The Secret of Losing Weight

1. Don't Skip Meals. This slows down your metabolism by 20% to 30% and could lead you to overeat later on.

2. If you have been unable to lose weight and need motivation, take before and after photos. I know it is not pleasant looking at yourself when you feel a "chunky lump" however, there's no easier way to illustrate your progress and for motivation there is nothing better. The "after" photos are far more fun to capture and share.

3. Cut back on simple carbohydrates like white bread and sweets, pizza, which may cause spikes in blood sugar and lead to water retention and puffiness-not to mention a crash in energy levels, followed by hunger cravings.

4. Set realistic goals. You can lose 50 pounds in a week if you work out 12 hours a day and eat nothing but celery - but not if you're human. Slow and steady wins the race. Don't bite off more than you can chew - literally. Make small goals on your way to the bigger goal(s). In the end, you'll have achieved more.

5. Ignore Ronald McDonald. You should avoid it at all costs. Most of it is nasty, bad stuff anyway. I personally would not go so far as to call it food. But that's my opinion. If you're looking for convenience, use fruit and nuts for snacks they are much healthier and just as filling.

6. Avoid trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. I offer this suggestion for a few reasons. First, they're not good for you anyway. Second, you'll eliminate a lot of the "bad foods" outright - no questions asked. You'll have to become more selective in what you eat by avoiding these two nasty ingredients. Fructose is just another word for sugar!

7. Sleep 8 hours a night. To be an efficient fat-burning machine, your body requires at least eight hours of sleep a night. If you think that you're doing yourself a favor by sleeping less, you're mistaken.

8. Sugar is evil that tastes good. You probably don't want to hear this, but sugar is a bad thing. The more refined it comes; the more your body is going to react negatively to it. Sugar triggers the body's production of insulin which tries to cancel the increase of sugar in the blood stream; unfortunately it is so efficient at this that it can drive the natural sugar levels too low leaving you feeling hungry.

9. Sugar substitutes are just as evil as sugar itself. Do you really think your body knows how to handle something that was man-made? These chemically created products do not occur in the wild; there are no Splenda trees in warmer climates, nor are there NutraSweet plants in the Arctic. In some instances, taking in sugar substitutes may actually increase your levels of hunger as in tip 8.

10. Do not buy the "energy dense" high calorie food in the first place. Do not keep pizzas in the freezer nor creams or deserts nor candy in a bowl for when children or friends visit. Leave it all in the supermarket; if you don't have it at home you can't eat it!