What's Eating You?

Now it's time for the good stuff. I've covered:

• How we got here: The fat epidemic of our nation
• Fad Diets: why the popular diets don't really work

In this post I will tell you what diet industry doesn't want you to know: how to lose the weight you want to lose (fat) and how to keep it off.

THE FIRST STEP

Losing weight is as simple as creating a caloric deficit. If you use more calories than you consume each day, you will lose weight. This is not a quick process as the diet industry would have you believe. There is no miracle pill, or magic secret. It takes hard work, meticulous attention to detail, and time. The good news is that it gets easier everyday and the benefits are plenty:

• More energy
• Longer life expectancy
• Incredibly lower risk of diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
• Look better
• Feel happier

And the list continues.There are a couple of things you can do immediately to start losing weight.

Drop the sugary drinks! These are empty calories and the only food linked directly to obesity. Your body does not register them as calories consumed. This means that you will not feel satiated, or full, and will need to consume consume food as well. A 20oz soda contains approximately 240 calories! Many people consume 2 or 3 of these a day! Don't get it twisted, juice is just as bad for you as soda. Fruit juice is natures way of getting you to eat your fiber. Once removed from the fruit, it is just the sugar, with none of the fiber. Sports drinks are wonderful before, during, and immediately after intense and vigorous exercise. Otherwise they are simply a sugary drink. Reach for the sugar-free, low calorie option instead!

Don't Skip Meals! You should be eating 5 to 6 small meals a day. Breakfast is vital and spikes your metabolism. A good rule of thumb is to eat just before you get hungry when you think "I could eat". This keeps your metabolism up, keeps meals small, and stops binge eating and poor food choices. When you skip a meal, and let yourself become "starving", you open the door to binging and eating "fast" food or vending machine food.

Track your caloric intake and expenditure! You should know how much youre taking in and approximately how much youre burning. You can do this the old fashioned way by measuring food and keeping a journal if youre really committed. However, there are websites and apps that will do this for when you scan the barcodes of the foods your eating! I would recommend My Fitness Pal.

Read the labels! You should know what you're putting into your body. the words "Light" or "Reduced Fat" on food doesn't mean it's healthy, especially for someone trying to lose weight.

Eat when you're eating! What I mean by this is to pay attention to eating when you are eating. I have been told by people who are struggling with their weight that they will eat and not even realize or remember how much, or what, they just ate. By practicing mindful eating, you will be better able to control amount. You will also be aware of the things you are putting into your body. This can be done with a pre-meal meditation, or more simply by preparing your own foods and not eating while watching tv.

Excercise! Although exercise alone is not very effective for weight loss, it is very effective in maintaining weight loss. Exercise has been clinically proven over and over again to reduce stress and improve mood. This will drastically reduce the chance of cravings for high calorie foods due to stress. It will help create a caloric deficit as well.