I have worked hard to keep my weight in check, and more importantly stay healthy, for the majority of my life. I've never been one of those people who could "eat anything" and maintain their figure....It's just not in my genes. Instead, my family is predisposed to being more "round" as it were, no matter what we put (or don't put) into our bodies.

By the time I was in high school I was pretty conscious of my body; and thus began my dieting career.  Thin was in then just as it is now. And, just like today, there were all kinds of "fad diets" which promised that great amounts of weight could be lost in a very short period of time.

I've tried many of these diets over the years, and with all this experience under my belt (which has been the same healthy size now for several years!) I figured I had a unique perspective that some others might benefit from.

You see, I survived the crazy up's and down's of these diets and came out the other side with a better understanding of what weight loss strategies work, which ones don't, and best of all, how to maintain a weight that's healthy for me......even in my "later years!"

Understand Your BMR

It's no secret, you've got to burn more calories than you eat in a day to lose weight. But, that's easier said than done. In our culture, we're tempted daily with many different types of amazing foods,and, many of us lead quite sedentary lives. When you add these two things together it's no mystery why so many of us have life long battles with our weight.

So, what can you do? You can learn more about how to find the eating/movement balance for you by crunching some numbers. First, you start by finding out your "BMR". Your BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate, which is a measure of the number of calories your cells need to keep your body going when it's completely at rest.

From here, you multiply your BMR by an "activity factor" (a basic measure of your estimated daily activity level) and the resulting number is the number of calories you need to eat each day in order to maintain your weight. You then adjust your calorie intake based on this benchmark and you'll either gain or lose weight.

Now remember, this is no exact science. Instead, this number is a rough estimate of where you need to be calorie wise to get to, and then maintain, a healthy weight for you.

Finding out your BMR and your daily calorie needs isn't hard. You can find many different "BMR calculators" on the web that will ask you to enter your height, weight, and age and then can calculate your BMR from there. Remember - Your BMR fluctuates based on these 3 factors, so as you lose weight, or as you age, you'll want to check the numbers again.

Understanding more about my calorie needs and having a number to start from allowed me to learn new skills like portion control and meal planning (see below) more easily. It also helped me educate myself a bit about what "good nutrition" means for me, and, probably most importantly, convinced me that exercise really did play an important role in weight loss.....dieting alone was not enough; I had to get up and move!

When you first learn the calorie amounts of some of your favorite foods, and compare them with the daily allotment of calories you have you'll be amazed! Then, add to this what many of us consider normal portion sizes and you'll find your daily calorie requirements met rather quickly.

So, you've got to get your eating habits under control if you want to start eating a diet that's healthy and will help you lose weight. One of the best ways to do this is to begin by planning your meals and controlling your portion sizes to fit within your daily calorie guidelines.

To help you get started, keep a food diary for 2 weeks or so. Write down everything you eat (everything!) and the corresponding number of calories (read the labels or search for nutritional information on line). Then, at the end of each day, tally it up and see where you're at. This will begin to help you get an idea of foods you need to either cut out of your diet or more likely, where you need to reduce portion sizes so you can still enjoy your favorite foods, but not gain weight.

Once you see what your eating for a few weeks, take the time to review some meals that you like, that also fit into your daily alloted calorie intake. Then, plan your meals for the week. This includes all 3 meals plus some healthy snacks throughout the day.

Now, of course, you may end up going out for dinner for example and stray from this plan from time to time, but for your regular routine, set aside a day each week to plan out your meals and make a thorough shopping list (that you stick to come grocery day!). Then, follow your plan and you'll be able to easily stay within your calorie limits each day.

For some, this seems like too much thought to put into eating, or, can even seem overwhelming; and we all know how well stress and dieting go together! In this case, it's often helpful to try using a pre-packaged meal service like Jenny Craig or Medifast at least to start with. This allows people to learn more about balanced meals as well as what appropriate portions look like but without the time spent on calorie counting and planning.

The one draw back to this is that for some, these meal plans can be on the expensive side. But, with the help of things like special promotions for new members at Jenny Craig, or money saving Medifast coupons these plans are now a realistic option for a wide variety of people.

When I was younger, I thought that I could lose weight by dieting alone. I had a ton of reasons why I couldn't fit regular exercise into my days, and convinced myself that that was OK; I didn't need to exercise anyway. But, once I finally got fed up with all the crazy fad diets and began to understand what maintaining a healthy weight was all about, I realized that you can't do it without regular exercise.

Exercise has to become a regular part of your routine for it to be of maximum benefit. You've got to get your heart rate up and get your body working at least 5 days a week....so you've got to find something you like. Find ways to exercise that you also find fun. Again pretty obvious right, but it's something often over looked. People look at the maximum benefit of an activity, or go for the newest craze, but choosing an exercise routine you actually enjoy is of the utmost importance if you want to stick with this new habit.

For me, I found that walking and playing tennis regularly were 2 of the most enjoyable ways to fit regular exercise into my routine. For you, it may be swimming, joining a basketball team, riding your bike, jogging, etc Take some time to try some different activities and find those that you find enjoyable. If exercise becomes a chore it also becomes more difficult to stick with.

In case you aren't sure what you want to do for exercise, here are some videos showing a few of the more popular types of exercise including pilates and yoga.

Find a Weight Loss Buddy

Making true lifestyle changes can be difficult, and having support is essential. Find an exercise partner, a fellow dieter, even a personal trainer; someone who can keep you accountable and help motivate you when you feel like quitting.

The best part about a weight loss buddy though is that you can celebrate your successes together....and research has shown that when you have a buddy, there are more successes to celebrate!

Make sure to allow yourself the occasional slip up....we're only human afterall, and you've got to be realistic about your goals. Have that piece of cake at the party, skip a workout when your friend's in town, this kind of thing. It's not part of your "normal routine" but, you've got to enjoy life too or living healthy will quickly become something you can't live with.

Keeping a diet fun is really important. This is why I've found portion control such a valuable tool. In my experience, it's not about cutting foods out of your diet as much as it is including the "not so good for you" foods in a way that's satisfying but at the same time not go overboard.

If you love a certain food (for me, it's chocolate!) but try to cut it out of your diet completely because you know it's bad for you, it can send you "off the wagon" in a heart beat. You've got to indulge every once in awhile.

But, you've also got to know how much is too much and practice restraint both in the amount of these foods you eat when you eat them and, making these indulgences only a very special occurance.

When you eat, savour your food. By taking smaller bites, chewing your food completely and eating in a more conscious way, you not only enjoy your food more, but you also allow your belly to keep up with your brain.

If you eat too quickly your brain doesn't have time to tell your body that it's full and you'll end up eating more than you need to in order to feel satisfied.

Water is essential for life. It cleanses the body and makes all of its various systems run more effeciently. What this means for weight loss is that your body will burn more fat, and you'll have more energy when your body has the water it needs.

Alsom, when you don't drink enough water, your body actually stores extra in case of emergency....adding pounds to your frame that wouldn't be there otherwise.

Whether you're watching your weight or not, you need to be drinking enough water to satisfy your body's needs - that's at least 8, 8oz glasses a day, more depending on your climate and activity level.

You'll also want to pay attention to your body's signals when it comes to hydration. It's been frequently noted that you may feel hungry when your body is really signaling that you're thirsty.

For some dieters, skipping meals, particularly breakfast, seems like a good way to reduce calorie intake, or to make up for "mistakes" made the day before.  Unfortunately, this is completely untrue.

Eating a healthy, protein rich breakfast will give your metabolism (as well as the rest of your body) the fuel it needs to get going for the day. 

Also, when you skip meals during any time of the day you’re metabolism slows down and you’re more prone to “binge eating” to make up for the calories you missed.