Sometimes you just need someone on your side who can speak words of wisdom to you that will encourage you and give you the right information to reach your goals. Consider this article as that wise friend. Its full of tips and advice on losing weight and keeping it off.

Make your diet a life change and you will keep off the weight. The new fad diet on the market may promise the world, but if it’s not a diet that you can sustain for the long term it won’t work for you. Use diets as a jumping off point to learn to eat well, but make sure it consists of foods that you will eat for the rest of your life.

A good way to lose weight is to eat only when you’re feeling hungry. One of the biggest reasons why people are overweight is because they eat when they feel bored. By only eating when you’re hungry, you’re more likely to stay fit and you won’t think about food as much.

Make realistic goals to avoid setting yourself up for failure. One of the things that can sabotage a diet is the thought that you are going to lose all the weight in a short amount of time. It probably took quite some time to put on the weight, and it’s going to take some time to work it off. When people don’t set a goal, they tend to give up and go back to old ways. By setting a achievable goal, you’ll keep yourself encouraged for the long haul.

A key element of weight loss is portion control. Modern portion sizes, especially when eating out, are nearly double the size they used to be. Choosing healthy food is a great start, but if you do not control how big your portions are, that healthy dish could have twice the calories that you would expect it to.

Don’t try to eliminate all the carbohydrates from your diet to stay healthy. Yes, some carbohydrates can cause problems, but they are an essential food group and you need to include them in your diet. Just make sure you are eating the right kind. Focus on eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

The global warming community has one of the best weight-loss ideas out there and they don’t even realize it. If you live within walking distance of work or the store or even of school, don’t jump in a vehicle for convenience. Just walk! You’d be amazed at how much weight you can lose over time by just walking.

One way to lose weight and still feel full is to add more fruit to your diet. You should eat fruit at least twice a day. Fruit contains no fats and it is composed of mostly water. Unless you are diabetic, don’t worry about the fruit’s carbohydrate count since it is the good type of carbs which contains loads of healthy fiber.

Taking breaks during meals is an excellent way to evaluate if you are still hungry. Stop about half-way through your dinner and sit for about 30 seconds before continuing to eat. You may find that you are done eating and you don’t need to continue. That will have saved you a lot of calories that you really didn’t need.

When you go to a restaurant, opt for healthier options while still treating yourself. If you really want some buffalo chicken wings, skip the blue cheese dip and fries. Instead, eat them bare and get a nice chef salad with an oil and vinegar dressing. You’ll feel like you had a treat, AND you’ll have no guilt afterward!

The more fat you lose, the easier life will become. This is a wonderful byproduct of weight loss, but it can also cause you some problems. As you become lighter your exercises will become easier. This is when you’ll need to increase the intensity of your workouts to compensate for the change.

Increasing metabolism can increase weight loss. This can be done in several ways. First of all, eating more protein increases our metabolism. Since protein is harder for our bodies to digest, it takes more energy to digest it. Another way to increase our metabolism is to lift heavier weights. It is also important to get plenty of sleep each night.

Set a realistic weight loss goal. Most physicians and weight loss experts recommend not attempting to lose more than one to two pounds per week. More than that, and you risk burning yourself out on dieting, losing lean body mass as well as fat, and leaving yourself with large amounts of unwanted loose skin.

At the end of the day, you make the choices that will ultimately make you succeed or fail. This article has been a friend speaking in your ear, giving you some great advice on what you can do and what you can avoid in your weight loss battle. The results are up to you.