The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to go about it realistically. You deal with reality everyday. The struggle to find clothes that fit, the snickers and the stares from people passing by. You know that you are overweight and you fight with that pain as much as you fight with your weight.

So how are you going to lose weight and keep it off. First you have to understand that realistically you should plan on losing about 2 pounds per week. I know that 2 pounds doesn’t sound like a lot, but the weight didn't go on overnight so it isn’t going to come off overnight.

The key to losing that weight is to use up more fuel than what you are taking in. Getting more active doesn’t necessary mean that you have to hit the gym for five hours a day. It means that you need to incorporate more physical activity throughout your day.

There just isn’t anyway around it, you have to exercise. At first you may find it tough and depending on your current weight you may have some shortness of breath… but those things will not last. And you can take it steadily at first and build up. There is no need to start off with boot camp aerobics. Instead start with walks, bike riding or swimming. Something that you are going to enjoy doing so that you stick with it.

You can’t skip meals either. You actually need to eat in order to lose weight. Yes, you read that correctly. You need to eat to lose weight. When you skip meals you make your metabolism slow down. Metabolism, that wonderful little process that burns the fat you have, and burns off the fuel you eat. The key to making your metabolism work with you, is to keep it running at a consistent "speed" through out the day. Plus, when you skip meals on a repeated basis, you put your body into starvation mode, so your body then holds on to whatever food or fuel you take in.

Now you are going to have to make some modifications to what you are eating. You need to give your body foods that are easier for it to digest that actually provide the body with the nutrients it needs to work properly. Look, who doesn’t crave a snickers bar every now and then. But what you need to focus on is reducing the foods that are high in fat, that have been processed and packaged and eat more fresh vegetables, fruit and natural foods.