If you want to lose weight, you need to thoroughly understand what you put in your mouth. Our food is consisting of several parts, and it’s a good idea to start looking at your food differently if you are serious about weight loss. Try looking at it as a challenge and a conquest for better health and life. After a while you will have a good basic understanding what to eat and what to avoid. One commonly known fact is that we need to reduce our sugar intake, and there are several studies which show that low-calorie sweeteners, and the foods and beverages they are used in, are effective in controlling caloric intake.

We will probably start with a combination of diet and exercise, but later we come to the point when we need maintain our weight. At this point, it is very important to understand what the foods we eat consist of, because we have more freedom in our diet at this point. About 50 percent of dieters say that maintaining weight is actually easier than losing it. The problem is that we easily fall asleep and start slowly our bad habits again. This problem is common in sports also, and even though conditioning starts at the beginning of the season, maintaining weight is a problem for wrestlers and weight lifters and many struggle with it all season.

Studies show that one in five overweight people who are serious about losing weight are successful at losing at least 10 percent of their body weight and maintaining the weight loss for at least a year. By studying these successful people researchers say they've identified few commonsense weight loss strategies critical to long-term weight loss success. I will list some of them here;

One thing we need to do is to change our life style and routines. We also need to be aware of our calorie intake and understand the importance of healthy food. We need to start a consistent routine of exercise and diet, but it is also important to eat enough, and not to cut down on food too much. Eating too little can be very dangerous and lead to serious health conditions such as anorexia. Anorexia is often thought of as a female problem but men can suffer from anorexia too and there are more men diagnosed than you might think. Anorexia is often caused by self esteem problems but this is only partly true, it can be an illness as well. Sometimes the life changes that are recommended to recover and maintain good health may seem overwhelming. This is where strong will and commitment is needed. Support from friends and family is important as well.

The problem most overweight people have, is that it is very demanding to keep strict discipline all the time, and from time to time they slip. Gaining a couple of pounds here and there might not seem so bad after successful diet, but remember that studies show that only about one in 10 successfully recovered from a weight gain of more than 2 to 4 pounds!

What should we eat then if we want to stay healthy and fit?

It’s easier to list some important ingredients healthy food consists of; fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, legumes are very important, because they are all part of the support system of your body. Fruits and vegetables have lots of phytochemicals in them and you can get about 100 different phytochemicals from just few fruits and vegetables. Phytochemicals are non-nutritive plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties; they are also important Antioxidants which in turn help to protect our cells from toxic substances and free radicals.

Remember to get enough vitamin E! It is very good for your hearth. Spinach is also great, because it is a powerhouse in the antioxidant family. Not to mention it has every nutrient out there. It is a source of folic acid, which can reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects.

With these recommendations you should we well on your way to a healthier, happier and fitter life.