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Written by: Ernest J. Geeting, BA, NHC, C.Ht

Losing weight is all too often considered a massive and difficult undertaking, especially if you have a lot of pounds to shed. In reality though losing weight can actually be fast, simple and safe… if you know how.

First and foremost you must stop thinking that weight loss has to be uncomfortable and unpleasant. It is the natural tendency of human behavior to avoid those things that are unpleasant or painful so determine to make losing weight an exciting and enjoyable adventure, rather than something to dread. How do you do this?

Build your weight loss program around healthy foods you actually like

Why force yourself to eat ‘diet’ foods you hate when there are plenty of healthy foods you probably already like. You probably have some favorite fruits, vegetables or nuts. Take a trip through the produce section of your grocery store and you are sure to find even more interesting and delicious choices. Instead of concentrating on all the junky fattening foods you think you will miss focus on the stocking your fridge with fresh and healthy foods you know you will love.

Keep foods simple

Ditch the fancy diets that make you search for strange ingredients and take hours to prepare. Scrap the boxed, pre-packaged stuff. Instead stick with basic foods. By basic I mean as close to their harvested condition as possible. For instance instead of applesauce, eat a whole apple (baked if you prefer), instead of frozen breaded fish fillets, choose and season fresh fish, etc. Many people find it surprising how much faster it is to prepare basic foods and how much more flavor they have than oversalted, sweetener saturated, fat-ladened processed items. Eating this way is faster, simpler and healther too.

Eat when you are hungry

Don’t starve yourself! Skipping meals or waiting till traditional mealtimes to eat will just make you hungry and miserable. If you are hungry, eat something. But make it something basic and healthy like an apple, small handful of unsalted nuts, a cup of veggies or something of the like. Eat just one serving and follow it down with a glass of water or cup of green tea. You will be surprised how satisfied you will be. At any rate it will easily get you by till mealtime or you start to feel hungry again.

Enjoy limits without feeling shorted

By eating whenever you are hungry you won’t be forcing yourself to wait till certain times when you can eat again. Too often people eat too much at meals because they have it their heads they will not be able to eat again till the next meal time. But if you know you can eat a little something anytime you are actually feeling hungry you can easily decrease your portions at scheduled meals without feeling cheated.

Understand you do not have to be full to be satisfied

Many people grew up with mothers telling them to ‘clean their plates’. Consequently they learned to keep eating till their plates were empty even after they were physically satisfied. You should never leave the table feeling ‘full’. When you actually begin to pay attention to your body’s signals you will be amazed at how little it takes to cause one to be satisfied. Don’t worry, you won’t go hungry since you can eat a small healthy snack in a little while if you need to.

Don’t obsess over statistics

Reading box labels, counting calories, carbs, fat grams, etc., can drive you to distraction if you let them. In most cases if you just stick with basic foods in their most natural forms you won’t have to worry too much about all that stuff. As long as you mix it up with a variety of fruits, vegetables, a few whole grains and lean proteins and eat reasonable portions till you are mildly satisfied you will lose weight.

Just think, if you apply the information you’ve just learned above you will never have to diet again! You will be able to eat great foods you like and eat without feeling deprived. You will lose weight quickly and safely and be eating healthier too. Now isn’t that better than dieting?