Conventional diets tell us that the only way to loose excess body weight is cut the amount of calories you consume. The truth is, that the only way to loose excess body weight is to burn more calories than you consume. Whenever you cut your caloric intake your metabolism slows down. With a calorie restrictive diet, you can loose weight initially, but who can starve themselves for ever. So, when you return to your normal diet you pack on more pounds than you had before. This is what you call yo-yo dieting and is very unhealthy for you.

However, there is an alternative. By eating several small meals a day, eating the right foods, you can shed excess pounds fast.

Think of your body like a furnace. If you fill a furnace with as much wood as you can possibly fit in it, it will burn really slow or not at all. However, if you start with a small amount of wood, and add a few logs every couple of hours, you will have very hot burning fire that consumes all the wood you put in it. Your body is the same way. If you eat small meals every couple of hours, your metabolism will become much more efficient and you will be able to loose excess pounds while eating more foods.

You have to have the right kinds of fuel to keep your furnace burning. The best foods to boost your metabolism are protein, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Lean protein has been shown to boost metabolism and burn fat. Whole grains are harder for your body to break down, and therefore require more energy to digest. The energy used, the more calories burned. Fruits and vegetables are packed full of insoluble fiber. Once again, this is harder for your body to break down and requires more fuel. You just need to be careful not to eat too much fruit because of the natural sugars. Also, stay away from juices because the fiber has been removed.

So if you a ready to make a few simple changes in your diet you can be well on your way to having the body of your dreams.