Obesity is a growing concern in today’s society. A shocking 30% of Americans are considered obese as of 2008 and that number just keeps growing.

 More and more people are depending on their vehicles, not exercising, eating fast foods, and signing on for fad diets that are actually hurting their chances of losing weight in the long run.

 Obesity is considered the number one cause of avoidable death in America, which is as sad as it is frightening. Something must be done to improve the health of our country, but for obese individuals who just have so much weight to lose to be healthy, knowing where and how to start can be half the battle.

 There are many methods out there for losing weight, and the success rate of weight loss coaches is on the rise, so enlisting the assistance of a personal trainer can be a good place to start. The most important thing to remember when working toward losing weight is that in order to drop the pounds, you must be burning more calories than you are in taking. Whether you achieve this by eating fewer calories daily or increasing your daily quota of exercise doesn’t matter, as long as you are ending your days with negative calories, you will lose weight.

 If you are concerned that you are overweight, consulting your physician can be a good place to begin your journey back to healthy. They can provide you with specific information and advice and point you in the proper direction. It is always advisable to consult your physician before attempting to lose anything more than 40 lbs.

The myths about wieght loss

There are many myths and ideas concerning weight loss that are utterly false and can actually be dangerous. Some fad diets that restrict your food intake or supplement with herbal ingredients can be harmful to your health, so hopefully the following can clear up some of the more popular weight loss misconceptions!

 Low Fat or Fat Free Means No Calories:
In some cases fat free or low fat foods can have reduced calories, but this is not always the case. You should read the labels on your food very carefully, because some reduced fat foods have actually had more calories added to them to maintain the taste.

 Skipping Meals Helps Weight Loss:
This is another misconception concerning weight loss. Though logically you may think that skipping a whole meal will aid your weight loss goals, it may actually hinder them! When your body goes for a prolonged period without food, by skipping breakfast for example, your body will immediately store away the next thing you eat, in preparation for starvation. This makes the calories you intake much harder to burn off, and if you are exercising, as you should be if you are trying to lose weight, you will find yourself with less energy if you are skipping meals. It has been proven that people who eat small amounts regularly throughout the day, on average weight less than people who regularly skip meals.

Fad Diets

Fad Diets Are An Effective and Permanent Way To Lose Weight:
As a rule, fad diets tend to fail. Usually a fad diet has you giving up certain foods or restricts you to eating only one type of food. Not only does this usually get boring or tedious, causing people to give up fad diets quickly and gain back any weight they may have lost, fad diets can be unhealthy. Your body requires a wide variety of nutrients found in a wide variety of foods to stay healthy, and if your body is lacking any of it’s required nutrients, it can affect your mood, your immune system, your digestive system, and much more. A well balanced and planned diet is the way to go!

Celery Takes More Calories To Chew Than It Contains:
The idea of eating celery actually making you lose weight is a bit warped. It is true that eating and digesting the average stick of celery may burn one or two more calories than the stick of celery actually contained, but as a main weight loss mechanism, the small fraction of calories you burn from the celery wouldn’t be effective. Substituting celery over a high fat snack can be effective however, because it is a healthy vegetable that will help to fill you up.

Avoid Nuts When Attempting To Lose Weight:
It is true that nuts tend to be high in fat and have many calories, but in small amounts nuts aren’t bad. They contain a fat that does not clog arteries and can be a good source of fiber. Enjoying a small portion of certain nuts can help to add variation to your healthy eating plan.

A High Protein and Low Carbohydrate Diet Is a Healthy Way To Lose Weight:
This is a rather dangerous weight loss myth. What most people don’t seem to understand is that your body requires both protein and carbohydrates to function properly. If you are limiting your carbohydrates, you will find yourself with reduced energy levels and your digestive system will not function properly. You may lose weight, but a high protein diet that is not balanced with at least 130 grams of carbohydrates a day can cause a buildup of ketones in your blood. A build up of ketones, which are unbroken down fats, can increase your level of uric acid, and can cause gout or kidney stones. Increased ketones can be quite dangerous for pregnant women and people with diabetes.

Eating At Night Causes You To Gain Weight:
It does not matter at what time of the day or night you eat, what matters is what you eat, and how much of it. A huge slice of chocolate cake at 11:30pm will have the same effect as a huge slice of chocolate cake after lunch. It is true however that some people eat more the later they are up. Eating can help your body stay awake, so if you experience more cravings after the sun goes down, perhaps try an earlier bed time, rather than hauling out a bag of chips.

Herbal Weight Loss Is Effective And Safe:
There are numerous herbal weight loss products out there today, but some of these can be quite dangerous. An herbal weight loss product may contain ingredients that have not been proven to actually work, and they may not have been tested enough to be safe. Ephedra, a once common ingredient in herbal weight loss products, has been banned by the US Government because it can result in some very serious health problems and even death. Even products that are ephedra safe may not actually be safe, because they can always contain incidents that are similar to ephedra. If you are planning to use herbal products to lose weight, use extreme caution!

Studies have shown that vegetarians weigh less for their height than non vegetarians on average.

Studies have shown that vegetarians weigh less for their height than non vegetarians on average.  This could be because a vegetarian meal tends to contain less fat and calories than a non vegetarian meal would. It is important though if you are turning to vegetarianism to lose weight that you make sure your diet plan includes all of the necessary nutrients!

 Soy is a popular meat replacement with vegetarians. It contains proteins, vitamin B12, vitamin D and calcium that your body requires daily to function properly. Adding tofu, beans and leafy green vegetables to your daily diet will provide your body with the required zinc and iron. It may seem a bit more difficult as a vegetarian to get your daily required nutrients, but a bit of planning is all you need to be successful. A quick list of protein rich foods that vegetarian approved are eggs, dairy products, beans, peas, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh, and soy.