Nearly every fad diet out there will tell you to deprive your body of calories and exercise yourself to death in order to lose weight.  Well, not only is this a sure recipe for failure, it is also dangerous for your health.  Any weight you do lose will come back once you go off the diet, and you may even gain a few extra pounds because you have slowed your metabolism down so much.  When you eat smart choices often, however, it sends a message to your body that it is getting all the energy it needs so there is no reason to keep storing fat.

The best idea is to eat smaller meals or snacks every 2-3 hours up to 6 times a day.  Some people find this more difficult than it sounds because of busy Tyler, Texas schedules.  Many people feel that they are stuffing themselves constantly and have difficulty eating as often as prescribed because they just don’t feel hungry.  The idea, however, is to eat small portions, not 4 course dinners.  Reach for a handful of grapes one time, a cup of low-fat yogurt the next, and maybe a small grilled chicken salad or sandwich on wheat bread for a more substantial meal.

Eating this way rather than the traditional “3 squares a day” will help to put your body’s metabolism into high gear and you will see pounds start to come off even with no additional effort.