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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.