If you get online or watch TV, you will see thousands of advertisements for the latest diet that is in fashion or the most recent miracle pill that can make you lose weight in your sleep. Well guess what? I say bull #@*!

You do not have to spend a fortune to lose weight. You don't have to spend any extra money at all if you don't want to. There are things you should consider when dieting such as taking a good multi-vitamin. I really don't like to use the word "diet" because it implies not eating. Losing weight is about "common sense" eating and getting off your fat butt and doing a little exercise.

Yes I said FAT. Don't look for political correctness from me, I tell it like it is. Look at the picture and tell me I'm not fat. Over weight sounds nicer but lets not sugar coat it. I weighed 337 lbs. when the picture was taken on March 1st. I weighed 350 at the beginning of the year when I vowed to lose 100 pounds this year. I have done it before and I am going to do it again.

This time, I decided to keep a day to day account of my weight loss story via my blog that I call the Best Way To Lose Weight For Free. You can follow along and watch me drop the weight. Like I said, I have done this before so I am confident that I can do this. In 1996 I lost 75 lbs in about 9 months time. I am going to use the same techniques that I used then. I only have to lose an average of 8 lbs per month to make my goal and so far I am on track.

Just in case your wondering, I did not gain the weight back right away. The weight gain was a result of the lifestyle that goes with traveling for a living. My old job required me to travel and work 12 hour days, 7 days a week with only a few days in between jobs. Living like this results in a lot of fast food meals and not very much time to spend exercising if any. I put on the weight gradually over a ten year period. The last 50 pounds actually occurred last year when I quit smoking cigarettes.

The program that I used before is very simple to follow. You will still be able to eat things that you like and the exercise required is not that much. You will find that as you lose weight and become accustomed to being more active in your life, you will actually feel like increasing the amount of exercise that you do. It just seems to go with the healthy lifestyle which is what you will be changing.

Here are what I call the "simple truths" about weight loss. Some of these may seem rediculously obvious but I am going to list them any way. Weight loss and dieting has become a gazillion dollar industry because people have forgotten these simple facts and think that their answer lies in a pill or a slim fast shake.

The truth is that people are looking for an easy way out and will believe anything to keep from having to do the neccesary work. They spend there money, get crappy results, and then look for another "miracle" product that will make them skinny.

With that said, here are the ten simple truths:

• if you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight
• if you take in more calories than you burn, you will gain weight
• there is no magic pill that will make you lose weight
• starvation and dieting causes your body to go into "conservation mode" and you burn less calories
• most people are dehydrated and your body compensates by retaining unneccessary water "Drink Lots of Water"
• it is better to eat small snacks every few hours than to eat 2 or 3 big meals a day (this will elevate your metabolism)
• weight loss requires some form of exercise (it doesn't have to be a lot)
• sleep is an important part of any weight loss program (get at least 6-8 hours every night)
• stress causes chemical imbalances in your body that inhibits the burning of calories (try meditation,yoga, or set aside some daily quiet time)

  
  

• caffine also inhibits weight loss

These are just a few facts that you really need to think about. Design your weight loss program around them and you will see results. Read on to see what I am doing or you can vist my blog. (see link in intro)

When planning a menu designed for weight loss, all you have to do is use common sense. Obviously, you have to except the fact that you are going to have to give up all the crap. You can't sit in front of the TV at night eating potato chips or ice cream and expect to lose weight.

I eat popcorn. I also recommend tostitos with salsa. Remember, moderation is the key. You don't have to give up your evening snacks but you have to use your head. You will have to say goodbye, (at least for a while), to things like chocolate cake and ice cream.

When you get a sweet tooth, look for fruit not candy. If you just want a snack, try carrot sticks, celery with a little peanut butter, or even rice cakes. You have to start conditioning your self to eat these types of food. Weight loss is about implementing lifestyle changes. Your current set of habits are what made you fat. If you want to lost weight, you must alter these habits.

A fellow named Rob Cooper, also known as "The Former Fat Guy", uses a criteria for picking out what to eat that I have tryed to adopt. He proposes that "real" food is anything that you can pick, grow, or kill. Growing and hunting your own food is not practical for most of us, but you need to think about it.

Anything that comes in a box, can, or carton should be held suspect. It means that they are full of preservatives, additives, and is not food in it's natural state. If you can keep something out for over a few days and it will not rot or go bad, it's not natural. My weight loss plan involves drinking nothing but water. That is because, as humans, water is our natural drink.

Pretend you are a caveman. Do you think there were any fat cavemen? Highly unlikely. They only ate foods that were intended by the maker. (referring to which ever deity you believe in) Things that occurred naturally in their environment. They also got their fair share of exercise in pursuit of there food.

There is a reason why the USA has the highest rate of obesity per capita in the world. It's because we all eat fast food. I am not talking about Burger King alone. I am talking about anything that you just pop into the microwave for a few secs and Heeeeeres Dinner! Sound familiar?

My wife is from Venezuela. By the way, you don't run into many obese Venezuelans either. When she came to the United States to live with me, one of the first things she noticed was all of the food that came in a pre-packaged, ready to microwave and eat fashion. She also noticed how she immediately began to gain weight eating the same.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.....Interesting isn't it?

You see in Venezuela, most people still prepare food the old fashion way. You buy fresh produce and meat to be prepared in your kitchen. We also lived in Holland for 2 years prior to her coming to the United States, and they are also very wary of fast food.

Do you want to lose weight? Go to my blog and see exactly what I am doing to lose and average of 10 lbs per month by eating smart, doing a little bit of exercise , and drinking a ton of water. Make sure you come back and finish reading this hub. I have included a list of "Power Foods" that I have compiled from different sources and I let you in on my secret weapon that every one just beginning a diet should try.

The biggest problem I had when beginning my weight loss program was that I ate too much. I know it sounds obviously silly but I was used to eating a lot. When I took the family out to eat, we went to all you can eat buffets. On the weekends and in the evenings after work, I snacked non-stop.

I always felt hungry. It wasn't that I was trully hungry, I was just used to eating all the time. Let's face it old habits are hard to break. I had to find a way to keep from feeling hungry all the time. Drinking lots of water is a big help, but did not stop the hunger pangs. I found the solution to my problem in a little cactus from South Africa called Hoodia Gordonii.

OK I know what you are thinking. Maybe you have even tried a "Hoodia" product and it didn't work. The truth is that most of the Hoodia products do not contain pure Hoodia Gordonii powder from South Africa. There are a million counterfeit products out there so buyer beware. To learn the truth about Hoodia, click here.

My wife is from Venezuela and loves to dance Salsa. She wants us to get the Zumba workout DVD's so I can learn Salsa while I lose weight. That way her friends won't laugh at me when we go clubbing in Venezuela. I tried doing the routine in the video below and just about killed myself. I thinks it's just a little bit too advanced for me right now. I'll stick to my "Yoga For Weight Loss" workout for now.