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Sorry folks, there is no secret formula, supplement, pill, liquid or cream that is going to make huge amounts of weight loss without any effort on your part.  Bariatric surgery can work for some individuals, but without major lifestyle changes even surgery is only a temporary measure.  The same principles that applied to weight loss fifty years ago still stand true.  It all comes down to eat less than you burn each day, and you will lose weight.

The food charts have been restyled into a pyramid, but the basics remain the same.  You should be eating large amounts of fruits and vegetables, fewer servings of grains, a few servings of lean meats, and nearly no fats or sugars.  This is how our ancestors ate, and it kept them healthy for millennia.  Recapturing this type of diet will help you not only lose weight but also achieve better health.

The benefits of a Mediterranean type of diet are well known.  It isn’t just the food that they eat; it is the lifestyle they maintain.  The peoples of the Mediterranean altered the known pyramid, and they really focus their daily diets on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables with frequent additions of fish and seafood.  They use a lot of olive oil, known to be good for your heart, and use other fats and meat very sparingly.  That, combined with their high level of activity has led to healthy, slender people who are actively involved in life well into their elder years.

It is completely possible to adapt this kind of lifestyle without moving to Greece or Italy.  The ingredients for success are available at your local supermarket.  Pick up a couple of different olive oils, extra virgin and regular.  Stock your pantry with whole grain pastas, bulgar wheat, brown rice and couscous.  Fill your fridge with season fruits and vegetables a-plenty. 

Eliminate the junk food completely.  What you don’t eat; you won’t crave.  Opt for natural sweeteners when possible, such as honey and maple syrup, and keep red meat for an occasional treat.  Finally, start walking.

Walking is a perfect exercise for anyone.  There is no competition to walk quickly; speed isn’t the goal.  Head out in the cool evenings of summer or enjoy the warm afternoon sun of the cooler months.  Thirty minutes a day is all it takes to improve so many aspects of your health.  You will find you reduce your blood pressure, your risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. 

Being out in the light helps reduce the symptoms of depression and lets your body produce sufficient quantities of vitamin D.  Once walking has become routine and easy you can consider adding some new form of exercise that you enjoy.

Weight loss is a gradual process.  It is more critical to make lifestyle choices that improve your health daily, rather than focus on the numbers that appear on the scale.  The pounds will drop if you are consistent and concentrate on living more fully while making good food choices.  I wish you the best of fortune in your endeavor.

If you are like millions of other people all across the globe, you are thinking about (or have thought about) weight loss.  This can be a touchy subject for a lot of people, but it doesn’t need to be.  While losing weight in concept is easy, calories in must be less than calories out, following through with a plan can be difficult.

There are so many plans, pills and diets that promise results.  Not just results, but extraordinary results in just days or weeks.  This is, simply put, unrealistic.  While some of these plans may work in the short term, they are all but guaranteed to leave you in a yo-yo dieting pattern.  So, what are you to do?  If weight loss is truly the goal, how is it actually accomplished?

The only real, true way to lose weight and keep it off is through diet and exercise.  The best way to lose weight is slowly; generally it is recommended that a person lose weight at a rate of one to two pounds a week.  This gives the body and mind time to adjust to the ‘new’ you.  It also lessons the chances of putting back on the weight in the future.

While there are a lot of fad diets that either don’t work or are just plain unrealistic, there are other diet plans that have helped thousands of motivated people to lose the weight for good.  These are generally group based programs.  They involve a weekly meeting, and work on the premise that the members of the group will help to motivate the individuals.

In addition to the diet, is the exercise.  Regardless of what late night infomercials try to convince us of, there is no substitute for good old-fashioned exercise.  For most people beginning their weight loss journey, walking is a great way to burn calories.  It is low impact, easy to fit in to a schedule and can be done with a partner. 

Another great, low impact and inexpensive way to start an exercise regimen is biking.  Biking is an excellent way to burn calories and tone up muscles with out spending a lot of money doing it.  Most people already have a bike, but if not, they are usually available at garage sales throughout the summer.

It is generally recommended that an adult get at least 30 minutes of exercise everyday for a healthy lifestyle.  If this isn’t possible right away, don’t worry about it.  It is better to start out slowly than to over do it and pull a muscle or to get hurt another way.

If you want to start to lose weight and you don’t know where to begin, or if you have medical issues that prohibit you from exercising, please discuss this with your health care provider.  Your doctor may be able to set you up with a trainer or a nutritionist to be sure that your dietary needs are being met. A well thought out goal, the process to achieve it and a good solid support system will get you through the tough times.