are shopping at your local grocery store, make sure that you shop the outside aisles.  This is where all of the fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy are located.  Avoid the prepared frozen foods as they are usually high in sodium, carbohydrates, and fats.  If you avoid the frozen aisles altogether, you will also be less tempted by the dessert section.

Read The Label Carefully

When you do shop the inside aisles at the grocery store, read each label carefully on any product that you are considering buying.  Just because it says “Fat Free” does not mean that it will be good for you.  A lot of canned foods are high in carbohydrates, sugars, sodium, and calorie content.  Be careful that what you are buying is actually good for you as well as good to eat.

Experiment With Cooking

Start experimenting with spices when you are cooking your meals.  It is entirely possible to get some really great flavors by adding ordinary spices without resorting to high fat oils and other additives.  Just ask the chefs who live and cook in New Orleans what spicy means.

It Is OK To Splurge

If you really feel like having some cookies, then go ahead and have some, but use common sense and moderation.  Be sure to read the label on the package to determine serving size and calories per serving.  Don’t go overboard or you’ll be defeating the purpose of eating healthy.

Hopefully, these seven suggestions have given you some ideas on how you and your family can eat healthier without giving up some of the things that you really enjoy.

Because of the trend of people who are looking to lose weight is rapidly rising, the weight loss industry is experiencing an incredible boom, and it doesn’t look like it is going to change anytime in the near future. This is the reason why there are so many choices when it comes to diet plans, diet pills, and fitness. All it takes is someone who has an idea and a flair for marketing to create an instant diet fad, regardless of whether or not there are any medical or clinical studies to back them up.

This is why one of the hardest things for people to decide upon, when they desire to lose weight, is which diet plan is right for them. And there are a lot of diet plans to choose from. South Beach, Atkins, WeightWatchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrasystem, these are just a few of the thousands of diet plans that are making waves in the weight loss industry.

But which diet plan is right for you?

Let us first consider why most dieters fail to lose weight. In 2004 the Calorie Control Council did a survey asking people why they were not losing weight. The results, as you can see below, are not really all that surprising.

• 60% Don’t exercise enough
• 45% Splurge on favourite foods too often
• 44% Not enough self discipline
• 41% Snack too much
• 33% Often overeat at mealtimes
• 31% Often eat for emotional reasons
• 30% East too many high fat foods
• 28% Don’t eat properly at restaurants
• 19% Only watch fat, not calories
• 14% Only watch calories, not fat

So you can see that exercise and self discipline are two of the most important factors you need to really help you lose weight. That being said, a good diet plan, rich in fruits and vegetables, but low in carbohydrates and sugars, would be a good way to lose weight fast. But this is something that you will have to decide for yourself.

Check the specifics on each diet plan you are considering. Talk to your doctor and get their opinion on which would be best for you. Take into consideration your age and general health. Only you can decide which diet plan is right for you.

Remember that there is no magic to losing weight fast. Eating right and getting some exercise several times a week will help to get you to your intended weight goal. But choosing to make the time to plan your meals and get some exercise is entirely up to you. You have to make the decision to lose weight, plus have the self discipline and will power to get you through the eventual food cravings.

Myth #1: High Protein Low Carb Diets Are The Best When Trying To Lose Weight Fast

While it is entirely possible for some people to lose an incredible amount of weight in a short period of time with this type of diet, it has been proven to be hard on your body because it over works the kidneys and causes the dieter to not only lose fat but also muscle mass.  Plus this type of diet is difficult to follow since so many foods that people enjoy eating are forbidden.

Myth #2:  Permanent Weight Loss Can Be Achieved With Fad Diets

Any diet that tells you to cut this or that food from your daily diet will be almost impossible to follow.  When you cut foods you love from your diet just because some fad diet tells you to, you’ll eventually end up craving the forbidden food and quitting your diet.  Fad diets almost always fail since the vast majority of people don’t want to give up everything they enjoy.

Myth #3:  Low Fat or No Fat Foods Are Always the Best Choice

Just because a food says that it is low or no fat, doesn’t mean that it’s low in calories.  Always check the ingredients on any low or no fat food that you are considering buying to verify it is really going to be a better choice.  Too many of these low fat foods have added ingredients to make them taste better, which increases the calorie count.  Also make sure to check what size serving the calorie count is based on.  Sometimes it’s actually better to skip the low fat food for the “regular” version of it because when the serving sizes are compared, the “regular” version is actually lower in calories.  Always remember to check the label.

If you are really looking for a low fat food to eat, try fruit.

Myth #4: Vegetarian Diets Will Help You Lose Weight and Stay Healthy

While it’s important to eat fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced daily diet, not everyone can or will follow a strict vegetarian diet.  If you decide you are going to follow one of the many vegetarian diets, please remember to check that you are getting the proper amount of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you need to stay healthy.  Eating nothing but salad for every meal may help you lose weight, but you may be setting yourself up for trouble in the future.

Myth #5:  Dairy Products Will Make You Gain Weight and Cause Heart Problems

Regardless of what the media would like you to believe, when consumed with common sense, dairy products will not make you gain weight or die from heart disease, stroke, or high blood pressure.  Dairy is a vital source of Vitamin D and calcium, which you need for healthy bones and teeth.  If you’re concerned about fats in milk, then drink 2% or skim milk.  And if you have the choice between butter or margarine, choose butter.  Even though it may be higher in fats, it has been proven to be better for you than margarine.