The news tells us that there is an obesity epidemic going on in our country. Weight loss has become big business. It is hard to turn on the radio or television without being bombarded by advertisement that promises to have you losing ridiculous amounts of weight in just a few days.

Everyone can do it, scream these ads, if only they purchase a particular product. The truth is that very few people manage to lose weight and keep it off for long periods of time. To successfully lose weight, you need to make some serious changes in your life, and stick with them long term.

Food
What we get as food in prepackaged boxes is a long way from what our ancestors ate. To preserve food for longer periods of time, we remove virtually all the nutrients before storage. When it comes time to utilize the product, the nutrients are added back in, usually in a manmade form. The result is a very strange Frankenstein-like creation that passes for food. If you want to lose weight and keep it off you will want to abandon as many processed foods as possible.

Whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and heart healthy fats should comprise the bulk of your diet. I’m not saying don’t indulge from time to time, just realize that indulgences are supposed to be rarities. The advantage of food in its natural state is that the food fills you up for longer and is better for you.

Wheat berries, for example, are much healthier than whole-wheat toast, and they provide protein, fiber, and filling bulk for the same number of calories. An apple has more nutrients than a glass of apple juice. Read your labels, and try to avoid anything made with an ingredient you can’t figure out.

Exercise
No one needs to tell you that getting active helps you stay healthy. The goal of exercise isn’t so much to lose weight, as it is to improve cardiovascular health and reduce certain disease factors. Individuals who exercise, even moderately, see tremendous improvements in cholesterol levels, blood pressure, glucose tolerance and energy levels.

Many studies indicate that continued moderate exercise into your senior years reduces your odds of developing memory related disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Check with your physician before you begin any kind of serious exercise program and get yourself moving again.

Support
Having a diet buddy or a supportive friend or spouse will improve your success rate. It is very hard to change eating habits when your housemate keeps bringing in junk food and eats it around you. You will inevitably feel deprived.

Support doesn’t mean having someone constantly breathing down your neck or complimenting your every choice, it means joining you for walks without being asked and doing the things you find helpful in maintaining a new lifestyle. For each person that will have a different look.

In the final analysis, whatever you chose to do to make yourself healthier is to your benefit. A small loss in weight can have a big impact both health wise and on your self-esteem. Stick with small changes and over time they will add up to a new, healthier you.