Lifting weights have a huge metabolic effect on your body. Lifting legs is especially useful for increasing your metabolism. Resistance training results in an increase in key hormones such as testosterone (this is good even for women) and thyroid hormone.

2. Eat Often

Skipping meals has a negative effect on your metabolism and eating has a positive one. Eating smaller meals frequently has an enormous, positive effect on your metabolic rate. Make sure to never skip a meal and for maximum effect, eat something every three hours.

3. Increase Lean Protein Intake

In order for your body to build lean muscle, it needs protein. Protein also requires a significant amount of energy to digest and this in itself will have a positive effect on your metabolism.

4. Exercise At High Intensity

Intense exercise can result in huge calorie burns. Additionally, it results in an effect known as afterburn which is a post-workout process where your body burns extra calories to clean up your systems.

5. Eat Higher Quality Foods

Eating whole foods such as vegetables, meats, and whole grains will also have a positive effect on your metabolism. These foods are a lot more difficult for your body to break down, take longer to digest, leave you more satisfied, and are understood by your body. In other words, your body sees these foods as food – processed foods are often misunderstood by our bodies.

6. Walk

Many people don’t understand that changing very small habits can often result in positive effects. For most people, starting their days with a 30 minute walk would increase their metabolisms, help them to control their appetites, and would result in a feeling of well being. This is a small change that almost anyone could make but most don’t because of the simplicity.

Skipping meals creates two REALLY big problems.

Problem #1 is that each and every time you skip a meal, you are murdering your metabolism. In the short term you’ll lose a few pounds by skipping meals and this might make you feel good for a few days.  However, you’re killing your ability to be fit and lean and ultimately it will catch up to you.

Before I figured this concept out, I would skip meals all the time. For me, it was an addiction. I wanted to see lower numbers on the scale and skipping meals made it easy. The problem is that your metabolism gets lower and lower until it’s impossible to stay lean. I killed my metabolism this way. During one spell I figured out that I would gain fat (and weight) by eating only 2100 calories per day, even though I’m a muscular guy that weighs close to 200 pounds. Trust me, that’s REALLY messed up! A person of my size should be able to easily eat 3000 calories per day without putting on fat (I can now eat more than this without putting on fat).

Problem #2 with skipping meals is that your body will seriously fight against it by creating insane cravings. I would starve myself and overeat – often in the same day. This might not seem possible but trust me, it is and it’s one of the most damaging things you can do to yourself. People that do this usually start off by skipping breakfast. I did this often and it was usually because I was trying to eat extremely low calories. It would of course catch up to me later in the day and I would often eat an obscene amount of calories. I couldn’t control the cravings that my body would create. Now that I understand what happens physiologically when I don’t eat, it seems almost ridiculous that this was once my lifestyle. Some people of course create the same effect by skipping lunch or dinner.

The good news is that this pitfall is easy to reverse. You can make your metabolism CRANK by eating healthy meals that consist of lean proteins, whole grains, and fibrous vegetables. Testing on my own body indicates that my metabolism is now cranking out over 1,000 calories more than it used to and I owe this to a healthy diet and exercise. I don’t go more than a few hours without eating something, even if that something is a few slices of lean turkey and some vegetables. Eating the right foods regularly will also help you to control your appetite.

2. We eat low quality foods.

This one is especially dangerous for those of us that live in the United States. We want our food to be fast and cheap and manufacturers are getting better and better at giving us exactly what we want. The problem is that fast and cheap foods are REALLY easy for our bodies to break down and this can cause all kinds of problems.

At one time, I could gain fat more quickly than almost anyone I know and the type of food I would eat was a huge contributing factor. I would start most of my days by skipping breakfast (see #1), thinking that I was going to eat a lot less calories than usual that day. By the end of the day, I would almost always end up in a fast food drive-thru, ordering low calorie food and then binging. If you do this, you can put on fat every single day. It beats down your metabolism and then overwhelms your body with low quality calories.

Higher quality food is much harder for our bodies to break down and therefore leaves us more satisfied (and less likely to eat more later in the day).

A few months ago I visited the United Kingdom and Ireland. I was shocked at how thin almost everyone was there. After I had been there for a few days, however, it was easy to see why. Food in the UK and Ireland is extremely fresh. When you order a side of veggies in a UK restaurant, they look like they were just picked from the garden outside. Bread in the UK is the most mega-ultra-grain bread I’ve ever seen. There is no doubt that the difference in food is what keeps the people over there thin.

We can ALL improve the quality of food that we eat, and when we do, we raise our metabolisms and stay more satisfied throughout the day. We can eat whole wheat grains instead of white ones, ditch the white rice, and we can avoid many of the sugars and fats that we stuff into our diets. We can eat fresh vegetables and we can even eat organic foods if we want to take this concept to the next level.

When you raise the quality level of the food you eat, it will allow you to eat MORE food without gaining fat. High quality foods will raise your metabolism and again, are harder for our bodies to break down.

3. High fructose corn syrup.

HFCS is the favorite sweetener of U.S. based food manufacturers, in fact we as Americans consume more calories from HFCS than from any other food (if you want to really call it a food).

The problem with HFCS is that it’s extremely addictive and causes more weight gain than sugar (believe it, it’s true). Elite fitness professionals have of course known this for years and fortunately, studies have been happening that prove this to be true. Recently, a team at Princeton discovered that HFCS causes more weight gain than other sweeteners, especially around the mid-section.

Interestingly, in the 40 years that HFCS has been used to sweeten foods in the U.S., the obesity rate has risen from 15% to a shocking 33%. It’s difficult of course to blame anything on a single cause, however, people who stop eating foods with HFCS almost ALWAYS gain a lot more control of their diets, weight, and body fat.

You of course don’t have to believe research to understand the addictive nature of HFCS. Eat 100 grams each day for a week and then try to stop. Trust me, it won’t be easy.

Step one in the process of getting off of HCFS is to replace it with table sugar. Table sugar is significantly less addictive. This of course will generally mean that you will need to make your own treats, since HFCS is in almost everything nowadays. Ultimately, sugar isn’t a great food either but it’s much much better than HFCS.

4. We eat ultra refined carbs.

In reality, HFCS is but one of many refined carbs that we love to eat. We eat white bread, white rice, white tortillas, and sugars by the boat load and these foods are AWESOME at making us gain fat.

Refined carbs are extremely addictive for me and until I understood that fact my diet was always out of control. At one time, I thought that it was beyond impossible to stop eating sweets and many other foods. Switching to whole grains made eating right 100% easier, in fact most of my sugar cravings went away when I switched to whole grains.

These carbs cause our blood sugar levels to spike because they can be broken down easily by our digestive systems. Many of these foods can go from our mouths to our blood streams in 10 minutes. High blood sugar is of course toxic to our bodies so we release insulin to clear these carbs out. For the most part, our bodies turn those carbs directly into fat.

On top of all of that, many of our bodies are terrible at controlling the amount of insulin that is released during this process. Our bodies release too much and this causes our blood sugar levels to dip too low. Our bodies then think that we are starving (we need a certain level of blood sugar to function) so it creates insatiable cravings for more carbs (sugars and unrefined flours/rices). This is what we call carbohydrate addiction.

This of course can all be controlled if we stay away from refined carbs. Whole wheat breads and brown rice are much harder to shove into our blood streams. Small amounts of carbs trickle into our blood streams – it can take hours for this process to happen. This leaves us satisfied for longer periods of time and more importantly, our blood sugar levels don’t spike up.

5. We consume ridiculous amounts of fats.

Food manufacturers (restaurants especially) LOVE to load their foods with fats. They do this because fat tastes AWESOME. More fat will make almost any food taste better. Whether sweet or salty, foods will have more flavor with high amounts of fats. The problem with fat is its emptiness. Fat is extremely high in calories.

Many people eat thousands of calories of fat without knowing it. Many restaurant salads have more than 1500 calories because of high fat dressings, cheeses, sauces, and meats.

Fast food is especially dangerous when it comes to fat content. A Big Mac from Mcdonalds has 29 grams of fat and that’s a monstrous 260 calories from fat. Fat doesn’t take up much space in your stomach so you have to eat a lot of food to feel satisfied. The calories we can consume this way can be astronomical and when we consume more calories than our bodies need, we gain fat.

6. We are inactive

We gain fat when we consume more calories than our bodies need. Unfortunately, many of us are really inactive so our bodies don’t need many calories. Most people could make significant, positive changes to their bodies by walking for as little as 30 minutes per day. Walking of course uses calories in the short term and raises metabolism in the long term.

Weight training is of course a fantastic way to promote leanness for men and women. Lifting weights does a remarkable job at raising the amount of calories our bodies use during the day. A one hour lifting session each morning can raise your metabolic rate by as many as 1000 calories per day. Many women of course worry that lifting weights will make them appear bulky but in reality the effect is almost always the opposite. Women become leaner and therefore smaller when they train with weights.

Playing sports, hiking, and engaging in other activities will of course also help you to improve your fitness level by increasing your body’s calorie needs.

7. We get stressed

Food is comforting for many people and we’re often unaware that we turn to food when we get stressed. Usually this happens on the subconscious level. I personally turned to food for comfort for years without realizing it – this didn’t come to my attention until I started trying to keep track of how many calories I was eating on a daily basis.

After I started counting calories, I decided to try to get control of my binging and overeating. This all helped me to realize that I sometimes craved foods like brownies, cakes, doughnuts, and ice cream when I was stressed. I never consciously thought that these foods would make me feel less stress, I simply craved them when I was stressed – it happened subconsciously.

Truth be told, this still happens to me. A few weeks ago I had to give a presentation to a few hundred people and got pretty stressed out. I ended up eating 1100 calories worth of brownies in less than 20 minutes. This of course did the trick and helped me to feel better in the short term but most definitely caused me to gain fat. While I do mess up from time to time, I have learned how to control these binges and for the most part, avoid them. Understanding what happens to our fat levels when we binge can help us to want to avoid binging.

8. Depression

Like stress, depression can cause us to turn to food for comfort. For many of us, dealing with our emotional difficulties can help us to improve our bodies.

Exercise of course has also been proven to help with depression.

9. We age

Our metabolism slows down with age. This means that as we get older, our bodies don’t need as many calories. Eating the same number of calories as we did when we were younger can cause us to gain fat. However, this effect can be greatly helped by increasing our levels of activity. Go for walks and hikes. Learn how to play tennis. Play sports with your kids or grand kids.

Age is of course something that we cannot control. However, we have complete control over what we eat and over our level of activity.

Fortunately, our metabolisms aren’t going to drastically change overnight – it’s a gradual process. For most people, they gain fat with age mostly because they become more inactive with age, not because of the small drop in their metabolic rates.

10. Hormonal imbalances

There are MANY hormonal imbalances that can affect our fat levels. Here are a few of them:

1. Over-production of cortisol.
2. Under-production of testosterone (in men and women).
3. Under-production of thyroid hormone.
4. Over production of estrogen (in men and women).

Research shows that the ridiculous levels of hormones in our food supplies can really mess with the natural hormone levels in our bodies. This of course affects some people a lot more than others. This may cause your thyroid to under-produce thyroid hormone which would drastically stunt your metabolic rate. If your body doesn’t produce enough testosterone it may be extremely difficult to get lean.

Some of you may find out that you need to have some testing done by an endocrinologist to determine whether your hormone levels are within the normal ranges. If they aren’t, this could be causing you to gain fat.

11. Lack of understanding

Ultimately, we are responsible for gaining fat. Many people would argue that they simply don’t know how to stop gaining fat. I would argue that we can each learn how to control our bodies.

If we don’t understand how many calories we can eat without gaining weight, it’s going to be hard to not gain weight. If we don’t understand the triggers that cause us to overeat, it’s going to be hard to not overeat. If we don’t know which foods are extremely high in calories, it’s going to be really difficult to not eat too many calories. If we don’t understand how to raise our metabolisms, we will probably have low metabolisms.

In order to stop gaining fat and get lean, we first need to learn what it will require. We need to learn about our bodies, about food, and about activities that will promote leanness.

12. Genetics

Many people are of course genetically disadvantaged. For these people, gaining fat can happen quickly. There are a few different ways that people can be genetically disadvantaged:

1. They can have naturally slow metabolisms.
2. They can have overactive cravings for foods, causing them to overeat.
3. They can have a genetic disposition toward inactivity.

We have no control over the genetic makeup of our bodies. However, we can make changes that can help us to stay lean despite them. I for one gain fat very easily in fact there have been multiple occasions in my life where I have gained more than 10 pounds of pure fat in less than one month. If I kept that up it would be an amazing 120 pounds per year. I am not naturally lean – my genetic code tries to make me fat every day of my life. I have learned how to combat my genetics by learning about food and exercise and during that process, I have learned how to take advantage of the genetic advantages that I have.

I believe that almost every person can be lean. If you learn about how food and exercise affect your body, you can stop it from gaining fat and you can then help it to drop fat. It can be much easier than you think!

How does a guy who is morbidly obese at 410 pounds drop more than 220 pounds and show no signs of having ever been overweight?  This man, a former medical researcher and financial analyst, put together a program that lead to his own amazing transformation and the life-changing transformation of many other.  It all began in 2001 when he awakened to the idea that his body just wanted to be fat and as long as it wanted to be fat, no amount of dieting or exercise was going to change that.

Jon Gabriel was a successful financial guy in the New York City area.  In a former life, he had studied biochemistry, organic chemistry and biology, even performed research for the acclaimed biochemist, Dr. Jose Rabinowitz.  Jon was also fat.  Over a twelve year period he had gained more than 200 pounds and nothing he did seemed to help.  Jon had spent time at Dr. Nathan Pritikin’s Institute and with the late Dr. Robert Atkins.  Their efforts resulted in some initial weight loss, but while still dieting, his body put the weight back on.  Discouraged, he gave up trying to lose weight.  It was about this time he had his revelation.

Jon set out to determine why his body wanted to be fat and this journey of discovery unlocked the secret of weight loss, a secret that he has taught to many other in the intervening years.  Over a period of two years, applying the principles he discovered, Jon Gabriel lost more than 220 pounds and has kept it off without any astringent dieting.  His body discovered its natural weight, fell to that point and maintained for years now.  What is even more amazing is that doctors have examined his body and find little or no evidence of him being morbidly obese.

Jon’s revelation is that the mind controls the body and the mind must understand that there is no reason to be fat.  Using a series of thought control exercises he developed, Mr. Gabriel has put together a repeatable program that he teaches to others in seminars and one-on-one meetings with people all over the world.  When Jon discovered how to remove the causes of obesity, one of which is emotional stress, he recorded it all to share with anyone wanting to lose weight.  His book and insights are available online at www.gabrielmethod.com both as a hard copy and download.  His website also has pictures of his own transformation as well as testimonies of many people from around the world.

Green Tea may contribute to weight loss programs.  There are a lot of claims being made, both in sales letters on the internet and in junk snail-mail, that green tea is the answer to weight loss.  These claims are made to promote the sale of green tea extract or concentrate or some other weight loss program using green tea as the main constituent.  Think about this:  One pound of fat is equal to approximately 3,500 calories.  In order to lose one pound, a diet must be cut by that many calories.  For the loss of one pound in one week, that is a reduction of 500 calories per day.  At a 70-80 calorie reduction from five cups per day, green tea alone may not contribute much to a shrinking waistline, but coupled with a reduced calorie diet, it can increase the efficacy of a weight loss program.

According to research by the Japanese, if an average person were to drink five cups of green tea per day, they would burn an extra 70-80 calories per day from thermogenesis, the process by which heat is generated in organisms.  If nothing else in a diet changed, a person might lose one pound every 43 days and eight pounds in one year.  This is a far cry from the 500 calorie reduction required to shed one pound of fat per week from our overfed and overweight bodies.

Most of the thermogenesis attributed to green tea comes from caffeine, but the studies in Japan suggested that some calorie burning also comes from other elements present in this aromatic brew, such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). According to herbalists, green tea has other benefits, something to do with its antioxidant properties, and they encourage its consumption.  So enjoy a brisk, delightful cup of green tea several times a day and know that you are contributing to your health.

Bodybuilders spend a lot of time exercising, the purpose of which is to tear down muscle tissue so that it will grow bigger when it recovers and heals.  The diet of a bodybuilder is very high in protein, the tissue building material in their diet.  While they rest and recover, the protein they ingest goes to work rebuilding the damaged muscle tissue.  With enough strenuous exercise and enough protein, the muscles grow.  It all sounds very simple . . . and it is, but the process may take many years of iron-pumping and proper nutrition, before the results are impressive.  Old timey bodybuilders often didn’t reach their peak of development until they were in their late thirties.

Enter the nutritionists.  Studies of how the body metabolizes proteins and carbohydrates resulted in a greater understanding of what an athlete should eat in order to maximize their performance.  Bodybuilders (definitely an extreme athletic endeavor) wanted to maximize their development as well as their performance.  Dietary supplement makers used their research labs to identify those natural substances that would provide athletes what they wanted.  Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, were isolated and synthesized and incorporated into supplements formulated to increase both performance and muscle size.  Protein sources were identified and categorized by how they were used by the human metabolism.  Protein supplementation is designed to facilitate growth, recovery and bodily functions.

• Whey Protein – milk-based whey is a source of essential amino acids.  Whey helps produce greater muscle mass and is absorbed rapidly by the system.  Taken immediately after a workout.
• Soy Protein – Soy is the only vegetable source of a complete protein.  It is more slowly absorbed.
• Casein – aids in muscle recovery and basic body functions.  Very slow absorption, so it is best taken at bedtime.

Other supplements were developed that also aided bodybuilders in achieving their goals.

• Creatine Monohydrate – a performance enhancer that stimulates the production of testosterone.  Should be cycled.
• Nitric Oxide (NO) – stimulates muscle recovery, aids circulation.
• Human Growth Hormone (HGH) – after being vilified initially, HGH is now recognized as an important part of many fitness and health programs.  Studies have shown that as the body ages it produces less HGH.  Supplemental HGH usage not only will slow the aging process, but it will even reverse it.  HGH will stimulate muscle growth.

It all comes back to protein, how the body uses it, how we get it and how it may be supplemented in the diet.  Any active bodybuilder or other athlete should be getting between one and two grams of protein per pound per day.  A 180 pound athlete should be consuming between 180 and 360 grams of protein throughout the day.  This requires supplementation in most properly balanced diets.

The Adkins Diet, The Southbeach Diet, The Pritikin Diet, Weight-Watchers, Jenny Craig, grapefruit diet, low-fat diet, whatever-the-current-fad diet, all these programs and more have a common element.  Their goals are all weight loss, shape altering or lifestyle changes and all of them work well, some of them even for longer periods of time.  The common element that really makes them work is that they all recommend exercise as an important part of their program.  Without exercise, the results are varied; from so-so weight loss, yo-yoing body weight, and slack and flabby flesh.  Exercise is what makes any diet program work.

Exercise by itself will result in fitness and health.  Resistance training with machines or free weights in a health club, body-weight exercises, treadmills at home or in the fitness club, cardio aerobics classes, sports walking, running and sports of all types . . . all forms of exercise will condition the muscles and improve cardio-vascular health.  All the health and fitness books will tell the reader that a fit, muscular body consumes more energy, even at rest.  A fit body isn’t necessarily a skinny body, though, nor is it even trim and lean.  There are trim-slim people who are not fit but are skinny couch-potatoes.  Exercise, when coupled with a properly balanced diet is what will help to achieve the “fit look” as well as good health and fitness.

One of the best means of incorporating a continuing exercise program into daily life is to acquire a health and fitness club membership.  It requires less self-discipline to “go to the club” than it does to train alone.  There are many health-fitness-gym options fitting all budgets, from which to choose.  At one end of the spectrum are the posh, chrome-plated palaces with perfumed air, and on the other end are the fitness gyms with free weights and the aroma of perspiration filling the room, accompanied by the grunts and groans of serious bodybuilders.  In between are the family fitness centers, Nautilus clubs, the local YMCAs and the health clubs with a room full of machines and some free-weights.  Fitness may be achieved at any of these.

Health is a balance of proper nutrition, exercise and a healthy lifestyle.  All of these elements are necessary.  This isn’t to say that one must live like a monk who pumps iron and runs marathons, but to be moderate in all things that may affect your life; diet, workout routine and personal indulgences.

Many people are concerned with weight loss these days.  The news is filled with articles and television reports on the “obesity epidemic” that is prevalent in the USA and has now spread (pun intended) to the rest of the developed world, most notably Europe.  In a report in Natural News, an e-newsletter on natural health (www.naturalnews.com), a staff writer citing two unimpeachable sources said that it is estimated that obesity will cost the USA $344 billions a year in healthcare costs.  Obese people incur about 42% more healthcare costs per year than do healthy adults.  Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in the USA and accounts for the majority of healthcare costs, but obesity shares the second spot in healthcare costs nationally.

A large portion of the blame for American obesity is attributed to “The Western Diet” of bad fats, refined sugars, and genetically modified ingredients in prepared foods, high-fructose corn syrup and other demons in our food supply.  Everyone knows that a large (another pun intended) portion of our population needs to lose weight, but what is the best way to do this?  Also, we are a people who want to see fast results, so what is the best way to lose weight rapidly?  Atkins?  Pritikin?  South Beach?  Low Fat?  Low Carb?  Jenny Craig?  Weight-Watchers?  Slim Fast?  Herbalife? All of them reportedly work, some of them quickly and sustainably.  Ask the medical community, however, and you will hear that rapid weight loss may not be good for your health.  Also, there is the problem of tightening up all of that loose, hanging flesh left after all the fat under it is melted away.

It should also be noted that every weight loss program includes exercise in some form.

Old-time bodybuilders used to resort to a quick weight loss diet for about six weeks before contests; a carbohydrate free four days, followed by a free day, then four more carbo-free days and a following free day.  This cycle went on for about nine or ten times.  Their nutritional needs were met by high protein meals and dietary supplements; Lipo-3, kelp tablets, wheat germ oil (cold pressed) and protein powder.  The free day meals were protein supplemented by natural carbohydrates, no processed sugars or starches.  This program may not be healthy for the long haul, but it did melt off any subcutaneous fat leaving them highly “cut-up” for their posing routines.

The best weight loss programs are those that promote a healthy, balanced diet of protein, natural, high-fiber carbohydrates, lots of water and no caffeine, alcohol, soda of any kind (even diet drinks are a no-no).  A good exercise program is needed to tighten up the flesh and provide the shape desired.  This may not be a very fast way to lose weight, though the excess flesh will melt off quite rapidly as the program progresses, but it is healthy and a long-term fix.

* High quality protein
* Safe for the average person
* Nutritionally complete
* Increases metabolism
* Convenient and easy to follow
* Yields quick results

High quality protein is necessary for muscle growth and repair. During any diet some muscle will be lost, but if the main portion of the diet is comprised of protein, most muscle will still be retained. Several years ago, a diet shake was marketed. Tragically, several women excited over the prospect of drinking a complete meal and the promise of quick weight loss, died because the shakes were nutritionally deficient. Since then, diet shakes have become much safer for the average person, especially with the addition of more lean high quality protein, vitamins, minerals and the correct amounts of carbohydrates, fiber and fat to make a nutritionally complete meal replacement drink. Still, it is advisable these shakes be substituted for no more than two meals a day and be sure to add a healthy dinner.

Not too many dieters enjoy the prospect of tearing open a package, pulling out the blender and the skim milk, then mixing it all together for their morning breakfast shake. This is especially true if they have no extra time to waste in the mad rush of getting the kids fed and off to school and themselves off to work. Convenience to the average person, is defined by grabbing a drink from the refrigerator premixed, or simply taking a fat burning capsule. Another important requirement of any diet, is to see results when stepping on the scale.

While a rapid  and effective weight loss plan will help shed unwanted pounds, it is never safe to be on it long term. Instead, eat more fresh vegetables, berries, healthy snacks and lean protein and cut out the refined and processed foods which cause insulin levels to rise and plummet, resulting in a lack of energy and an increase in appetite. Prepare the meals ahead of time and place them in containers which may be taken to work, or popped into the microwave for dinner.

The higher the metabolism, the more calories will be burned. Building muscle mass is the best way to increase fat burning, because muscle naturally burns more calories. The best way to achieve and maintain muscle tone is by exercising, such as full body stretching, walking, working out with elastic bands and hand weights. It is important to remember, the more muscle that is retained during dieting, the higher the metabolism will become. To sum it up, to lose 10 lbs. a rapid weight loss diet will yield great results, but if needing to lose more than 10 pounds, a nutritionally complete, high protein, metabolism boosting diet which includes exercise will not only be very effective, but safer for overall health.

• Whole grain cereals and breads. Somewhat new to the market are whole wheat pastas. Like their flour based cousin, whole wheat pastas are made using the same methods but replace the bleached flour with a whole grain alternative. Also new are “white wheat” breads. White wheat breads are made from whole grain yet retain the look and soft texture of the typical white bread which most prefer.

• Fruits and vegetables. Adding a good portion of fruits and vegetables into your daily weight loss meal plan is a good way to avoid fatty snacking. Creating snack trays with carrot and celery sticks, broccoli or cherry tomatoes or with fruit like strawberries, apples and oranges is a great way to keep your body satisfied with fast grab items which are healthier than the usual chips and processed snack foods.

• Lean meats. The proteins found in lean meats are vital to a healthy weight loss meal plan. Try replacing steak trimmed with heavy fat with a large (6-8 oz.) chicken breast. Using 97 % lean ground beef instead of a more fatty beef choice can reduce calorie and fat intake. Use lean ground beef and chicken breast in casseroles like chicken with brown rice and vegetables. Or use the lean ground beef in soups and stews or in chili for a filling and low fat, low calorie diet meal.

Another option for the busy dieter is the pre-packaged weight loss meal plan. These meals are calorie and fat reduced and are appropriate for any dieter. Available in many different types of meals such as stews, soups and pastas, these meal plans are ready to heat and eat and can go anywhere. Making certain you stay on path according to your specific weight loss meal planning – it can be easily achieved with a few simple steps and creative cooking choices.

Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers is a weight loss program that has helped millions of people lose weight. Weight Watchers is about making lifestyle changes and making healthy food choices. You can join Weight Watchers on their website. The program is inexpensive, and it will fit any kind of budget. You can purchase Weight Watchers weight loss meals in their online store and grocery stores. Their weight loss meals are low in calories and fat, and they work great for men and women that are trying to lose weight.

Nutrisystem

Nutrisystem offers a variety of meals for weight loss. You can purchase a months worth of weight loss meals on their website. Alternatively, you can have them ship food to you automatically, each month. You will be provided with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for each day, for $10 a day or less. Nutrisystem also offers special meals for vegetarians and people that have diabetes.

Frozen Meals

In addition, you can lose weight successfully by eating frozen healthy weight loss meals. Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice are a few of the well-known brands for healthy frozen meals. Their meals are low in fat and calories, and they are excellent for losing weight. Plus, the foods are easy to prepare. Just pop the meals in the microwave, and your meal will be ready in minutes.

Cooking

If you don’t want to buy all of your meals pre-made, you can prepare your own weight loss meals to help reduce your weight. Buy a few healthy cookbooks, and you will learn new recipes that will keep you slim. Eat foods like grilled chicken, fish, soy foods, turkey burgers, salads, vegetables and fruits. Avoid white carbohydrate foods like white pasta, white rice, cakes, desserts, white bread and muffins. Instead, you should eat brown rice, whole wheat pasta and whole wheat breads.

In addition, you should do cardio and weight training exercises if you want to decrease your body fat by eating at least one weight loss meal a day.  Regular exercise is essential for any weight loss program.