No matter what stop light your car is parked at, chances are good that you can look over at any of the four street corners and see a fast food restaurant. Despite all of the technical advances and knowledge we are equipped with to help us lead healthy lifestyles, temptation is keeping our nation fat and a soaring need for healthy weight loss for over 65% of Americans. One cheeseburger won’t hurt us in the long run, we say, but ten years later we wonder how we became obese.

Another factor helping America achieve the status of being the fattest nation in the world, and an alarming need for healthy weight loss, is fad diets. We eat cheeseburgers, tacos and fried chicken at all of these fast food restaurants, then jump on whatever fad diet train that conveniently passes by in order to try and cheat our way back to good health. All it seems to be doing is making us even fatter.

I struggled with being overweight for twenty years before finally realizing that cheaters never prosper, and it goes double when dealing with your health. I spent over $2,000 on various weight loss programs only to lose 60 pounds and gain back 80 pounds. The only logical solution I could come up with was that there was something wrong with me personally or I was using the wrong weight loss programs.

But thankfully, I’m not the type of person who gives up. When I finally woke up and realized that there will never be some sort of miracle cure packaged nicely in one little healthy weight loss supplement that will help anyone lose weight, things became clear. In order to lose weight and keep it off for good, I had to face the fact that lifestyle changes must be made and I had to find a healthy weight loss program that would work for me.

Lifestyle modifications are the foundation of any successful long-term weight loss plan (eating less and moving more), and they require daily focus and discipline. I had chronic asthma all of my life and could not exercise or even breathe heavy, yet I still found a way to lose 70 pounds 15 years ago and have been medication free ever since. For me there was no other choice. It all came down to making simple decisions on a daily basis.

The way I lost weight was by replacing high-fat and high-sugar foods with proper nutrition and targeted vitamins made from all natural ingredients. Specifically, I began replacing unhealthy meals with a soy-based protein shake that gave my body all of the proper nutrition that a huge high-calorie meal gives you, minus the salt, sugar and fat. Proper nutrition and less calories equals healthy weight loss. Did I give up the foods I love? No. I just don’t eat them quite so often.

One of the biggest misconceptions that I have encountered since beginning to help people in their healthy weight loss journey is that all you have to do is eat vegetables and fruits to get the nutrition you need. Although these foods are a much healthier alternative than low-fat potato chips and cookies, you still have to eat too much of them to get the nutrition of a scientifically formulated protein shake.

Calories are calories no matter what the food source is, and the more you consume, the more you will gain weight. One 200 calorie soy-based protein meal replacement shake, for example, could be packed with all the nutrients found in eating 2,000 calories worth of food.

The human body is complex and requires many different needs for all of your problems which cannot be solved with one little weight loss pill. Treating each organ individually so that it functions at its optimum performance is the safest way to achieve an overall wellness of the body. By taking an all-natural products targeted to help me breathe better, I was soon able to get off all of my asthma medications while achieving the weight loss I wanted.

Another reason why I was successful at losing weight and keeping it off was because I had a support system. My coach had been where I was, and struggled in the same ways to achieve weight loss. Because he was part of the program I began, my coach’s success was dependent on my success. And that is why I am so successful at helping people lose weight now. I have been there before and I know what it’s like.

The best part about the meal replacements and supplements I have conditioned myself to take every day to keep me healthy is the cost. It is cheaper for me to get the best nutrition possible into my system than it is to buy the extra value meal at any given fast food restaurant. How can you beat spending $3.50 per meal without putting your health at risk.

It is important that you understand the importance of making healthy choices as a new way of life. It is extremely difficult in America today to find the road to good health and stay on it, but you must if you want to achieve healthy weight loss and keep it off for good. Do not let poor food and diet choices rob you of living the best life you can live. For things to change, you’ve got to change.

The season is upon us once again. Holiday shopping to finish, stacks of cards to address, the house has to be cleaned, travel plans to make and a new years resolution to settle on. If you’re like most Americans, it will be losing weight. January rolls around and everyone decides that “this” is the year they will finally conquer their weight. Gyms are gearing up for the rush of new exercise enthusiasts- many offering special introductory rates.

Take the special rate. There’s no reason “this” can’t be “the” year. As obesity in America continues making headlines, make the choice for yourself that this is the year you regain control of your health. By this time next year, you won’t believe the strides you’ve made, and you’ll have a perfectly good excuse for shopping for a new year’s dress. Since that old one is just too big now!

Along with that new gym membership, you’re going to need to redesign the way you and your family eat. That’s probably easier said than done. The kids are too picky for sudden drastic changes or the introduction of unfamiliar foods, your husband is set in his ways and knows just what you he likes, and financially, you can’t afford to buy healthy options for yourself and leave the rest alone. There are many carefully designed diet and weight loss programs that not only provide the education necessary for properly managing your diet and exercise efforts, but also provide delicious recipes and healthful twists on old favorites.

Well-established and respected diet plans like Weight Watchers, Curves, Jenny Craig and Bob Greene’s Bestlife Diet provide comprehensive weight loss plans. With physical locations (except for BestLife) you can visit for working out, social support, and diet education, as well as online extensions for a more in-depth experience. They also offer branded foods at your grocery store. Each of these plans have helped thousands of people regain control of their weight.

Once your weight is under control, you’re sticking to a regular work out schedule and you’ve discovered eating healthy doesn’t mean eating unsatisfying meals- you’ll begin to reap the extensive health benefits of living a healthier lifestyle. Reduced fat, calories, and even refined carbs can decrease your risk of obesity-related illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

If you’re not sure about one diet over the other, or if one program is an ideal match for your lifestyle and needs- keep shopping. Read the reviews, find the pros, cons and style of each program until you find one that seems it was made just for you. Many of these diet plans have web components that do offer customized plans specific to your unique needs.

So many diet plans now have web-based membership programs that allow you to track progress, keep journals, recipe libraries and accompanying grocery lists, customized exercise instruction, message boards and chat functions with other members. These ensure that no matter how busy you are, or near or far from a location, you can always access your favorite diet plan and continue reaching your weight loss goals, and keeping your new years resolution.